EDTE 4200: Final Reflection Ferrufino 1

Final Reflection

EDTE 4200: Technology For Educators

Carlos D. Ferrufino

California State University Bakersfield

I am able to say that throughout this semester I was able to learn many new things

regarding the use of technology in the class room. I intend on using several of these new tools
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during instruction in order to support student learning and to ensure that all of my students have

an opportunity to become successful. I personally believe that the use of technology is one of the

greatest advantages that we have over the past generations of educators. By using technology we

will be able to more efficiently implement procedures, develop classroom management, increase

student engagement, collaboration during activities, assessments, and even note taking. All of

these factors can work together towards improving student learning and academic achievement.

By being literate in the use of technology the teacher can implement a wide range of instructional

strategies and activities which can help with differentiation.

The use of technology may be limited in some school districts as these may have a small

budget towards the implementation of technology. However, this should not inhibit the use of

technology in the classroom as there are several free resources that can be used such as Google

Classroom and Google Tools. Google Tools could be used by the teacher as a way for gathering

data and presenting information to the students. Also, many of the students have smart phones

which are capable of using Google Tools. The students could use their phones from home as a

tool for homework. The teacher could also integrate the use of collaborative groups when using

technology as one student's job may be using the computer while the other may be engaging in a

hands-on portion.

The use of Technology can help when implementing classroom procedures and routines

as it can provide the teacher with a quick way to provide feedback to the students behaviors.

Quick and immediate feedback can provide a means in which to correct negative behavior. This

can be incorporated through the use of programs such as Class Dojo. The aim of using these

programs is to avoid punishing students and to consistently correct negative behaviors into
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positive ones. For example, a student who behaves in a positive way can be rewarded (positive

consequence), while one who engages in negative behavior will receive a negative consequence.

The use of technology can also improve student engagement. I remember my high school

education and the teaching strategies used by my teachers. These strategies included the constant

use of lecturing, reading, and writing which resulted in me feeling bored and losing interest in

learning the content being taught. The lessons that I remember the most are those which

implemented the use of authentic tasks and hands-on activities. By incorporating technology into

a lesson, we can implement the use of videos, games, and other types of activities that can be

used in order to help the students stay engaged and on task. Previously created lessons can be

enhanced or transformed through the use of SAMR (substitution, augmentation, modification,

and redefinition) in order to meet the specific needs of a diverse classroom.

When creating assessments, technology is helpful in many ways. Technology can be used

to produce and implement several types of formal and informal assessments as well immediately

providing the teacher with grades. Technology can be used to better breakdown and understand

the areas in which the students are struggling or have mastered. This can lead to differentiation in

future lessons. Assessments dont have to be limited to tests and quizzes as they can be long

projects that can provide the students with a great degree of freedom. This can help the students

demonstrate their level of understanding in a variety of different ways

The use of technology isnt always an advantage as there can be negatives to it as use of

technology must be monitored in order to ensure that it is appropriate, thus, there must be clear
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class rules for the students to follow when using technology. As educators we cannot over rely on

technology as it can at times become unavailable. For example, the internet connection may be

down, or the power may be out. This is one of the reasons why technology should not completely

replace the way we carry out instruction and instead be used as a means to modify and improve

it.