Final Post

• How have you used technology to increase your knowledge in your content area?

I use technology all the time to increase my knowledge of physics. For my more advanced classes, I use computer programs often to help with the hard math or to graph for me. I have previously used simulations for physical events or systems such as circuits or nuclear reactions. When I need to refresh myself on more basic topics, I often will quickly look up formulas on wikipedia or a college professor's webpage. It is faster and more comprehensive than looking things up in my old textbooks.

• How have you used technology to collaborate with classmates?

Most of the collaboration I have done with classmates has just been messages back and forth via email or sometimes Facebook. Often we will include attachments so that we can see the formatted document quickly and easily. I have also used Google Docs to make a document or project available for modifying online.

• How might you use technology in your classroom?

I really like the variety of effort physicists around the world have put into education. I think a physics classroom can really become insular, forgetting that there is a huge world out there, of a) physics going on everywhere and of b) physicists ready to help the next generations. Two main ways to tap those resources is through simulations (developed by many different professors and scientists), because we can't put a nuclear reactor in the classroom but we can put a rather good simulations, and through video chat. If a professor doing research at a collider can get Skype or Youtube access (pretty easy, I'd think), they can communicate with your students and show them the cutting edge research.

• What did you learn in this class?

One main thing I learned is that technology can only improve your teaching through good preparation. Youtube or Blogger or Moodle are easy but can't be learned over night. Also technology problems are a big issue and you have to have learned everything well ahead of time and taken care of any technology problems.

• What will you use that you have learned in this class?

I think making the class website was the most valuable part of this class. I really needed to hammer out good ideas for calendars, class syllabi, homework help, and on top of that, get all the technology to work. I think that will be huge as I become a full-time teacher.