Letter to Future Self (M3)

 Dear Future Owen,

After completing Module 3, I'm writing to remind you of the most important concepts from it. One of the things that stuck with me most is that technology is becoming an unaviodable part of the classroom. Students, teachers, and people outside of classrooms are going to continue innovating new uses for technology in the classroom. Your students will probably gravitate to more technological-based approaches for their learning and you should encourage it. They are more likely to be engaged in the learning process, especially if you give them the freedom to decide how they use the technology. 

While embracing your student's use of technology, you ought to remember to be careful and watchful. One of your jobs is to help your students become proper digital citizens and help them avoid plagiarism, inappropriate content, and other harmful aspects of technology. They need to understand that what happens on technology is permanent and they should always be aware of where they go, who they interact with, and what they post. 

I know you are sometimes hesitant and worried about the use of technology in your classroom. You worry that you won't find unique uses for technology and that it will actually get in the way of learning. I want to reassure you have so many options that you will find things that you wish to employ in your classroom. You will also be able to work with your students and see what they respond to the most. You will find a way to properly integrate technology into your classroom. And when you do, your students will be more engaged than ever. I want to remind you of this rubric that you can use to help evaluate your new ideas and strategies. Remember that you don't want technology to just engage your students, you want it to enhance and extend their learning.

Best wishes from the past,

Owen

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