EDU+580-V+Reflection

=EDU 580-V Technology Integration Reflection=

I've always liked the idea of e-portfolios for students, but really did not have any idea how to go about exploring them. They seemed like an insurmountable task. I think they would be very useful for public education, especially for middle school students, because they can see visualize and review over time exactly how much they have progressed in different areas of their education. Plus, as teachers we can embed certain symbols and philosophies of our school culture that we want the students to continually consider. I can see how the E portfolios could easily become overwhelming for schoolteacher to monitor and evaluate. It looks like an excellent opportunity for students to practice self-assessment. I plan to highlight the use of E portfolios with my eighth graders this year by having them create individual wikis on the school server.
 * E-portfolios**

EDU 585 required me to build an e-portfolio, which I had never done before. I had used Weebly, my platform for the e-portfolio, a year ago. Returning to it was useful for me. I appreciated the simplicity of Weebly, both in appearance and construction. I have used wikis and Google Sites regularly with my students and UMF classes. Those sites quickly became visually cluttered, and complex to review. The use of Weebly reminded me that important information can be communicated in a simple, concise manner.
 * Tools**

I also used Blackboard more extensively and with greater scope in EDU 585 than I had previously. It was absolutely necessary to have the clear guidance of the instructors regarding the number of posts and responses. It was interesting to see my writing progressed from bland overview of the readings. The second stage can be described as having permission to express our opinions in our responses. In the final stage, we carried on more complex discussion, sometimes going off on a tangent. I found the feedback from Barbara to be extremely helpful, the first time I read it, and equally important, when I reviewed all the threads later. These conversations would probably have become even stronger, if the course continued for three more weeks.

I felt very comfortable with the process of learning a new technology tool. I like to spend some time every week fiddling around with something new and trying to figure out how it works. I think I've only once read a book about using innovative technology tools (Wikis, Podcasts and Blogs). In that case, the value of the book arose from the discussions of the teachers’ applications of technology within their classrooms. The rest of the time I like to check a couple of blogs (Free Technology for Teachers, Diigo Educators Group, Ozge Karaoglu’s Blog) for quick descriptions and links to interesting technology tools.
 * Self-directed learning**

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