Lessons+Learned

Kendra Fouts July 15, 2010 EDUC 538 Lessons Learned Media Literacy for Teachers has given me the practical tools that I have been looking for to help me become a teacher who makes learning relevant, engaging, and fun for my students by using the internet and Web 2.0 tools. Without this class, I would still be in the theoretical stage of my teacher education. I am now confident using wikispaces, webstart programs, a variety of widgets, and web-based word processing programs. I am also well aware of the need to communicate with students and parents on the importance of internet/blog safety and copyright laws as they relate to online learning.

The goal of this class was to work toward solving the wicked problem—that is, how to integrate content, pedagogy, and technology. Prior to this class, I had never heard of the wicked problem. Now I am well practiced in creating learning units based on the wicked problem. I took a unit that I created and taught during my student teaching practicum and significantly strengthened the pedagogy and the use of technology. This unit was centered on the content of the classic novel //To Kill a Mockingbird//. By creating a protopage learning space for this unit, it has been greatly enhanced and is much more learner-centered. I have been working toward using technology as a tool specifically to engage students in homework assignments that allow them to discover content independently as well as to have an online discussion forum where they can relate to the material and respond to each other’s ideas. I am proud to say that I have accomplished this with my protopage site, and I plan to develop similar sites for other units once I get a teaching position.

One of the greatest challenges in this class was overcoming the learning curve associated with trying to understand so many new tools. At the beginning of this class, I had only a peripheral understanding of Web 2.0 tools from using Facebook, Trip Advisor, and Skype. During my research for my master’s project, I came across the idea of using Web 2.0 tools as a way to acknowledge student interest in the internet and social networking and harness that interest to engage students in homework. This class allowed me the opportunity to practice using those tools and to see for myself how useful they can be in the classroom.

Being that this is the last class in my master’s program, it was often difficult to focus on getting reading assignments completed and studying outside of class time—especially because I was hard at work on my master’s project. Nonetheless, I feel that I am finishing up this program on a strong point. The lessons learned in this class make me feel much, much better prepared to teach today’s students using tools that will help them become proficient in 21st century skills.