Reflection

Kilbane and Milman (2003) define reflection as “taking the time to think and contemplate metacognitively” (p. 63). The process of reflection involves thinking carefully about those events that happened in the past and blending them with what we know to create meaning about the event (Kilbane & Milman, 2003; Montgomery & Wiley, 2004). To Wyatt and Looper (1999), reflection is a very personal process. It presents your thoughts as you experienced the event, your
interpretation of the event, how you changed as a result of the event, and what you might do differently, or the same, should the event present itself again (Foster, Walker, & Song, 2007).

Reflection also allows us to compare our knowledge, skills, and at titudes against standards which measure success. Standards may be set by us based on our own goals and ambitions. We may have created personal challenges that motivate us to succeed, and by reflecting on events, may be able to determine our shortfalls and our achievement. On the other hand, standards may be set for us, quite often coming from the organizations to which we belong. Teachers often have standards set by the school divisions or state boards of education for quality of teaching. As IT professionals, we have standards set by the AECT through which we are able to demonstrate our knowledge and skills in IT.

Reflecting on Reflections

When I look back at where I started in the ITMA program, it becomes easy to reflect on my experiences and my growth.  I feel that I have come so far in my journey, which began as a teacher who wanted to be able to better design and implement instruction using technology.  As an educator, I am constantly reflecting on my teaching abilities and management skills in the classroom.  If something doesn’t work or a student isn’t benefiting from what I’m doing, then I try to change to meet those needs.  I feel that reflection is a crucial part of the voyage that I’ve been through, not only in the ITMA program, but throughout my entire life.  I am a very deep thinker, and as a result, reflection is natural part of who I am.  I am always looking to better myself and strive to help those around me do the same.

Now that I am nearing the end of this program, I feel that my view of technology and instructional technology have changed a great deal. When I first began, I thought instructional technology was, for example, using a computer to show students a picture of the periodic table of the elements. Now, I know that there is so much more to the IT process. Instructional technology is developing good instruction that uses technology to increase student learning. If student learning does not take place, then the IT process needs to be tweaked. This applies directly to my job as a teacher. It is easy to teach a really good lesson and get excited because students are successful. But, when things don't work out the way the we intend, it can be daunting trying to come up with a solution to fix our mistakes. This program has given me the tools necessary to evaluate student progress and to make changes where needed to better my instruction. It is important to get feedback from other subject matter experts as well. Reflecting on your own work is a big part of the IT process, but getting suggestions from others can be just as crucial to implementing good instruction.

I think one of the biggest lessons that I learned while in the ITMA program is patience.  Well, that seems silly because as most people know, being a middle school teacher requires that I am already a pretty patient person.  But, I quickly learned that when designing, planning, and implementing instruction, it takes time (a lot more time than I used to spend on the process).  It cannot be rushed, but must be well thought out and carefully planned. I now take time to adequately plan for each stage of a lesson, as the ID process has helped me grow significantly as a teacher.  My students not only seem happier, but they are learning beyond what I could have expected from my previous attempts at planning lessons.  I think I was a good teacher before the ITMA program, but now I am quickly developing into the teacher that I always knew I could be. 

 

• Preliminary View of IT: Introduction to Instructional Technology
  This document contains my views of instructional technology before the program really got underway. My initial view of Instructional Technology is very different from my view now. Originally, I thought that IT was teaching others (including educators, parents, students, etc.) how to use technology as a resource to aid in student achievement and learning. The ITMA program showed me that IT is more than just teaching and teaching is more than just using technology. Teaching must have purpose to be able to provide meaningful instruction that will produce learning.
• What is Technology: Instructional Technology in Context
  This is a reflection on my view of technology after the ITMA program. My view of technology changed greatly as I went through the ITMA program. I once viewed technology as simply using computers or an ActivBoard to teach students a new concept. I now view technology as the way people manipulate and develop ideas, which is driven by the human desire to solve a problem based on a need or want.
• What is Instructional Technology: Instructional Technology in Context
  This is a reflection on my view of instructional technology after the ITMA program. My initial view of Instructional Technology is very different from my view now. The ITMA program showed me that IT is more than just teaching and teaching is more than just using technology. Teaching must have purpose to be able to provide meaningful instruction that will produce learning. My definition of instructional technology now is the application of the ID process (design, development, management, utilization, and evaluation) and resources/tools to guide and facilitate learning.
• My Previous Approach to Instructional Technology: Instructional Technology in Context
  This is a reflection on my previous approach to instructional technology before the ITMA program. I have always had an interest in technology, so I began incorporating technology into every single lesson.  Whether it was needed and whether it benefited my students didn’t matter to me.  I thought it was the right thing to do.  As long as my students had access to the latest and greatest software program or web 2.0 tool, I assumed I was being successful.  My student’s scores increased and I felt better about what I was doing in the classroom.  However, the courses I have taken opened my eyes a great deal and have allowed me to improve my teaching tremendously.  As my journey in the ITMA program is coming to an end, I feel my instruction and implementation in the classroom has never been better.
• My Current Approach to Instructional Technology: Instructional Technology in Context
  This is a reflection on my current approach to instructional technology after the ITMA program. Prior to the beginning of this program, I defined technology as a tool to aide human abilities that exist to make life easier. These tools help bridge a gap between known and unknown and can include computers, cell phones, and other media. When I think about technology, I think about a process that is involved in brain-storming, designing, and, developing a new tool that will benefit human use.  Humans have wants and needs that have to be met, which provides a basis for a new technology to emerge.  Using knowledge, creativity, and resources, we are able to solve the “need and/or want” problem by encompassing our potential to design and develop these new technologies.  I now define technology as the way people manipulate and develop ideas, which is driven by the human desire to solve a problem based on a need or want.
• Differences in my Approach to IT and the Non-IT Approach: Instructional Technology in Context
  This is a reflection on how my approach to instructional technology is different now from what it used to be and an overall reflection of how the ITMA program impacted my life, both personally and professionally. On a professional level, my teaching career has been greatly impacted by the Dick and Carey Systems Approach Model for Designing Instruction.  I now have the necessary tools needed to design and implement effective instruction. On a personal level, the program taught me a lot about myself, my organization (or lack thereof), and even helped my marraige become stronger.
• Applying IT to Your Professional Context: Instructional Technology is Context
  This is a reflection on how I can apply instructional technology to my professional career. In this activity, I listed all of the needs that I have as a 6th grade Science teacher. I then determined the time and space that would be required for each need to be met. I also decided who or what would be required, as well as the authenticity of the need and the resources/technologies it would take to meet each need. While completing this assignment, I realized that I have many needs that require very specific criteria in order to have a successful career.
  
• Video Project 1 Reflections: Digital Video
  This is a reflection of the first video that I created/edited. My first video was quite rough around the edges. There was no audio (intentionally) and the script was poorly designed. It is very choppy and leaves much to be desired.
• Video Project 2 Reflections: Digital Video
  This is a reflection of the second video that I created/edited. The second video was better. I had learned some basic editing skills. The script was better planned and the characters did a good job for never having acted before. I do think there is a great deal of room for improvement. I would like to continue pursuing video editing as a hobby.
• Digital Audio Reflections: Digital Audio
  This is a reflection on the Digital Audio class and experiences learning about and implementing audio into instruction. When I first began this class, I knew little about the use of audio.  I have used audio for several years in my class as a 6th grade Science teacher, however there is much more to it than I ever imagined.  For example, I now have a better understanding that audio affects different people in different ways and on different levels.  I have used audio for multiple reasons in my classroom, but mostly to enhance a presentation by using sound effects.  An example might be that I would have put a picture of a bird on the screen and made it chirp before I began going over information about the bird.  I also used audio to assist my students that had difficulty reading.  I would record myself reading a test and upload it to a testing site online.  They were able to plug in headphones and listen to each question being read aloud as they completed the test.  Overall, I feel that I did not know a great deal about audio before I took this class.
• Project and Report Reflections: Project and Report
  These are my reflections on my final project for the Project and Report class, a Blacboard e-tutorial created using a program called Articulate. Overall, I truly enjoyed the experience of learning how to use Ariticulate and all it had to offer.  I also became very familiar with Camtasia Studio and several products that they offer, including Jing.  I had two fellow teachers that were also part of the pilot program last school year evaluate my tutorial and they seemed to be very pleased with the end result.  If I could change anything, I would have created a more interactive tutorial.  However, being limited on the tools I was able to use made it difficult.   I’m thankful for the experience and for all that I was able to accomplish.