reflection

Ra’John Jones ED 204 Dr. Horne October 27, 2011 **Reflection **  The development of my project started with the idea of having to intertwine a Wiki tool and technology into a lesson plan. I ran with my first idea and just building off of it until I had a complete though process of what I wanted to do. I started with picking a Wiki tool which was Wordle. My idea was to use the techniques I have learned in class to create a Wordle and edit it via Photoshop. I had two major challenges that I had to overcome. My first challenge was learning how to use a Wiki, which I overcame this challenge by simply walking myself through the tutorials. My second challenge not being able to just save a Wordle image and open it up in Photoshop. Wordle only allows its images to be saved in a public library for others to view it.  Being able to be in a community of practice groups definitely helped me out with my product. The impact of being able to consult my peers allowed me to have plenty of sets of eyes to see my flaws and for me to be able to correct them. Also, being in a community of practice groups helped me in organizing my idea of what my finished product was to be. I know that I am very creative with ideas of products; I just have many problems when it comes to organizing my ideas, so being in practice groups helped greatly with that.  I most definitely plan to integrate my project/product into my classroom. After I teach for a year or so, I plan to write a grant for my school if they don’t have Photoshop or any of the Adobe products. Adobe products open up new doors to creativity. Adobe is a great help when it comes to designing things such as posters, clothes, and even labels. I will integrate this specific project after Photoshop is obtained by my school. The integration will start with lectures on Photoshop and its tools. I will soon after assign this product to my students so that they may grasp their own understanding of Photoshop and part of the design process. The idea of the project is to show the students creativity is not limited by any means. Although each student is creating a Wordle using descriptive words, each product will be edited by each student using their own style of creativity such as the difference of words being used and the difference of Photoshop tools being used. The outcomes I see from using this product is using 21st century technology and helping students develop an appreciation and fundamental understanding of technology through the study and application of technology from the past and present.  After the completion of my project/product, I was very satisfied. I feel as if I incorporated other subject matters other than just technology. For an example, I incorporated English with the reflection and the use of descriptive words in the actual Wordle. What I would have done differently was picked a totally different Wiki tool because not being able to save a Wordle as a file and open it in Photoshop made my product way more difficult. What I learned as I completed this project was how to work around problems as I run into them. I also learned about Wordle being that it was my first time using the Wiki tool. In order for students to complete similar products in middle/high school, the only tool and resource needed is Photoshop. I know that most if not all schools have access to computers and the internet which is also another resource needed for the completion of the product.  I plan to make lesson plans according to things such as the Framework of the 21st Century Learning. I know that I must incorporate such things in my lessons so that I am an effective teacher and stay within guidelines. The main idea is to help students develop an appreciation and understanding of technology through the study and application of materials, tool, processes, inventions and artifacts. By the end of my project, students will have learned about and from technology, by applying technological and principal concepts. My lessons will accommodate students in a way such that they learn the essential skills needed for success in today’s world. The plan benefits me as an emerging teacher because it allows me and the students to learn about each other through the descriptive words while also using new technology to create and design. I feel as if I am handling many tasks as a teacher at one time through a simple project.