EDLD+5364+Final+Reflection

What did I gain from this assignment? I discovered that it is possible to create an e-book for your students to use in an assignment. It was this part of the assignment that got my attention because it was a new and creative way to convey information to your target group. I think this type of tool is something that the teachers of today and the future need to learn how and when to use, through the support of the leaders of schools. G. Solomon and L. Schrum state, “In order for schools to prepare students for the future, leaders must help teachers make the transition to using new technologies and new methods.” ( 2007, p. 109) It was using this new creative tool that reminded me that I don’t know all of the tools available to teachers to use and that I should continue to search for new tools. I had always thought of creating (writing) a book to be a huge challenge and something that could not be used in the course of teaching students new content. I think this tool by CAST is one that help change the ways teaching is done as it discovered and share by teachers. Personally I want to revisit this tool because I struggled with the content for the book that I created, but not the tool itself. If forced to rate it based on my interaction with it and the assignment, I would be forced to give it a poor rating. I can see the potential in the use of it and would want to rate it based on what I think I could do with it and a subject matter that was a strong suite of mine. Once we found our group we began to plan out how to complete the assignment. We mutually decided upon a leader and shared information about our professional careers in order to find strengths and weaknesses of the group. This would allow us the chance to match strengths with parts of the assignment for a better overall completed assignment at the end of the course. However when needed, each of us would step up and take care of an aspect of the project that needed to be done for the success of the group. Once we had our assignments, we were left to complete our part and then share it with the rest of the group. When examining my own role in this assignment, I found that I was lacking in many areas. To be honest, I should have taken a different approach to the assignment, the first thing I should have done was to print out the requirements of the project in order to work with the end in mind, instead of trying to jump through hoops as I came to them. As someone who thinks of himself as a leader, I should have been willing to offer myself as the group leader. I should have made sure that I had access to the internet regardless of where I was, especially if I was going to be away from the internet for any length of time. Another part of my performance that was not where it should have been was when I should have asked for clarification on a part that I did not understand or that I was having trouble with. There are several examples of where, even though I was confused or struggling I did not seek clarification into the matter causing me difficulty. This is not a good way to progress with the hopes of getting an A. When I critically look at the way our group interacted with each other and how it might have affected the performance of each of us, I can only think that we did not collaborate to the fullest extent that we could have. I say that realizing that I was as guilty at putting the class in second place to other activities. We should have scheduled weekly meeting times, when we would all met online at one time, in order to discuss what we were learning or what we needed clarity on, this would have given us extra support and a chance to bounce ideas off of each other. I think that these meeting times would have been a way to create unity and a stronger bound between the three of us and less of the feeling that I was working alone and the feeling of lost most of the time. Pitler, et al tell us that, “Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face.” (2007, p 140) A statement I found most illuminating was from the CAST video // The Brain Research //, David Rose (nd) stated “Neuroscience shows that each brain processes information differently. The way we learn is as different as our fingerprint or our DNA.” Taking this statement to heart, I will see it impact my learning in the future, because I will have to learn not to be afraid of saying I need help, I don’t understand what we are suppose to do, or what did I do wrong. If I do this then it will improve my learning because I will not feel that I should catch on just like everyone else, when we each learn differently. I will be more aware of how I learn and making sure that I gain the knowledge that I need. My past chances at group collaboration have taught me the need for open communication in order to have collaboration that takes place between the members of the group. Open communication is needed to be successful in groups, especially when work together over distances. In future learning I will also make sure that we have weekly planning sessions in order to make sure that we are on target with our work and that all the bases are covered. This will also help ensure that there are no surprises concerning week long vacations. G. Solomon and L. Schrum give us insight into the new way of learning, “The new way is collaboration, with information shared, discussed, refined with others, and understood deeply. It prepares students to become part of a nimble workforce that makes decisions and keeps learning as the workplace changes.” (2007, p 31) By ensuring that my group is collaborating will make sure that we are successful. The two things I want to go and revisit, from this class are the CAST lesson builder and the CAST book builder. The reason for this is because though I used them in relation to this assignment, I did not use them in relation to what I taught and the subject matter that I have a grasp on. It is this way that I will be able to get a better understanding of how to use them. I was stressed while working with these tools, because of the subject matter is one that causes me great stress. I want a chance to work on them, so that I can then take them to my teachers and let them discover their benefits. Reference: Lessonbuilder.cast.org (nd). // The Brain Research // on October 5, 2009 from []

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., and Malenoski, K. (2007) // Using technology with classroom instruction that works.” Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. //

Solomon, G., and Schrum, L. (2007). // Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. //Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.