Final Reflection EDU 777 99

     Going through the steps of the Proposal Process has been helpful in my current role of Instructional Technology Specialist: Brainstorming, Assessing the Need, Research, Strategic Plan, and Pilot and Peer Review. I realize that for the purpose and time span of this class the pilot could not truly go in depth, but its important for me to remember that the information generated in the piloting and peer review phases are instrumental in the process of successful technology adoption. A positive aspect of the journey through the Proposal Process was discussing this idea with a variety of colleagues and also hearing their thoughts about what kinds of technology they would like our school to invest in. Yes, I am still excited at the thought of 3rd and 4th grade students having access to laptops for more advanced coding projects!

     Understanding the roles of Learning Specialist and Instructional Designer are key to being an effective Technology Specialist.  Reading and watching videos about learning theories, SAMR, learning styles and differentiation is always a good review. It was useful for me to consider models such as SAMR, TPAK, or ADDIE while planning professional development. And although the Socratic Seminar model was not new to me, I had never before looked at the elements of this model and thought about how technology could enhance certain aspects. It’s also stimulating when we are given choices as students to use any technology tool we want, I invariably learn about new tools like Adobe Spark and Emaze and how teachers and specialists are using them. I appreciate choice being modeled like this! 

Stay Frosty, Coders!

             Coding 774 has been a rich experience. First, I absolutely love how our instructor Pat Kelly (fond of saying, "Stay Frosty Coders!") introduces a new coding project with a short, explanatory video. Seeing an example of the end result of the program, and watching him code the start of the project, explaining pertinent loops, functions, etc.,  has been invaluable. It also was so helpful to have a good chunk of the code provided as a starting off point. In the case of Python it took the pressure off to have a generous portion of code already started in the editor when diving into a new project. I plan to use this technique going forward. 

              I’m also thrilled to have learned some beginning Python. I would like to continue learning how to code in Python. I might take a Khan Academy class on this topic. I would have liked it if we could have done a few projects in Swift, too! 

             Finally, I also am walking away with many more ideas about how to integrate coding into the curriculum. Scratch for Educators is a wonderful resource for ideas and support. I’m also happy to know that our class will be sharing coding experiences with the hashtag #domcode774 on Twitter.  There are countless, dynamic ways for students to creatively share what they have learned with coding. Looking ahead, so many teachers worked along side their class during Computer Science Week’s hour of code. It might be worthwhile to offer a forum to both kids and teachers who want to work on coding during lunch or after school periodically.