CEP811 Final Reflections

Final Reflections on CEP 811

When I really sit down and think back over the course I am actually surprised at how much I learned and changed the past few weeks.  I think I was so immersed in actually doing all the assignments I didn't realize how much I was growing as a person, instructional leader and technology leader.  

The activity I learned the most from was the creation of my STAIR on Light and Mirrors.  While I have a flipped classroom this actually makes me look at an entire lesson that incorporates many different instructional strategies.  The unit included graphic organizers, note taking  formative quizzes with immediate feedback, scaffolding and videos.  It was all incorporated into this stand alone resource that my students actually used in class last week.  I really like how the unit taught the different types of mirrors and then had students apply the mirror rules.  I really learned more about power point and how to effectively create a kiosk presentation.  I am excited to create more STAIR type units even though it is very time consuming. 

I also found the comparison of my Coaster Physics lesson plan to the UDL Checklist to be quite effective.  It was amazing how many little things I could do to a lesson plan/assignment that could improve the effectiveness.  Just simply underlining key terms in the instructions and providing checkpoints throughout the activity made it more effective. Although this was lengthy I think it was worth it and gave me some good ideas to help those that struggle reading and with big projects.  

I also think I will be using Merlot in the future.  I had never even heard of this website but I found a great array of resources that will be useful in my class.  Until this course I thought Merlot was just a good wine!  

Before this course I knew alot about technology but now I actually feel like I know how to integrate technology with proven instructional strategies and pedagogy.  My new goals don't just focus on technology but the entire TPACK package.  

I would like to create more STAIR units. 

Contribute more lessons to Merlot.
I also want to focus on scaffolding better in all my lessons. 

While at times the class has been overwhelming - looking back on it now I have really grown.