Impressions of EC&I 832: The Internet and Curriculum Integration

Personal Reflections on:

1.) What significant footprints have you made in the sand as a result of this class?
What are you now aware of and familiar with that was not a part of your sandbox prior to this class?
What achievement/progress/insight are your most proud of?

2.) As you move forward from this class, what new possibilities are guiding your thinking?
What new opportunities related to the Internet and your work do you want to pursue?

3.) Who will be walking along side you or playing along side you as you move ahead?
(Will it be students, administrators, colleagues, other educators in cyberspace, blogger etc.?)

I believe I have made many significant gains, and passive and active footprints in in my online journey beginning with just knowing what a digital footprint is. By logging on, I have made a digital footprint and actually knew I was creating one at the time I was doing it, is probably the first and most important realization I arrived at because of this class.

Knowing that I am making inroads into cyberspace willingly by choice to actively be participating,creating, collaborating and even having ideas of where to start looking and connecting on the Net has been a huge step forward because of what I may find there to help me learn,teach and understand are two more big prints in my learning journey. I realize that everyone had to start somewhere and that it is never too late to start learning about Web 2.0 because Web 3.0 is already happening. Sometimes when a person has too many choices, no choice is actively made except to not make a choice and therefore turn off the power. I am still embarrassed somewhat to think that my laptop was used primarily for Microsoft word documents that I created , searching the online libraries of the world for online resources and to play Mahjong before I started this class, even though I was paying for wireless high speed access!

I am now aware of all sorts of Web 2.0 tools and sites that I can access to find resources such as experts and others like myself who I can connect with to actively discuss questions, analyze problems and solutions to help myself and my students on any given day at any given hour. I have learned that "nobody is smarter than everybody" and as Einstein said "We are greater than the sum of our parts" and online access offers us this bonus of 'connected knowledge' quickly, quietly and very effectively. We can all be challenged to make slow and steady gains on the Internet. If I want to learn about something specific, I know it is out there and equally accessible to all types of learning styles. Differetiated instruction is now more easily accomplished with Information Communication Technologies.

The achievement I am most proud of is finding the courage within myself to believe that I could do this class despite feeling that there was tremendous, almost unbearable amount of technological knowledge that I didn't have to start the class with. I know now that by continuing to take a risk to reach out to strangers and even my own students that I will find answers to an ever growing list of questions that crops up on a daily basis when learning about and using the Internet. Fear is based on ignorance according to Vicki Davis and to manage this is to take charge and learn.
I was happy with learning how to create a blog and to accept that the problems that cropped up were manageable but also a necessary part of the learning experience. In addition, I know that any blog I create in the future will be better because I know more strategies now and have more connections to ways to make it better. (Everyone I work with is encouraged to get an email address!!)It is a scary but inspiring and an empowering fact to be able to publish as quickly and easily as a click of a key when something is created.

As I grow in my understanding of how technology is quickly changing the world and how I can utilize the tools to take my learning forward in a positive way, I know that Vicki Davis calls for creating 'intra connections' or working partnerships first with local people then on an increasingly more 'inter connected' or global basis so we can help ourselves and each other to create "flat classrooms". Helping others also helps us to filter useful from non useful information that may or may not have a shelf life as the 'half life of knowledge shrinks' as quickly as new information is created. To collaborate to find better solutions and and new questions that drives us in a new direction in our world development, communicate with others who offer a different perspective so we can help our students see that together we can become better problem solvers using the 'highest order of thinking skills' , critical and creative thinkers, and motivated team players willing to take risks and do things never done before in history.

The new possibilities that are now guiding my thinking are to take advantage of social networking sites like Twitter and Ning in order to make contacts in order to create a 'global knowledge bank' as K-12 online conference participants say where I can go to for ideas and help.
I would like to use wikis and blogs to enhance my students' school experiences ,keep track of day to day gains , keep a paperless archive on my own learning , to learn new knowledge and ideas from other's contributions, give and receive feedback and have support on project based learning activities. With colleagues and community members , I would like to share professional development learning opportunities by creating ,leading, and participating in these learning adventures. Then I would like to collaborate with others on collaborative based projects on a global level.
Because I believe that together we are greater, I am willing to work with and learn from my students, teaching colleagues, and others in the cyber classrooms of the world. I want to build a "Flat Classroom!"

I would like to thank my instructor Marnie McMillan for her encouragement, support, direction, and for sharing her insights, knowledge and secrets for success. In addition, every member of this class through their own pubished works and valuable comments as well as everything that I have read about as a result of this class has added an immeasurable amount to my learning and understanding. Not only have I learned , I feel I have bigger and better questions and my curiosity is larger than life and for that I am thankful and very appreciative.