I enjoyed taking this class because I can use so much what I have learned immediately starting this new school year. The major realization I had was that there is so much more to curriculum development than I originally had been aware. Curriculum is not just what students are taught but it also encompasses professional development opportunities for teachers, methods of pedagogy, key competencies, empowering students with values, preparing students to develop a love for learning and strive to be life-long learners, global socialization, sustainability for the future, technology incorporation, involving parents and the community, and so much more.
The necessity for technology incorporation in the classroom was my favorite part of the course. With today's society, it is vital that students are competent in using technology and connecting with the world through it. I am excited to have had the experience have use podcasts, video casts, voice threads, blogs, and more. I was glad to have the opportunity to use them in this class prior to having my students experiment with them. Technology engages students and gives them choice for projects. Both technology and choice are two engaging options to motivate students. I learned the reasons technology has not already been used more in the classroom and ways to empower coworkers to incorporate it.
I really enjoyed the comparative assignment and researching New Zealand's curriculum. New Zealand has a successful school system which I feel is a model for the United States to use strive towards during our education reform. I learned there is not one right way for curriculum development but a multitude of options. The goal is to link state standards with the needs and interests of the school.
Educating for a sustainable future and global competence were two topics which stood out to me. It is vital for students to know how the world works and their role in keeping our earth healthy and the future of next generations. Students need to be globally knowledgable. With technology advances today, it is likely many of them will have jobs where they work with colleagues from around the world. Using google hangout and blogs, students can have conversations with students from anywhere in the world. Diversity should be celebrating in all classrooms and this is a wonderful opportunity. There are even instructors who teach foreign languages through skype which I could show on my smartboard. We could also have google hangout sessions where we interview people from the different cultures we are learning about in class.
There is so much more I will be taking from this course, but those are the highlights which I connected with and will be able to use in my classroom beginning the start of this school year. I plan to continue to use this blog to share my thoughts, questions, and opinions for what I experience in the classroom with the new tools I have acquired from this course, and also future courses. I can use this blog as a reflection to reread my ideas and share them with colleagues. It would be awesome if I could convince my grade level team to also start blogs so we can collaborate together through blogging.
Kathryn,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the emphasis on technology as well. Most of these types of things we have done have been brand new to me, and I would have been reluctant to use them in the classroom before this. Now I can see how they can be used as collaborative tool, as well as new ways to motivate students in the classroom. All, in all, I found it exciting to learn about them!