Reflection

My progress through the ISLT degree program has been an amazing journey. I am not a typical graduate student-I earned my bachelor's degree way back in 1979, and I've been teaching for twenty-five years. I have taken graduate classes over the years, but until this program I had not taken classes in a series that would add up to a degree. I enjoy taking classes, and I believe my interest in continuing to learn has kept my teaching up-to-date and energized.

Although I was experienced in taking graduate classes and had even taken online classes before I started this program, I was still quite nervous about actually enrolling in a degree program. I thought perhaps I was too old to keep up with all the young students. I was thrilled to discover in my very first class that I was not the only "older" or non-traditional student, and I was delighted to find we all were able to work very well together, regardless of our ages or experience.

Along the Way

Every instructor I've had, in every class, has been wonderful. I've taken many classes from many different institutions, and I've never found a more caring, encouraging, and yet challenging group of instructors. I've been blessed to work with the best instructors in the world.

The classes I've taken in this program have been challenging. I've had to stretch myself, finding strengths and abilities I didn't know I had. I learned about my personal learning styles by using the Learning Style Index and I can use this resource to help me identify my student's learning styles. I've been inspired to really analyze how I teach and why I teach the way I do. I've learned so much about how to improve my teaching and how to meet the needs of my students. My Concept Map illustrates the development of my understanding of the connections between teaching, learning and technology. My geometry website, Assignments Page from Introduction to Web Development and my class website utilize the skills I learned in how to build and maintain a website. My new and improved website has become a window into our classroom. Parents can access the site to see what we are studying in class, which leads to some interesting discussions between parents and students. Students can also access the site from home to use the links for homework or further research.

Through the INTEL class, I learned to use the INTEL tools to plan technology enhanced lessons such as my Land Rights Unit. These tools help students use higher level thinking skills as they work together examining real world issues.

Reaching the End of the Journey

In many ways, I feel like a brand new teacher with endless possibilities in front of me as this program has revitalized my teaching. I've learned to communicate with today's "digital native" through my class web site, and I've learned how to encourage students to clarify their understanding through resources like the Tools from INTEL. I've also become a leader in my school by presenting at School Board meetings, conducting our Technology Night for parents, and presenting at the Illinois Education and Technology Conference. I took two students to the Illinois State Capitol to present their multimedia projects (which developed through my classwork at Mizzou) during TECH 2008, where they shared their work with our state senators and representatives. The growth I've achieved through this degree program has made me a better teacher in the classroom and a better leader among my peers. I am very glad that I found the courage to take that first step!

The Next Step

The skills and techniques I've learned through this program have encouraged me to enhance my curriculum by integrating more technology. I've experienced the value of collaborating with my peers, and I intend to add online collaborative projects to my curriculum. I've been exploring sites like Sabine schools Collaborative Projects list, the U.S. Department of Education's Guide to International Collaboration, and the Global SchoolNet site. I'm excited about the possibilities available for my students. I'm also planning to use my class website as an integral part of my lesson planning, and I'm gradually changing my lessons to student centered, interactive lessons and moving away from the more traditional lecture based lessons.