LoTi Week 15 Evaluation

        In the past five weeks I have learned so much about technology and how to apply it to a classroom situation. I have learned how to not only use technology but also to make it work. After re-examining the LoTi system of technology classification I find myself no longer at a level two but at level 4b. The LoTi website describes level 4b as  the integration level in which 'technology-based tools are integrated in a routine manner that provides rich context for students' understanding of the pertinent concepts, themes, and processes.'   In this level, technology is used more routinely to provide more opportunities to learn using technology.

        Before this class, my self-efficacy level was very low. I knew nothing about using technology in the classroom and honestly, I didn't really think it would make a difference anyway. As it turns out, I was dead wrong! I have never had so much fun learning about how to create a more fun learning environment that is rich in resources and easy to use.  In creating a WebQuest, a personal web site, learning how to link websites and documents to my home page and evaluating web sites for kids, I now have a wealth of knowledge I never knew I could have! I have used this information already to help my family build a web site for themselves, I was never the technologically talented one but now I know more that all of them combined. 

        I now know the importance of using technology in the classroom. Technology caters to students of many different learning styles and provides a constant source of information that can be accessed almost anywhere! I know that teaching with technology keeps the interest of the students and when used correctly can open up a world of new experiences for all who use it.  I have been reformed from my old ways of thinking technology was just a whole lot of fancy machinery that is just a distraction. I truly was not a believer in technology in the classroom but with the many resources I have encountered in the last few weeks, I would be doing my students an injustice by keeping all of this learning from them. I look forward to having my own classroom so I can teach my students with these new and exciting resources!!