Final Thoughts

Overall, I have found most of what we have done in TPTE 486 to be very helpful. This class has given me new resources to be able to integrate into my classroom. The idea of using more than just PowerPoint presentations is not quite as intimidating as it was before I entered this class. After completing many of these projects, I now have ideas for activities and lessons that I can implement in my own classroom. Integrating technology into the classroom can be sometimes frustrating as I have watched while observing in the schools as well as seeing in this class. However, when it is a sucess, some really neat things can be done. Students today are all about the digital world. Therefore, technology in the classroom is a great way to get them to interact with the material. Finding ways to use different programs with the content will help keep their attention on what they should be learning. Also, because so many students are very interested in technology, we can easily make material relevant to them, which I find to be extremely important to teaching. In addition, the students' interest in technology like the internet also needs to be addressed. As teachers, it is our responsibility to show the students how they are supposed to use this resource. We need to teach them how to properly evaluate a website's content, what can and cannot be used such as copyrighted music, and how to properly cite sources they have used from the internet. They need to learn how to responsibly use technology not just for the classroom but the real world as well. They will be long gone from my classroom when they are still using the internet, so it is important to teach them properly as early as we can. I am very optimistic about using technology in my class. I think it will be a fun and engaging way to conduct many lessons.