It's been a wonderful year.
As this is my last official post for the Certificate of Online Educational Technology and Information Literacy program offered at Yokohama International School through the State University of New York, I thought I would take this time to reflect back on what this program has meant to me, how it has shaped my teaching, and where I see myself going professionally from here. I remember sitting in my PYP coordinator’s office debating whether or not I should sign up for the program. He encouraged me to do it as I had already become the tech person in the elementary school and he suggested that it would help me professionally move into a new phase of my teaching. I am so glad that he did.
Over the past year and a half it has been a pleasure to get to meet and work with so many wonderful and talented individuals. I always looked forward to our course meetings I always came away with new ideas to help integrate technology and was consistently challenged to rethink how I viewed the use of tech in the classroom. It has been a way for me to gain valuable resources, meet new people, and have a great deal of fun while doing it.
As my knowledge grew, my passion for educational technology continued to grow and my building enthusiasm spread to others. Eventually I was asked to present to the parents about technology education and what the trends were. After the presentation I was also asked to give the presentation to the staff. Being given these opportunities was extremely rewarding and I hope to have many other opportunities to contribute to the life and growth of my school through presentations to other teachers and students.
Probably one of the most important lessons I learned was how to develop and cultivate my own personal learning network. There are many free sites that offer wonderful pieces of advice for integrating technology. However, I in turn must be willing put myself out there and share my success as well as my failures.
Finally, I want to say a sincere thank you to the Cohort 1 instructors and fellow participatants. Your passion and knowledge of educational technology and trends have pushed me to new heights and understanding. If this course was not offered, I would not have gotten the job I have now, I would not be working on developing my PLN, and more importantly I probably wouldn’t have a sweet clue about how to adapt my teaching style to meet the needs of students who never know a world without Google, iPods, iPhones. Thank you everyone for your guidance and support I’m sure all of Cohort 1 are grateful and I wish you all the best for Cohort 2.
Over the past year and a half it has been a pleasure to get to meet and work with so many wonderful and talented individuals. I always looked forward to our course meetings I always came away with new ideas to help integrate technology and was consistently challenged to rethink how I viewed the use of tech in the classroom. It has been a way for me to gain valuable resources, meet new people, and have a great deal of fun while doing it.
As my knowledge grew, my passion for educational technology continued to grow and my building enthusiasm spread to others. Eventually I was asked to present to the parents about technology education and what the trends were. After the presentation I was also asked to give the presentation to the staff. Being given these opportunities was extremely rewarding and I hope to have many other opportunities to contribute to the life and growth of my school through presentations to other teachers and students.
Probably one of the most important lessons I learned was how to develop and cultivate my own personal learning network. There are many free sites that offer wonderful pieces of advice for integrating technology. However, I in turn must be willing put myself out there and share my success as well as my failures.
Finally, I want to say a sincere thank you to the Cohort 1 instructors and fellow participatants. Your passion and knowledge of educational technology and trends have pushed me to new heights and understanding. If this course was not offered, I would not have gotten the job I have now, I would not be working on developing my PLN, and more importantly I probably wouldn’t have a sweet clue about how to adapt my teaching style to meet the needs of students who never know a world without Google, iPods, iPhones. Thank you everyone for your guidance and support I’m sure all of Cohort 1 are grateful and I wish you all the best for Cohort 2.
Credits
Calendar by tanekawho, found on Flickr, Creative Commons Licensed
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