What I Learned

I have learned a lot from this course. There are so many resources available to teachers, but this class showed me how to utilize those resources. The thing I learned was the in order to truly incorporate these resources into my teaching, I must take the time to work with them and become a master at using these resources. It is important for students to have many different experiences in their education. If students are to stay engaged they must have different resources that are fresh and can keep them focused throughout their educational experience. After completing these assignments I realized that I must be willing to try knew things. I truly plan to incorporate different forms of technology into my teaching and this course has helped to set me on a path for become a master at using the different resources that are out there.

I am constantly reminded of a phrase that I read in the book, The Highly Engaged Classroom. “The answer to the final emblematic question, “Can I do this?” also affects engagement. Again, if the answer is yes, students are more likely to engage. If the answer is no, students might lessen or abort their involvement—even if they have positive feelings about the task (How do I feel?), are interested in the topic (Am I interested?), and perceive it as related to their personal goals (Is this important?). This issue has been addressed in great detail within cognitive psychology under the nomenclature of self-efficacy.” This phrase says to me that if my students feel as if they can use these resources, then they can be fully engaged in what they are learning. However, in order for them to use these resources I must become a master at using them, so that they can be instructed on the proper ways to use these knew and engaging resources. This book was a great tool to refer to throughout this course and I would recommend any teacher or instructor to read this book on how to engage learners. I plan to use all of the resources I have been exposed to in this class as a way to enhance my classroom, and create a high level educational experience for my students.

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. (with Heflebower, T.). (2010). The Highly Engaged Classroom (pp.15-16). Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.