CJPTTF Blog # 8 Big Ideas - Reflections re teaching and learning with technology

As I entered the class, I expected to expand my repertoire for engaging lessons. I now exit with exciting, dynamic tools to use with my students, fortified with resources and endless opportunities for my students, colleagues and myself. Not only will I incorporate technology in the classroom with my students, but already I have found it an invaluable tool and resource for both researching topics and facilitating the multitude of administrative tasks related to teaching.

Although I have always maintained that we all learn together (students and teachers,) and accepted that students are more tech savvy,  I am now: much more knowledgeable about technology; have achieved a comfort level, embrace it; and am having fun, as I became totally immersed exploring the many resources we’ve been exposed to in just the past few months. Another aspect that I gained from the course is the ever expanding circle of colleagues to collaborate with, combining best practices from across the country and around the world.

In my role coordinating Hebrew instruction for students with learning disabilities and for students who are new to the school, goals for future include:

• developing lessons incorporating on-line resources for Hebrew instruction;
• creating reports for classroom teachers, specialists, administrators and myself to access and update concurrently; and
• developing resources for students to access to further strengthen their Hebrew reading skills.
  
  

Within the school, we have project based learning and a school wide system of assessment for Hebrew reading skills within our spiraling curriculum. Based upon my research during this course, we have agreed to implement an incentive system for those who acquire 100% proficiency.  Classroom instruction will be somewhat “flipped” with the expectation that students practice at home to achieve this. Thus, our goals will particularly address the dual problems of student absenteeism, and the chronic complaint of teachers not having enough time to teach. It will be interesting to collaborate with other colleagues to achieve these goals.