Letter to Chair

Dr. Brent Wilson,

I felt in order to truly reflect at the conclusion of my Information and Learning Technologies program; I would first have to recall where I began. This brought me to the Graduate School essay that I wrote in order to be admitted to the ILT program: the place where my journey began.

While reading back over my letter, I come to the statement that was the driving force for me entering this program, throughout the program, and now at the end of the program:
“My interest in the ILT program hinges on my love of technology and the desire to integrate technology into my classroom on a regular basis.”
I never lost site of why I started this journey in the first place. I feel that the courses and professors at the University of Colorado at Denver helped me to not only keep this focus, but to enrich it as well.

Coming into this program, I had three professional goals that I focused on. First, I wanted to learn more about the newest forms of technology that I could apply in my classroom to make learning exciting and useful. I quickly realized that I didn’t need the “newest and latest” gadgets to be successful in my technology use. During my first class with Dave Young, I was hunting through our software closet at school. Using a popular software title, I created an integrated lesson that had students reading, writing, working on math, and focusing on social studies, all by using technology. I was also excited to learn the basics of PHP & JavaScript programming languages. Of the two, the PHP programming has proven to be the most useful in meeting my designing needs. At the end of the program, I have been exposed to several new versions of software, as well as new equipment. As a part of the Telecommunications and Networking in Education class, I was exposed to Internet and Web communication tools. The group I was a part of, focused on video conferencing and it’s advantages in various learning situations. Even though I did not utilize video in later projects, I did use mp3 audio files in the online learning environment I created.

My second goal was to learn how to create and implement project-based technology activities in my classroom. Learning how to design and create online learning environments was pivotal in successfully meeting this goal. Through Dave’s WebQuest course, as well as his online PHP & JavaScript course, I learned a great deal. The knowledge I walked away with from these two courses allowed me to create products that I was able to integrate in my classroom. Joni Dunlap’s class in Online Instructional Strategies provided me the framework I needed to utilize a number of design principles, learning strategies, and integration techniques that I had learned in previous classes. I don’t think there was one single class that “did it all” for me. I feel that I was able to mesh the knowledge acquired from a number of my classes into successful products such as my WebQuests, Bearstone Unit, and CSAP Learning Center site. I know feel much more comfortable integrating technology on a consistent basis. I have started to realize that technology is simply another tool for students to use in the learning process, as well as in their demonstration of knowledge.

My final goal was to use the information and skills I acquired through the program to become a technology resource and/or mentor in my building. I have enjoyed sharing resources and collaborating with fellow colleagues. The skills and information acquired through this program have allowed me to contribute much more valuable input to the school technology committee. Through a survey I designed and completed during the Leadership and Practice in ILT course with Len Scrogan and Stevan Kalmon, I was able to provide our committee with information about the current technology level and interests of our staff. We are presently using this data to begin designing our staff development component for this school year.

My true hope is that my future holds a melding of the new knowledge acquired around these three goals. My ideal position would be working one-on-one with teachers, helping them meet their technology integration needs. This might include developing lesson plans, WebQuests, locating Internet resources, or just helping them learn a new computer program. I know that the resources I walk away from this program with will allow me to more consistently and effectively implement technology in my classroom. I plan to develop additional WebQuests as resources for my students. In the future, I would like to focus on reading and writing related Quests. My lifelong learning will continue attending Skill Block courses through the Douglas County School District. I currently have my eyes on a PhotoShop course. I will also take advantage of situations within my building that allow me to collaborate with others on technology integration ideas. I hope to continue serving as a technology resource to teachers within my school. Not too far down the road, current teachers will be required to meet specific proficiency levels on technology standards. I see myself playing a role within my building, helping to organize workshops and classes. Finally, I will continue to maintain the teacher resource Web sites that I created back in 1998. These sites have become popular with teachers around the country, and provide me another setting in which to share my technology knowledge and experiences.

Amidst all of this technology, I am reminded of the human factor. This factor was always an incredible learning experience. I came to realize how many different walks of life we “teachers” come from. These various walks led me to learn so many things from so many different people. The opportunities we had to share our learning and experience with others was invaluable. Finding this common time to collaborate is difficult for today’s teachers.

I now sit and wonder how my students will utilize their technology experience in the future. Will one of them be the next Bill Gates? Will one of them settle the controversy over downloading music? Or will one of them simply be a schoolteacher who introduces a whole new world to one of their students? I thank you for the opportunity to grow on a professional level, as well as personal level.

Sincerely,

Jennifer L. Jensen