This has been an incredible journey for me as a student and as a teacher. I had to overcome the limitations that technology placed on my ability to learn the concepts covered in this class. That may be the technology paradox; I needed to apply the technology to engage in authentic learning, yet I did not have the technology skills at a level that would make this uncomplicated. I had to learn the skills and how to use many programs that I didn’t even know existed before. Once a level of proficiency was reached, I could focus more on the content of the class, which was, ironically enough, technology for learning and assessment.

Perhaps more than my classmates, I needed to suspend disbelief and start with a blank slate. When it came to technology skills and experience, this was fairly easy. I had to admit that my frustrating relationship with technology didn’t mean that it was destined to remain that way. When it came to an open mind about the value and use of technology in the classroom, it was harder. I am the product of a different educational era. Many of the” truths” that I brought with me needed to be questioned and reevaluated.

 

Working on the Wiki page on blogging and podcasting opened my eyes to new uses of technology in the classroom.  Before working on this page, I had no real idea what blogging was or what podcasts were.  The idea that they might have a legitimate place in my classroom was unimaginable.  I now look at blogging as a very real possibility for literature units.  My students may soon be sharing reactions to and intepretations of literature in cyberspace. My own blog gave me the hands-esperience to take my understanding to a new level.  While I engaged in authentic learning, I was preparing to use it in my classroom and bring a more concrete knowlege with me.  My first attempt at creating a WebQuest was challenging and fun.  I plan to build on this first attempt and create WebQuests to use with future students.  I also included a class discussion of assessments.  I believe it is important to always be mindful of the ways that our decisions as teachers affect our students.  We can never lose sight of how important the human element is.

This class has been my own personal voyage into authentic learning. I learned about that very concept while being pushed, pulled, and prodded through my own experience as an active, authentic learner. I learned to identify authentic learning in my past, though it wouldn’t have been identified as such at the time. Having navigated through new and unchartered territory while in this class, I can bring a level of experience and understanding when implementing authentic learning in my own classroom. That is my intention. I have come to understand the value of authentic learning, as well as to understand some of the obstacles to it. I am now charged with the task of finding ways to create opportunities for authentic learning in my own classroom. The trek continues…