Discussing what has been learned, what will be applied and what we still wonder as a smaller group made me feel much better about everything. We are approaching the end of this course and I still feel overwhelmed by all of the tools out there and how to decide what to use, but I found that I am not alone. Granted, I feel much less overwhelmed than I did at the beginning of the course and now am able to organize the information better, but everything out there is still overwhelming. I keep thinking about how I could use all of the tools that we have learned about and tried, and then have to pull myself back to starting out more slowly and building as I go along.
A key thought that I got from our discussion was that while we do need to understand how to use the various tools we are introducing, it is okay to not know every single bell and whistle that goes along with the program. Our students may struggle with using technology for education purposes on their own, but one they are introduced to a tool they typically learn faster than I do and that IS okay. It's exciting when a student can teach the teacher something and the way the teacher responds can either enhance the class or add animosity to the class. I think it's safe to say that every teacher in this class (and I would hope most others) would use the moment as a chance to enhance everyone's experience and encourage other kids to teach the teacher (and each other). How exciting would it be if you walked into a classroom and really saw the entire class working together to share what they are learning. To quote David Buck's professor, we are more and more becoming the "guides on the side" to our students which to me is more exciting that being the "sage on the stage."
**I actually posted this on 7/28 around 10:45am, but changed the date so that my final project post would be at the top.
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