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I am so excited that I took this class (as well as EME 6807) in the spring, so that I can fully implement the technology I have learned next year in the fall. Although I have many ideas of how to use these ideas in the classroom setting, I am anxious to read the reflections of other students to get ideas for the future when I am in a media center. Although I have learned many things in this class, it has also spurred me to learn how to implement some other types of technology available to me next year. For example, I am going to use my Smartboard next year as more than just a projector screen!

The first strategy I am going to implement next year is a website. Although the design process takes time, once the basic elements are there, it is easy to change the information and update as needed. I find that anything I can use to stay in touch with parents is helpful, and I think next year I will build a page just for parent information with the rest of the website focusing on student information. I would like to build a more interactive calendar that maybe even gives current/upcoming information every time the students log on (as the webcourses does).

I think I am going to try to implement a blog either in the website or as a link from the website. Unfortunately, I think that most blog websites are blocked within the school so I am going to try to find a way to create a blog within my website so students can access it at school. If not, then at least I will be able to have a blog of some sort for students to access at home, and hopefully I can use it as an example to show why blogs should not be universally blocked.

Finally, I am going to use wikispaces within a project to have students work together virtually (which I think they will really like, and probably do well with) to create a product. I haven't decided what unit I will use this with, but probably with the Shakespeare unit. The students hated the project for that unit this year (a brochure type of project using Publisher). Because every student does not have access to the internet at home, I will do this project in class. The challenge with this project (as with any other project) will be to insure that none of the students' work is plagiarized material.

I am very excited about the possibilities with technology for next year. I don't want to overwhelm myself in the process, but I think I have learned enough this semester to make it work. My desire is to seamlessly integrate the use of technology into the curriculum so that the curriculum does not take a back seat to the technology being used.