Week 4 Reflection

Week 4 Reflection

          Wow, who knew that was what social bookmarking was all about?  I have heard the term used before but never knew what it really was.  I thought I was organized with my all my folders in my bookmarks tab but this social bookmarking offers so much more.  I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to find a site at school that I had bookmarked at home the night before, I usually email myself links so I can get to them from school but not anymore.  The possibilities are truly endless. 

          I could see students sharing with students working on projects together, finding resources to use at home and then working on it at school or their partner’s house.  Teachers sharing with students would be a great way to have students practice a concept with interactive sites or find information easily for a project.  I have done many projects where I have taken my students to the computer lab and they have spent too much time searching for information and wasting valuable work time; with Delicious I could preselect sites to ensure time used wisely.  I have already benefited from the teachers sharing with teachers by simply searching on the Delicious site.  I can spend hours on Google myself searching for lessons or worksheets and now look forward to finding resources I know other teachers use.  I have already shared with a few of my colleagues how great social bookmarking is.

Check out my site at http://www.delicious.com/cbrogers

          As I read the first chapter of Trends & Issues, I was almost over whelmed with the varied definitions of instructional technology(if that is the term you prefer).  I understand the need to tweak the definition as time passes especially because it’s centered around technology which we all know is constantly changing.  I feel the most recent definition by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology(AECT) does a great job encompassing the many different aspects of the possibilities of instructional technology.  The definition the textbook uses I believe sounds very similar to the AECT definition but goes into more detail.  If I were trying to explain instructional technology to someone who had no idea what it was I would use the textbook’s definition. 

After reading this chapter, I thought about our districts IT’s or Instructional Technologists and how I and many others rely on their expertise but I also see myself as an Instructional Technologist.  I use tons of technology resources to educate my students; we use the computer lab, visit interactive sites on the SmartBoard, watch video clips, and even listen to songs involving science.  So by definition I am an IT.  I hope to continue to learn more about the latest technology and involve more technology into my teaching to help me cover the variety of learning styles in my classroom.