This course has taught me a lot about the use of technology and multi-modal literacies in schools. Before this course I already had the understanding that technology should be incorporated into the classroom, but this course taught me how to do so. I think the multi-genre autobiography was a great way to start the course because it really got me thinking about the different texts that have affected my life. It also helped me to begin thinking of music, movies, and television as texts in addition to books which is very important for 21st century readers. I also thought the articles we read were very interesting and provided real-life examples of the ways in which multi-modality is used in a variety of different mediums. I found the article about cell phone novels particularly interesting because it allowed me to think about the writing of novels in a number of different ways.
I think this class also helped me to grow personally as a learner. I have found myself analyzing different texts and looking for symbolism and allusions that I probably wouldn't have thought about prior to taking this class. I found this particularly interesting when I was re-watching different episodes of Lost and I noticed all the literary allusions included in that text. This class has definitely helped me to see the value in many different texts.
I definitely plan on incorporating multi-modality into my future classroom. I have already spoken to my cooperating teacher for my student teaching, and he told me that his school was lucky enough to receive a grant that provided the school with many different forms of technology including laptops for every student and smart slates. I'm looking forward to my student teaching as an excellent opportunity to gain experience using various forms of technology in my classroom with the guidance of an experienced teacher. I like the idea of using blogs as a form of reflection for student and I also like the idea of doing online literature circles. I think this gives students an excellent opportunity to reflect on texts with their peers. Overall, I think this class taught me a lot about teaching and I plan on using many of the different techniques discussed in class in my own classroom in the future.
I've attached an interesting video about the merits of integrating technology into the classroom.
