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Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Educational Technology & Me


I've been maintaining this blog for about eight weeks now, and while I've tried to approach its content as an organic project that I've taken on, astute readers--and my classmates and professor--probably picked up on the fact that it was for a class.  

The course was about integrating technology into instruction.  I have always been considered "the tech guy" in the places I've worked:  the one who is asked to set up the SmartBoard, or install some new piece of hardware, or figure out why something isn't working the way it should  Coming into the course, I figured that the content would come fairly easily to me and that I would hope to pick up a few more tech tools I could put in my educational toolbox.  

The Result

I definitely found some "cool tools" that I plan on using in my professional practice.  Exploring Remind was genuinely helpful, and I plan on using it when I have my own classroom.  Also, the research on cyberbullying I had the chance to read and reflect on was truly eye-opening, and is something I will carry forward with me when I look for future opportunities to choose professional development topics.  I even have a professional web presence now, which is something I knew I needed but never really thought about how to make happen.  Now, it's there and I just have to keep up with it, which is a very cool outcome.

I always knew that technology could transform the way I taught lessons and impact my students' learning, and I have been willing to try out a number of tools & resources before taking this course.  Now I leave it with more tools and more knowledge about the overall use of technology in the classroom, a better understanding of my place as a citizen in the digital landscape, and a desire to apply all of it to further my mission of applying my unique professional experiences to educating and empowering ​young adults with disabilities with the skills, strategies and resources needed
to lead full and independent adult lives. 
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