Thing 5: Final Reflection (Thing 12)

As I look back at the Cool Tools experience, I am thinking about how many times I went to the Cool Tools site to explore and research for teachers and students I work with every day. I am an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher and I am always looking for ways to enhance the teaching and learning technologically at the schools I work with. Each time I have gone to the site and browsed through the topics and resources I have been amazed at how much is out there. The Cool Tools resource is incredible. Just last week I was meeting with colleagues and we immediately went to the Cool Tools site to look up helpful tools for the topic we were working on. As far as challenges to the projects, the main one I encountered was getting overwhelmed at times by how much is out there. I would end up in a rabbit hole and I had to stop and tell myself to narrow down the scope of what I was looking at so that I didn't go on overload. I think about what it is like to be a student in the digital age and I can see our students getting overwhelmed with the vast possibilities of research on the internet as well as what app/tool to use for the job. I plan to think aloud with students about my experiences of not knowing when to stop or which tool to choose so they can see they are not alone when it happens to them. All the things I have tried have inspired me to want to learn more. I can't wait for next year's Cool Tools PD. I like how the blog forces me to think about and reflect on topics for tech learning. The site also helps me as I create PD for teachers who are going to use technology with their students. Sites like HistoryPin and the sites related to Digital Citizenship are ones I plan to return to frequently. Interestingly, being a parent myself, I found the SnapChat information extremely useful for parenting. I shared it with my parent friends too. The hardest part for me was forcing myself to sit down and write the blog posts. Once I was engaged in the writing it was really fun. For the next time I would like to dedicate time to blogging. I think putting it in my calendar could help with that. I also want to take better advantage of the community that exists through Cool Tools. I am hooked!