Plans for implementing Technology

It has been overwhelming for me to think of all the different types of online technology I have learned about since June, and most of it is free. Equally overwhelming is all the ways in which this technology can be used in education to make learning more enticing to students. I have been ashamed of my ignorance of creative applications to use in the classroom. I plan to implement wikis as a method of communicating with faculty and administrators about book orders, meetings or needed trainings. I plan to show teachers how to use a wiki to help better plan subject meetings and implement and share new ideas with each other. I think the booktrailer coupled with a grading rubric is an excellent alternative to a book report. I think research conducted by students could be presented to their classes and teachers using googledocs. One thing that I did use with my classes before this class was scavenger hunts using the libraries available databases to find information or digital images. I will also encourage teachers to use podcasts or audio books as alternatives for dyslexia students or students with other reading or writing disabilities. I plan to maintain a Delicious account to organize my bookmarks and have in fact shared with my daughter's school principal a list of free online resources for teachers that I found as a result of this class, she was amazed. I want to learn more about developing school websites and make one that the students and faculty regularly use and check. I plan to keep up with technology and do presentations of relevant material to spark an interest in the topic as well as the technology. I want to include game technology in a responsible way to encourage students to actively seek knowledge. I have a son that loves virtual computer games like WOW. I hated them initially because of the violence until I noticed he had learned to anticipate problems and plan ahead plus he learned a lot about ancient history. The games did not make him more violent because he understood the difference between reality and digital imagery. He has made friends all over the world and some he has had for over 5 years now. He has better hand-eye coordination and improved his critical thinking skills. I am unsure of the effect virtual games have on students of different backgrounds, but it is something to research. I think the way to make teachers try more technology is by showing them how it will make their job easier by helping them plan, making students more independent learners and more excited about learning. I think all teachers want their students to enjoy their class, but often times don't have any idea where to start with technology. I just think the possibilities are limited only by our creativity and our motivation to seek out new technology.