Final Reflections - CEP 811

            When integrating technology, I have learned that since all students enter the school with various levels of technology skills, I need to have my lesson planned with UDL guidelines in order to meet the learning needs.  This is something that needs to be anticipated because I will never have students who all have the same understanding.  It is a fact.  But by being prepared and ready for multiple scenarios, I will have a quality lesson ready for students to learn with outcomes they can use in further studies and projects.  Aside from skills, I also need to anticipate cognitive abilities.  This strategy will enable all students to be engaged learners from day one without hesitation.  Understanding the different learning styles will further enable me to guide my students toward success rather than frustration.

            Integrating web-based technologies helped me think about and evaluate the uses of technology by enabling me to actively participate in using FTP and MERLOT.  I was able to upload my coursework to a remote server and provide a web address for its location.  This was a great tool to learn and understand because I understand how to share my work on a global scale. 

            At the beginning of this course, I wanted to understand how to utilize and integrate technology into my teaching.  The various assignments stretched my mind to think beyond the traditional uses of the computer and the Internet.  In particular, having learned about WebQuests, I was able to have a student work on one near the end of the year.  It was incredibly helpful by enabling me to understand the greater role technology can (and will) play in my future teaching. 

            I want to continue to discover new available resources through WebQuests and MERLOT to enhance my teaching.  These assignments gave me the hope that teaching does not have to be a solitary mission.  As educators, we want our students to succeed, so by contributing useful information and lessons to various sites, we have created this network that will flourish and give our students amazing new learning opportunities.  To reach these goals, I will continue to learn more about the resources available and document my work so others may use it, modify it, and benefit from it.