Final Reflection Pg1

Final Reflection



Teaching, Learning & Technology Integration: Summer 2013
Professor Erin Davis



By
Claire Santoro












July 17, 2014


Final Reflection Pg1


I feel very prepared in using technology in classroom lesson plans. Planning lessons will
be a timely process in the beginning, but like anything new it will take time to learn. The lesson
planning process has been the most difficult component to this class, especially coming from the
perspective of a media specialist/instructional technologist. Coordinating the common core
standards for grade levels K-5, along with the ALA standards, and technology standards is a
rather daunting task and I am not sure this is a realistic expectation. Special area teachers only
focus on the subjects they teach, so while they might teach all grade levels, it is only in the
content of the subject they teach; Art, P.E., Music. Media Specialist collaborate with classroom
teachers within all grades. They initially were required to instruct classes in all grades on a set
schedule in which library science was the instruction. Teaching library science was a
combination of research, exploring authors, learning to use the catalogue system, introductions to
genres, folklore, biography and many other lessons, including how to find a book. Now that
technology is changing at an accelerated rate there is a shift in combining the responsibilities of
media specialist with instructional technology.
There is a rapid change in the operation of libraries in schools because public education
must keep up with the 21
st
century. Research and project base learning will become a central
component of a media specialists job duties. The difficulty I see in the future is with the volume
of technological resources such as websites, apps, and collective data. There will have to be a
way for school system to be able to utilize specific information with digital citizenship at the
forefront. The school system must also ensure that safety and accurate educational information is
provided from trusted sources, and a large selection of content is offered to students. Educators
will have to navigate through this system and my concern is that really good quality information
Final Reflection Pg1

will get lost in the quagmire of information. On a positive note the field of instructional
technology will explode in both curriculum support and hands on instruction. This will open up
many opportunities for educators as well as Information Science majors.
I feel like the course, Integrating Technology in the Elementary Classroom has opened
the door to a wide variety of resources, that otherwise would have taken me hours or days to
have discovered on my own. It has convinced me that professional development in instructional
technology will be an extremely important topic, especially within the classroom setting.
Training and sharing information will be imperative for schools to stay current.
This course has taught me that I am guilty of the things I so often criticize my co-workers
of regarding becoming comfortable with certain software programs or apps. When pressed for
time it is human nature to revert back to old habits. Time management will also, be a much
needed skill that will take time to achieve as I navigate through the worldwide web. I will
continue to educate myself and look forward to sharing my new found knowledge with my
coworkers. I am excited about sharing with teachers some of the many resources available to
them and I look forward to collaborating with them on how to engage and prepare their student
for technology in the classroom.