As a result of this course, Computer-Assisted Instruction, I am now able to access, generate, and manipulate data utilizing a variety of technological resources. Many of the skills which I have gained are ones in which I feel comfortable implementing within my classroom. For instance, during this course I have learned a great deal about Web publishing using Claris Home Page. I feel comfortable creating pages for Web publication and plan to use this skill with my students. My goal is to have students create their own Web pages to share information from specific units.
Furthermore, I have become more familiar with communication tools. Email has been an important tool in this course. I have also had more experiences with listservs. I would like to use these in my classroom to participate in student projects, and, eventually, have my students post projects to share with other students. One communication tool that was new to me was the use of the Web Board. This proved to be a valuable tool in communicating with class members and receiving feed back on project proposals and assignments.
In addition to technology and communication tools, I have become more familiar with the use of multimedia tools. Although I have used Power Point and Hyperstudio presentations prior to this course, I now have more information about these programs. I will continue using these in my classroom for teacher and student use.
Other than Web publishing, the area in which I feel that I have gained the greatest insight is into the ideas of Legalities, Special Needs, and Issues. I have especially gained a greater awareness of the need for accessibility of the Internet to persons with disabilities. While creating Web pages myself, I now know what may pose a problem with accessibility, such as excessive use of graphics and backgrounds. I plan to make my students aware of this issue as they are designing their own pages. I will also take this into consideration when choosing Web sites for my students with disabilities. In addition, I now have a better idea of how to check the validity of Web sites. Before my students begin using Internet, I will also make them aware of the need to verify information obtained from the Internet.
At Lincoln School, we have spent a great deal of time and planning to create evaluation methods for the thematic units which we teach each quarter. We have written rubrics to assess student work. Although many of our projects involve the use of technology, those continue to be difficult to assess. The content is not difficult to evaluate; however, I often question what, specifically, I should assess in the technology component, especially when these projects are created by cooperative teams. As we progress through the CTER sequence, this is an area which I hope to continue to address.
The first course in the CTER sequence has enhanced my technology skills. I have been introduced to concepts which I will implement in my classroom, such as Web publishing. I now have greater awareness of many issues surrounding the use of the Internet. I plan to use these ideas in my classroom before my students begin using technology resources.
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