Capstone: Preparing Teachers for Tech and an LMS

Doing this 4 months of educational technology really pushed me to use what I know in terms of tech. There were many things that I was aware of, but that I often did not push myself to achieve because I felt I was doing enough already. However, I can see that one can always do more and stay updated with the times when it comes to technology. I believe that one thing I’d do differently if I could, would be to start getting feedback from coworkers sooner, and possibly provide them with some incentives to get their responses. I spent a lot of time chasing and asking, but my methods of getting data could have been better. Another thing I believe that I could have started earlier is my literature review. Saving those links as I was wandering around and preparing my ideas would have been vital and saved time instead of going back and forth looking for them. 

Overall, the most important thing about this journey has been that “waking up” moment, realizing there’s at least 15 solid years of research in technology for education that I can apply in the classroom. A lot of what I have been interested in and wanting to figure out how to solve has already been looked at by others and done statistical studies that are valuable for me to use in my planning and ideas. However, I would say there was a lot that I learned from this course.

First and foremost, as a teacher we have always been aware that data collection of students is important especially for assessments, whether they are formative or summative. When teachers are learning and getting professional development, tech coaches and administrators can apply this thought of data collection not only to understand the situation of the student-teacher’s learning journey but also to gauge what is being taught to them, how they are being guided, and to leave room for them to take charge of their learning. I particularly enjoyed the literature of Andragogy, which delved into how adults like to learn. Adults like to have conversation and discussions with others, they like to apply immediately what they are learning, and they also like to take lead in their own learning. I saw a lot of this when I held the PICRAT tech integration model to our department. They were joining in discussions and agreeing on things we all use and on things we all struggle with. Teachers also voted in the feedback polls that they find these professional developments useful, but that they would like to suggest some topics about what technology they want to learn about.

Secondly, another thing that stuck out to me was the fact that these professional development, presentations and/or discussions don’t necessarily have to die there. They can be filmed and added to our repertoire of resources for future reference. 

Finally, the different learning strategies and models to teach adults for a learning design solution were also very interesting. I liked the CLEAR model, and Gagne’s 9 steps felt like it went along the values and ideas of pedagogy that I agree with the most. They also felt like they would provide the most results when used. 

Having gone through the learning of all of these models, theories, and integration and application methods, leaves me with a plethora of tools to use in the future. The first thing I believe is that I will try to be more courageous to take initiative to guide others and help out those teachers who are less tech-savvy. In the past, the main reason that has always held me back from sharing my ideas or taking lead has been that I was new, younger than most of my coworkers, and still learning the system of the school. This often made me nervous when it came to leading or speaking up to make changes. However, with the gained knowledge, I feel more prepared to take leadership roles, even if I am not older than my coworkers, and even though I haven’t been at this school for 10 years. Like I have read somewhere, sometimes, it takes that new perspective from someone to make changes, and I think that can be me. I need to keep in mind, though, that whenever I do take leadership roles, to empathize with my colleagues, and treat them with respect and in the way I have hoped my leaders treat me. 

Some of the main things that I want to use are: the free and readily available tech certificates for students and teachers such as Apple teacher, Google certificate, and Internet Safety for students. Another would be the application of VR/AR in the classroom and how makerspace can be expanded beyond cardboard and duct tape using tech resources in our school. Finally, clarity and direction from the theories learned when addressing adults learning. 

I don’t think this experience has changed my personal definition of technology. However, I believe that it has helped me expand it, rather, and see that it can be applied to adults as they are also learners of technology. Particularly, it has helped see that teachers also need empathy, check-ins, and relatable resources for their teaching to flourish. Yes, students’ apps, theories, and pedagogy are necessary to be a good teacher. Nevertheless, to be a great teacher, you also need to be constantly guided, updated, and taken care of. I think that’s my greatest takeaway from forming a definition and seeing how it is applicable beyond the students of the teachers. This has been a fulfilling experience, challenging, especially in data collection and research, but quite rewarding and eye opening of everything that is happening. 

I feel equipped, refreshed, and mentally open to tackle this new school year with more tech, more gadgets, more ideas on how to incorporate technology in my lessons and the lessons of my coworkers, and more empathy and motivation to work along them to achieve the same goal: prepare our students for the future.