Reflection about Technology in the Classroom Class Fall 2013

            Technology has been making our lives easy, effective, and fun in many ways. In education, inventing the pencil and paper was revolutionary technology because they have enabled us to write and store knowledge in effective manners in comparison to people who carved letters on walls and stones. Nowadays, we are surrounded by abundant technologies with the advent of personal computers, smartphones, and tablet computers. With this sense, the Technology in the Classroom course has (1) taught me various knowledge and ideas about how to apply technology in education, (2) provided me opportunities to learn various topics by myself that the course did not cover, and (3) motivated me to keep moving toward technology in the education field from now on.

            First, the course has taught me how to apply various applications in the classroom, broaden my horizon about the field and related issues, and engaged me to effectively use technology in my teachings. For example, the ways we use iMovie, an avatar creation site, and Smartboard notebook has provided clear ideas of how to apply those in my classroom setting (second language learning). Specifically, I have learned that I can give an assignment to students to create an avatar, which will break the ice for the first class and give them opportunities to enhance their writing skills as well. Also, through the course, I have broadened my horizon about the field by joining a professional association (e.g. ISTE), analyzing related journals (e.g. JCT) and considering the important points of copyrights, cyberbullying, and identity theft that teachers may easily overlook. Lastly, the course has strongly motivated me to use and practice what I have learned by prompting me to create an avatar, a video clip, a wiki page, an e-poll, and a blog. Therefore, I can learn not only theories but also applications.

            Second, the course has given me opportunities of learning several topics by myself because the class has not included them in the course curriculum. For instance, one of the major reasons that I enrolled in  the course was that I wanted to know more about what applications are specifically useful for language learning (e.g., VoiceThread). However, since the class had a broader perspective about using technology in education as a whole, not specifically about the language learning, I have come up with the specific applications by myself. Also, Prezi is one of the my main expected objectives in this course, but I had to take a look at the application by myself as well because of the same reason. However, those missing pieces eventually helped me to move toward self-learning while stimulating my intrinsic motivations.

            Third, the course has strongly inspired me to keep progressing in the field (technology in education) with clearer visions about how to apply technology in my field (language teaching) from now on. For instance, when we learned about KidPix, even though the purpose of the class was not how to apply it into language teaching, my interest has motivated me to keep thinking about its application. Therefore, I have come up with the ideas of using the application into facilitating learners' writing, speaking, and reading skills in authentic ways. Also, I have used the Edmodo with my classes in order to effectively build a learning community with students living here in Oklahoma as well as living in Japan (my Skype class students). Finally, inspired by the course, I have been writing a journal article about my topic in hopes of a publication.

            In conclusion, the course of Technology in the Classroom Fall 2013 has enlightened me by giving me opportunities to learn what technology teachers can use and how to apply it in the classroom, study applications by myself, and has inspired me to keep advancing in the field with clearer and broader visions. However, it is essential to remember that the content is more important than the technology that we use to teach. Therefore, I will do my best to keep a balance between using cutting-edge technology and delivering high-quality content.