Module+Four+Reflection


 * Reflect on your thinking surrounding your developing a philosophy of Instructional Technology use for learning and your understanding of 21st Century Teaching and Learning**
 * 1) **// Description. //**// Make connections. What did you learn through reading the assigned reading and can you make a connection between your life and what you have read or learned. //

I learned about 21 Century Teaching and Learning this module. After reading Chapter three of ISTE’s Technology Facilitation text, the concept that stuck with me the most was that critical thinking and problem solving are major aspects of 21st century skills. Part of the NETS-S involves Research and Information Fluency and Critical Thinking and PRoblem Solving and Decision Making. To me, these are the most crucial parts of 21st century skills because students need to know how to solve problems on their own and be self-motivated enough to push through road blocks in life and learning. Teachers need to teach students how to be self-learners. A self-learner will be more successful in the post secondary world than a learner who relies upon others to help him learn a new concept or help him solve problems.

Through browsing the website “Partnership for 21st Century Skills, ” I learned that technology can be used to “solved different kinds of non-familiar problems in...innovative ways.” Educators can use technology to give students the tools needed to problem solve on their own: this is life-long learning. According to this website, tools as basic as effective questioning can help students clarify the parts of the problem to find more effective solutions.

2. ** Impact: ** **Ho//w do you feel about what you learned? What do you now know or what can you now do that you didn't know or were not yet able to do before? How does this make you feel? Are you concerned about any of the things you observed or experienced?//**

I feel pretty good about what I learned from this module’s readings because I have always felt that teaching life-long learning skills was important. I have realized that this concept will form the basis of my philosophy of technology, and I will attempt to discuss it more at length in my philosophy paper due later this month. I want my students, if nothing else, to take away from my class a few tools and learning/thinking strategies to help them learn for the rest of their lives. Many of these tools are critical thinking skills. I can use technology to show them how to ask effective questions, analyze and critique information for accuracy and validity, and conduct research in order to find the answers to whatever problem they encounter. Life-long learning skills are not only important for the college-bound kid, but for those who will go on to work in any environment, blue or white collar!

//** 3. **////** Intent. **////** Based on your experiences, what will you do in the future to make use of your learnings. For example, will you, in some way, behave differently? Will you do further readings? Are there things you will observe more closely or in a different way? How will this impact your teaching or students. **//

My future plans include exploring web-based software to find appropriate tools for incorporating problem solving skills, analytical, critical, and evaluative skills into my curriculum. I’d like to set up more self-paced projects in which my students learn responsibility, goal setting, and critical thinking skills. My major goal, however, is to research what web-based programs the internet has to offer, and try to get other teachers on board with using these programs. So far, I have found a free blogging site where teachers can set up message boards with students. I have also begun talking to other English teachers about the use of google docs in our department.