End of Semester Journal
Thursday, December 13, 2018
December 13, 2018
This semester has been a whirlwind of learning experiences. I am very thankful for the information I was able to learn prior to beginning my practicum, as I have used many technologies within my lessons. Google applications have been very important to my students learning, and knowing how to effectively use these programs proved to be extremely useful. I felt very prepared for my practicum and self-assessed and was assessed by my mentor teacher as proficient in this area. Although I felt I carried out learning through technology well within the classroom and in authentic ways, there was still a lot of learning that took place.
Some areas where I felt I improved was in my ability to deal with technological difficulties. Often the Smart Board wouldn’t be properly calibrated, or a video wouldn’t play, but I progressed through the issues and came up with solutions. I think that it was useful for the students to see me struggle with technology difficulties and preserve through them without letting it upset me. The students were very understanding and even offered help and suggestions, not always useful, but I could tell they were learning to persevere themselves.
The question that I was hoping to answer through my practicum experience was focused on the premises of learning how English Language Learners (ELL) could use technology to better improve their learning of the English language. My practicum school didn’t have a large population of students who were learning English as their second language, but I was still able to observe my students interacting with technology and programs that helped to improve their language skills. My students were fortunate enough to have scheduled time, three times a week, to use chromebooks. During this time they went through a series of activities to improve their knowledge of English Language Arts. Some of the programs such as Bookflix, Raz Kids, and Epic allowed students to read books online, and also to have books read aloud to them. This took a lot of anxiety about reading away from the students and everyone was very engaged during this time. Programs such as Quizlet and Spelling City allowed the students to practice their spelling and track their progress. It is well documented that differentiation for students of varying abilities can help all students in the class. Being able to observe students in my classroom use these programs, I was able to see how useful they would be for ELL students. Although the programs weren’t designed specifically for ELL students, they could all be differentiated for their learning.
I was fortunate enough to be able to work with several teachers within the school. During a meeting about a students with diverse needs, I was able to offer my own experience with a technology that would help the students’ confidence in reading. The staff was very appreciative of my input. I was also able to introduce my cohort of teachers to the use of online books for read alouds and learning experiences. They really enjoyed how the technology of online picture books allowed the students to read along and made the store more easily visual to all students. I also helped teachers discover new features through google such as using bookmarks in a google doc to skip through pages and using google photos for quick and easy syncing between devices. My mentor teacher assisted me in learning a lot about google classroom and effective ways to use the Smart Board.
I still have a lot of learning that I want to do around technology and I am currently completing a course to become a google educator. I am hoping that the course gives me some new information and skills I will be able to carry through to my next practicum.
Facilitating Learning: Using Technology in the Classroom
Sunday, September 30, 2018
September 30, 2018
My Journey in Teaching: Goals for Year 3
Sunday, September 16, 2018
September 16, 2018
I have always had a dream of becoming a teacher, although the image that came to mind in previous years was teaching in a more traditional way. Through the bachelor of education program at Mount Royal University I have learned how teaching is so much more than simply relaying information to students. Technology has furthered the ever changing elementary classroom and has allowed teachers to engage in a multitude of new ways with the students, and learning community as a whole. I have always enjoyed using technology that is constantly changing and improving. Exploring new avenues within technology is exciting and engaging for me, especially with the new technologies in the classroom. I have never feared the use of technology and feel very comfortable navigating the different avenues that technology offers.
I have some hopes for what I can gain through the technology course I am currently learning in. This semester I hoping to learn how technology can further aid me in the planning of learning in the classroom. I want to develop engaging lessons using technology, not only for immersion into other subjects, but for students to specifically learn technology skills. Within planning, I am also hoping to learn how time management due to technical difficulties could change a whole lesson, and how to adapt. I would also like to learn how technology can be used to communicate with other people in the students' learning community and be able to show progress and evaluation of students through other means than report cards. In terms of my professional responsibilities, I would like to learn how to have a professional and respectful online footprint, and how to continue this throughout my teaching career. Since I would like to have a respectful digital footprint myself, I would also like my students to learn these same skills. There are many unsafe areas of the internet, and I want to teach students proper navigation. If I am creating an environment where students are respectful in the physical classroom, I want them to also respect our virtual classroom and have respect for the peers they are interacting with online. Most of all I want to learn ways to teach students technology that is engaging and sparks exploration into this ever expanding subject.
Teaching English as a second language is my minor, and I want to know more about how language learning can be assisted and improved through the use of technology in the classroom. English language learners often need more individualized time to learn language than what is offered in the classroom, so I would like learn how having access to technology outside of the classroom will aid in the learning process. This is an important question for me because communication is a key skill needed for all students, and I want to learn how technology can ease that communication barrier in language learning. Technology isn't something that I will be able to know everything about, but I hope that through this course I learn how to stay informed about the ever changing technological world.
I have some hopes for what I can gain through the technology course I am currently learning in. This semester I hoping to learn how technology can further aid me in the planning of learning in the classroom. I want to develop engaging lessons using technology, not only for immersion into other subjects, but for students to specifically learn technology skills. Within planning, I am also hoping to learn how time management due to technical difficulties could change a whole lesson, and how to adapt. I would also like to learn how technology can be used to communicate with other people in the students' learning community and be able to show progress and evaluation of students through other means than report cards. In terms of my professional responsibilities, I would like to learn how to have a professional and respectful online footprint, and how to continue this throughout my teaching career. Since I would like to have a respectful digital footprint myself, I would also like my students to learn these same skills. There are many unsafe areas of the internet, and I want to teach students proper navigation. If I am creating an environment where students are respectful in the physical classroom, I want them to also respect our virtual classroom and have respect for the peers they are interacting with online. Most of all I want to learn ways to teach students technology that is engaging and sparks exploration into this ever expanding subject.
Teaching English as a second language is my minor, and I want to know more about how language learning can be assisted and improved through the use of technology in the classroom. English language learners often need more individualized time to learn language than what is offered in the classroom, so I would like learn how having access to technology outside of the classroom will aid in the learning process. This is an important question for me because communication is a key skill needed for all students, and I want to learn how technology can ease that communication barrier in language learning. Technology isn't something that I will be able to know everything about, but I hope that through this course I learn how to stay informed about the ever changing technological world.