Reflection

Looking back on this semester, I recall times of enlightenment, frustration, and relief. I don’t generally shy away from technology, so I wasn’t daunted by the challenges, but there were many things to learn and a limited time in which to learn it. Doing a group project via a wiki was probably the most challenging. Face-to-face group projects are difficult enough, but I found it very difficult to communicate with group members via our wiki. In retrospect, I felt we would have been much better off using mostly Blackboard communication tools for organization and communication, with the wiki simply being a place to present information.


As a “regular” classroom teacher, I have very limited access to technology for interacting with students. This is frustrating, as I see so much value in using the technology explored through class. We live in a world where students must be as technologically literate as we can help them become. As a digital immigrant, I sometimes feel like I don’t know enough to teach my students too much, but then I am reminded that many students are in-tune with social technology skills, but not educational technology tools. This is where educators must assert their knowledge and help guide students in terms of technology responsibility, fair use, and common sense.

School Library Media Specialists have a duty to guide students in learning about safe and fair use of technology and critical thinking skills regarding the use of information so easily accessible to technology users. When I think about all I have learned and have yet to learn, modern students must be overwhelmed with what is available, as I am.