Reflection

I have been looking forward to this reflection for some time now. I have several strong opinions about this course, and feel that the feedback gained from the people who have completed the 11 Tools is extremely important.

First off, I want to say that the 11 Tools for the 21st Century Learner has been one of the best staff development workshops I have ever completed!! I gained a huge amount of valuable knowledge regarding technology, and feel very comfortable as I begin to develop lessons and projects utilizing the 11 Tools.

I feel that this course should be required for all classroom teachers. There is no way to avoid the transition toward a “wired” society, and educators must stay at the forefront in order to meet the constantly changing needs of our students. This course is an excellent way to familiarize and even master many different technology tools that are relevant to the classroom. That being said, I do have some issues with this course that should be addressed.

My biggest concern is the time and credit associated with completing this course. According to the profile, we will receive 9 hours of non-contract credit for finishing the required assignments. I am under the impression that credit hours should reasonably correlate with actual time. If this is true, then 9 hours is a gross underestimate of the time it takes to complete all 11 Tools. I consider myself very computer literate and technologically savvy. While I was not familiar with all of the Tools, I had no trouble following the directions given for completing the assignments, and I did not require any outside assistance. I did at times feel that my existing knowledge base was essential in completing some of the assignments. I often wondered how someone with less computer experience might have reacted to this project. How much did they struggle? How great was their frustration?

A conservative estimate of the actual time I spent on this project would fall in the 30-40 hour range. I recognize that I probably went way beyond what is required for each tool, and could have finished in less time. Though, even with bare minimal effort, there is no way I could have completed this entire project anywhere close to the estimated time frame. However, I think my willingness to spend the extra hours directly relates to the importance of this staff development. I really internalized each tool, and tried to post thoughtful and meaningful information about my experiences, and most of all, my plans for classroom integration. Anything less would still meet the requirements to get credit, but would defeat the purpose of this extremely valuable course.

I also feel that my fairly quiet summer allowed me to truly embrace this staff development, and devote the time needed to create something of quality. I am not sure that my final opinion would be as positive, if the pressures of a family, summer job, or constant traveling were dominating my time. Had this course been required during the school year, I’m afraid I would have felt immediately consumed and overwhelmed.

I hope that my criticism of the 11 Tools staff development is viewed as constructive. Any negative feelings about this course stem from an intense desire to improve it. I feel very strongly about the benefits I acquired from completing it, and hope that with some tweaking, it will become a required district initiative.