So I was thinking - what can I really do to address all of the ideas and concepts we've been covering in the class so far? To believe that my lessons in class encompass all of the best practices, utilize technology in an engaging manner and use PBL to foster critical thinking while encouraging creativity is truly wishful thinking. Not that I'm saying I'm not a good teacher - great even at times (although maybe not ever awesome like Ryan!). I try different things in class to address bits and pieces of the whole... it's just that I still feel like I'm not doing enough because I don't have a plan of attack.
There are all sorts of great ideas that have been rolling around - I want to attempt for some grants to get a flotilla of laptops and some probeware for the science dept... I want to refurbish my biology classes to make the students the givers of knowledge... I want to completely rewrite the course outline for forensic science to make it more PBL... I want better dissection software that works when we need it to... I want to create Moodles for my classes... I want to create custom search engines for the four classes I teach... I want to scour the internet and sites like NetTrekker, Learn360, and Teacher's Domain for materials to support my student's learning... the list could go on and on and on. I want students to be excited about science!
And then I look at that list and I get down... how can I possibly do it all? And believe me I know that the longest trek starts with a single step and all the rest of the motivational mumbo jumbo, but seriously - where should a person begin without getting lost?
Now, when I read the assignments for the week I'll be honest, I did groan at the thought of putting together my Personal Technology Plan and I thought about what a monumental amount of time it would take. But after looking at my "to do's" I realized that instead of this just being an assignment, it was also an opportunity. Just the other day I blogged that I found a great new site and the author posed the tenent that when the phone rings, a hand is raised or a question is posed - I can deal with it as an opportunity or as an obligation. The assignment is the obligation, but depending on my point of view this might be just the right opportunity to truly lay down a plan of attack to prioritize the "to do" list into a series of goals and objectives that will ultimately accomplish what I want it to in the classroom.
So when asked to blog about what was covered this week and how it will impact my teaching I must say that it has given me a new vision for my methods of teaching as well as a renewed sense of the importance of taking that first step and building beyond it. I'm a great teacher right now, but I have the opportunity to learn and do so much more with my students. With this vision in mind, I can start my Personal Technology Plan with a purpose that will drive my ambition to never rest on "good enough" because I've fulfilled my obligations. Instead the ambition will help me to uncover the opportunities and build on them both in and out of the classroom.
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I couldn't agree with you more! I let our an audible groan when I saw the assignment as well. It must be human nature. I had a nagging sensation for several weeks that my application projects I offer in my online class could really be enhanced with the addition of some of the strategies we have learned but had not made a move to implement them. My goals this week moved me to do so. What a great opportunity!
ReplyDeleteI also have found myself feeling overwhelmed at times with the vast amount of resources that have been presented to us in our program. I agree with you about making the choice to use all of these resources as more of an opportunity rather than an obligation or to do list. I also groaned about the thought of creating another personal "plan" but I found that as I was actually doing the assignment it was really helpful for me to narrow my focus and identify what I can reasonably expect to achieve. This has been an awesome opportunity.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we just keep it simple - tackle one idea and do it well - then expand on it the next time it come around. Better to have too much than too little - keep up the good work!
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