The End...

Alas... the end of the semester has arrived. I have seen many semesters end (no joke, I think that is my 11th or 12 semester of college) and this one truly is different. It is, after all, my final semester as a college undergrad.
I chose to take this course on instructional technologies after attending a seminar by Alan November. At that seminar, Mr. November showed everyone who was there useful tools such as Google Docs, and Skype. I found these tools interesting, but what fascinated me and inspired me to enroll in this course were programs such as EPals, which create global bridges between students all over the world. I thought about how amazing it would be if students were exposed to multiple cultures right there in the classroom long before they entered a world based on a global economy, and thus I decided to study technology in the classroom.
Although this program did not focus on programs such as EPals, or even programs that give teachers and students a place to create podcasts or videos, it did provide me with tools that make me internet savvy enough to seek out and enroll in these programs independtly from my college course.
To address the difference between who I was at the beginning, and who I am now, I feel that I must repeat the word, "independt" from the previous paragraph. The class provided me with not only a variety of technical tools to use in the classroom, but the latest research on learning and student development to be applied in my lesson planning. By taking information from this course and applying it to my lesson, then reflecting and adjusting, I did come to a better understanding of what a teacher does. I feel confident now that I can apply these lessons to my own classroom, without any guidance, and honostly do OK.
I am not naieve to think that I have learned everthing that I need to know to be a teacher (that would make a horrible teacher) but I do believe that thanks to this class I have an understanding of the new "digital native" mind, and I understand what a teacher must do to be accessable to the new kind of student.
Because I took this class at the same time I was student teaching I was saw two ends of an education spectrum. On one end (this class) I witnessed what is new and hip in education, and on the other end I saw what is classic in education. I've thought and thought about the two, and I have come to the conclusion that both deserve a place in education. I believe that my next great challange as a teacher is to bridge a gap between the two, like the use of technology will bridge the gap between students and higher levels of thinking that will extend outside of their classroom.
I never needed this class to graduate, but I have no regrets taking it. I consider this course to have been one great feat towards my own classroom.