EDLD+5366+Course+Reflections


 * February 22, 2012 **
 * A person grows in their teaching as they reflect on their practices. Continuous questioning and reflecting has helped me become the educator I am. Costa states, “The ultimate purpose of reflection is to get us into the habit of thinking about our experiences.” (2000). Internal reflection has become natural for me in teaching myself. Throughout this class I have come to value the art of reflection as we created our website. **
 * The task of creating the website enriched and challenged me with the collaborative effort that was required for the assignment. It proved to me what it means for our students to be able to be “collaborative learners through project-based learning.” (2007). From the start of the project, we implemented the concepts from our technology classes. The thought of collaborating with other students energized me. Each member has various strengths that benefited the group. Knowing this about each other facilitated our assignment. I took the lead and began to set up the web page. Through the process, I migrated to You Tube for tutorials. As I watched the tutorial videos, I paused, returned to the site and applied the learned technique, then returned to the video reviewed to validate my applications before proceeding to the next step. **
 * Each step of the process we followed what Pappas calls the Bloom’s taxonomy of reflection. (2010). Each new application of the site, I would follow this same reflective procedure. When we completed the first step, we reflected on where do we go from here? Each step we evaluated our work and asked where do we go from here. We wanted to make the best website possible for our e-portfolio. **** Pearl **** and Leon Paulson states, “The portfolio is a laboratory where students construct meaning from their accumulated experience.” (1991). The site became our laboratory of learning and will be added to our TK20 e-portfolio. I am proud to add this accumulated experience into my portfolio for my Masters. **
 * References: **

Costa, Arthur L. and Bena Kallick (2000) Getting into the Habit of Reflection. Retrieved from []

Pappas, Peter, [|__A Taxonomy of Reflection: Critical Thinking For Students, Teachers, and Principals__]. Retrieved from http://www.peterpappas.com/2010/01/taxonomy-reflection-critical-thinking-students-teachers-principals-.html

Paulson, F.L. & Paulson, P. (1994) “Assessing Portfolios Using the Constructivist Paradigm” Retrieved from ** Researching Electronic Portfolios and Learner Engagement ** By Helen C. Barrett, Ph.D., Research Director, ** The REFLECT Initiative R ** esearching ** E ** lectronic port ** F ** olios: ** L ** earning, ** E ** ngagement and ** C ** ollaboration through ** T ** echnology.

Solomon, Gwen, and Lynne Schrum. (2007). Web 2.0: new tools, new schools. International Society for Technology in Education.