When I initially signed up for this class, I used to think that this class that the resources were going to just show me how to utilize school approved websites, correctly, and that I was going to create a lesson plan and move on to my next class with the basic required areas. Now I think, after receiving the necessary tools and guidance that lesson plans consist of so many areas that can be effective in instructing my future leaders. I now know that an effective lesson plan consists of a 21st Century Skills, materials and procedures that keep the teacher and students on a path of how thing swill flow, ISTE*S Standards that explain the depth of a lesson even more, Bloom's Taxonomy which makes the objective and the objective(s) that explains what the students will be knowledgeable about once the lesson is complete.  I believe now that the objective is the heart of the lesson. Additionally, the Technology incorporation in different methods like creating a Prezi presentation gave me a different perspective on how assessments can be created in my classroom and designed amongst the students.

I used to think that the objectives were not as important in the incorporation of a lesson plan. Being in the course, I have different thinking of the importance and  how the objective is supposed to look in terms of creating. Now I think, see, and have applied my knowledge on incorporating more elements in the lesson objective.  I've learned that the lesson objective must include different elements such the ABCD method we have learned in this course. A standing for Audience, B standing Behavior, C standing, and D standing for Degree. The objective method we learned this year made me thinking about the objective in more higher levels. Like my district, the components of the objective are explicit with the way the students are going to master each element. The structure of the objective will allow me to see who will master the lesson and what I can modify to best fit the need of my students.

I used to think that the implementation of procedures of a lesson plan were not as useful and did not benefit the teachers or students. Now I think, lesson procedures are imperative. they extensively give procedures of how the flow will go. Coming from a school district where the emphasizes is maximizing the instructional time, the procedural schedule we learned with this lesson plan taught me how to utilize my time effectively. When creating lesson plans in the future, I will be sure to explicitly explain the steps so that the students will see and understand to content presented. My district has set up daily agendas for teachers and student to follow. This method of lesson planning has shown me that premeditated lessons need to have structure and will not deviate from the Gradual Release of Responsibility. 

I used to think that technology in the class was not beneficial and I struggled with integrating that element in my  past and current classroom. Being shown countless amounts of platforms like i-Ready, FastBridge, StoryJumper, GoogleDraw, and Powtoon to name a few have exposed me to many technological advancements I can make to my lessons and also expose my children to the various platforms.  I now  think that including technology is an escape from the black and white books for students, it's another avenue of learning, and it improves  and enhances the learning environment. 

What I used to think was that technology was just another way fro students to be distracted and unfocused because of experiences I've had with kids using it inappropriately. I now think, technology can be a resourceful in planning and improving the academics, learning environment, and class dynamic of education. As a math teacher, I am constantly looking for ways to change the dynamic of my classroom. With learning the ITSE Standards, I can now adjust my planning a create an environment where more critical and higher level thinking occurs in my second scholars. The technology platforms that will take with my in my teaching career and that have changed my thinking on Instruction and Technology are the Google Productivity Tools, Concept Mapping, Flip Grid, and Assistive Technology. 

I used to think that the platforms on my Google account weren't helpful nor will I use to in my life let alone my classroom This class has opened my eyes on many different social platforms. I now think that these tools will take my classroom to higher levels and improve academic performance. The Google Productivity Tools will allow me create reasonable assessments to share with my students and get them away from being assessed on paper. The Concept Mapping will allow myself and allow the students to create drafts and put thinking/ideas into database to organize materials for a class project. Flip Grip is an amazing way for students to utilize their phone and handheld devices for projects, classwork, the upcoming scavenger hunt through the schools. I am studying to become a special education teacher, assistive technology will be needed for some of my scholars to learn. The text to speech devices will help my students with memory and retention disorders be able to have their notes in speech form. 

"The need for stable, reliable, low-cost Internet access to students in schools is essential to student learning." (Rutledge, 2014) The knowledge I've gained over the course of these few months about technology will allow me to be more savvy with new softwares, differentiate, introduce more teaching strategies, and bring more resourceful resources to my students. The outcome of their learning will change, it will improve, enhance their minds, and allow me to be a more effective educator.