Final Reflection

• How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

I'm always striving to learn something new.  17 Things pushed me to try technology that I didn't know about and would have had difficulty finding on my own.  In addition, the demands of the typical school day and new curriculum usually take priority over finding new technology (like animoto) on my own.  I'm thankful that Alicia posted specific "things" for us to complete. This program has pushed me to think about how to integrate these tools into the classroom.  I love it!

• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Lots of take-a-ways, as I mentioned above.  With each project that we completed, I learned something new and have wrestled with the question--how can I use this in my classroom? 
There weren't too many unexpected outcomes.  I thought I would learn a lot of useful tools, and I did!

• Do you think it's important for all teachers to integrate technology into their curriculum, or do you think it should be up to the individual teacher's preferences?

That's difficult to answer.  Some teachers are amazing teachers, but use minimal technology, while others are the opposite.  Technology is one tool of many tools that can be used in the classroom.  So, I suppose I would land on--it's up to the individual.
Personally, I would like to integrate new technology into the classroom.  My struggle is that sometimes technology can get in the way of my learning goals.  For example, I've spent a lot of time try to get my students to use google documents, but they've struggled to embrace it.  Therefore, the technology has almost gotten in the way of the assignment.  I don't think that's true of all technology, and I would like to continue trying! I'm looking forward to using this new technology in my classroom next year!

• How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote the program in the future?

Fantastic!