EEND 678Y Reflection

     As I reflect back on this class, I can think of a few things that really stuck out to me.  During the first week's module, I really enjoyed the class discussion about technology integration.  There were so many great examples of how teachers are integrating technology into their classrooms in so many different ways.  Our discussion focus was about the ISTE standards and so many people had such great responses to the questions posed.  As a non-classroom teacher, it is fun to hear how classroom teachers are using technology to be more efficient, bring life to their lessons, and make learning fun for kids when it may traditionally not be for some students.
     My biggest takeaway from this class was learning about Project Based Learning.  The resources during those two weeks were extremely interesting to me with all of the different articles and videos of teachers, schools, and districts who are implementing Project Based Learning.  I was always skeptical to the idea of it but after I read about it and watched some videos on the topic, it really does make a lot of sense.  The part I like most is how it relates so well to the real world.  Putting students in these types of situations at a young age and teach them how to problem solve with others will only benefit them in their future endeavors.  When I got to the assignment for this module, I was a little worried about what I would do for a PBL topic in my class.  The most common task for a PBL unit is to develop an individual fitness plan.  However, this would make the most sense in a high school setting and I teach at the elementary level.  I thought a lot about different topics and finally decided to focus on our field day and explore new ways to organize it.  Unfortunately I can't fit this unit in to this current school year but I am really excited to try it next year with my 5th grade students.  I love the idea of giving students a problem to solve and have them work together to come up with a solution but when I think about the potential of students revising our field day and then be able to implement their ideas at our school, I think it could really be something special for them. 
     The other big takeaway that stands out to me is during week 7 and learning about managing digital workflow.  This is a topic that I have not ever paid much attention to because as a PE teacher, we rarely use our chromebook devices.  After reading through the resources, I was blown away at how many great ideas and tips people have.  There are so many great people that are sharing their ideas through articles, Pinterest, blogs, etc.  And in addition to that, other people in our class had many great ideas of how they manage their classroom's devices.
     Overall, I really enjoyed this class and have saved a bunch of resources and tech tools that I can see myself trying out in my own classroom.