As I sat down to write this final paper of the semester, I took a moment to reflect

on the past four months and began to realize just how much I have learned in such

a short period of time. I have to be honest and tell you, after attending the first

session of class, I wanted to drop it. I was overwhelmed by the syllabus and not

having much prior technology experience I was extremely intimidated. Needless

to say, I am glad I decided to stay. I never expected to learn all I did and feel

much more comfortable using many different forms of technology. Throughout

the course of this semester I have grown to love working with different forms of

technology and cannot wait to use them in my classroom one day.

Before sitting down to write this I re-read the first technology journey I wrote in

September. It was after reading this that I truly realized how much this course had

covered and how much more confident I feel in using technology. I must admit that I

have always been a little apprehensive about technology. To some degree I think it is just

because other than writing papers for school and checking my emails, I didn’t really use

computers. I had never even used PowerPoint prior to this course. PowerPoint is one of

my favorite features, I had so much fun doing my first lesson plan and now use it for

many presentations in my other classes. My perspective of technology has definitely

changed I am no longer afraid to try and use new things, but rather look forward to doing

so.

    One of my favorite sections covered in this class, was on teachers and copyright

 laws. I enjoyed both the reading and lecture by Hall Davidson. Prior to his visit I had no

idea what the laws about copyright were and how they pertained to teachers. The

information covered in his lecture will help me tremendously as a teacher. We all know

teachers use many materials in their classroom, it is good to know what we do and do not

have rights to. Another reading I really like was “ 21st Century Skill: Will Our Students

Be Prepared?”. Living in the age of technology we need to make sure that teachers have

the knowledge to teach their students all they need to know so they are prepared to enter

society. It is up to us as educators to make sure we ourselves feel comfortable and have a

solid knowledge of the material we need to teach our students. If our students as a whole

fail then we to, fail. Lastly, I really enjoyed the reading on teaching our children to be

web literate. There is so much out there on the world wide web, we need to make sure our

students understand what is valid and what is not. As beneficial as the internet is, it can

also be harmful. As educators we must teach our students to use this tool wisely and

safely.

    As an educator, I want to do my best to introduce my students to as many forms

of technology as I can. I know resources are few but I will use what I am given and make

sure my students have knowledge and a good understanding of what they are. I see how

important it is for my generation to know how to use various forms of technology, I can

only imagine what it will be like for my students generation. There are so many forms of

educational technology out there, I cannot wait to try them in my classroom. I am a big

fan of KidPix and through our software evaluations I was able to find a few products I

will use in my classroom. I want to keep a good mix of educational yet fun products in

my classroom as well as a wide variety of subject matters. One idea I would like to use in

the future came to me when we covered digital cameras. I want to teach first or second

grade and think it would be fun to create a class yearbook. Throughout the year, both

students and I will take pictures a class projects, school spirit days, open house, field

trips, etc. This class has given me so many ideas, I cannot wait to try them and see if they

work well in a classroom setting.

    Throughout this course I have had the opportunity to explore and use many

various forms of technology and though most of them have been fun, they have not

always been easy. One project in particular was the I-movie. It was fun to edit our videos,

but also very frustrating making sure each scene was just right. The only other project I

have really struggled with is our E-Portfolio. Please don’t get me wrong I am having a

blast putting it together but it has also been one of the most frustrating things I have ever

 done. Learning to design and publish a website has certainly tested my patience yet

pushed me to work harder on it. This project is something I am taking great pride in and

only want to submit my best work. As of now my site is not completed but I am almost

there. I have already learned so much and can only imagine how much I will learn by the

time it is completed. I have put many hours in and worked extremely hard on making it

just right, I only hope you are happy with the final product as I know I will be.

    How do you see technology affecting your life personally and professionally? I

took a moment to really think about this question and I realized all the ways technology

affects my personal life. First I thought of the internet, every morning when I wake up the

first thing I do is check my emails. I am constantly emailing my friends and family back

home, we talk more through emails than we do on the phone. Secondly I thought of this

class, much of our work and communication is done through WebCT. I also use the

internet for much of my research in other classes and also for UNLV’S library. Lastly I

thought of my cell and I honestly think I would be lost without it. Between working full

time and going to school full time I am rarely home. The only way for people to reach me

is my cell phone. Technology affects my everyday life in many ways but these were the

main three.

    Now I think about how technology will affect me as a teacher and again I found

many ways.  I want to incorporate as much technology into my classroom as I can. I hope

 to use PowerPoint, KidPix, computer software, digital cameras, video cameras anything

that I feel will benefit my students. Using technology not only benefits the students

because it teaches them how to properly use something but it can make learning much

more fun. I can also use technology to communicate with parents of my students. We can

email, call one another or even set up a video conference. With technology possibilities

are endless and every child deserves to have endless opportunities for they are the future.

    Overall, this class has been one the best classes I have ever taken. At times it was

hard, frustrating and there were times I wanted to give up, but I am glad I didn’t. I never

realized how important technology in a classroom is, until now and I fully intend to use it

in every way I can in my own.  Another thing I want to point out about this particular

class is the people who are in it. We had a very small class and everyone in it has been

great. Everyone was always willing to help one another and I have made some great

friends through the course of the semester. Friends who I know I will continue to see

after the class is over. We also had a great teacher who put in many hours outside of class

to help us and make sure we understood the material. I could not have asked for better

classmates or a better teacher. I am walking away from this class with such a strong

knowledge of technology and look forward to learning more.