On my first day of teaching, it became blatantly obvious to me how integral technology has become in school. I was immediately given a crash course in how to operate the school’s website, Echo. The gist of the session was that lessons are to be created and accessible via the website. Students would then complete the assignment online, and submit their work back to Echo, where I would score and publish my students’ grades. It was a lot to absorb in my first 30 minutes of being a teacher.
This is not imply that I am technologically insecure. I like to think I grew up within the cusp of 21st century technology entering the classroom. I remember when my elementary school received a single Apple computer per classroom and everyone being very excited. In middle school, we were required to take typing as a class. In high school, while we completed practically all of our work offline, we were offered computers as a class. When I started college I realized that while I thought I was computer savvy, I realized how little professional experience I had with technology. Thus, my 3 years of teaching has provided me with both a need to improve as well as a perfect environment to do so. Working at a PBL school that emphasises digital learning, I feel increasing supported on my journey to grow with technology. A regular day for me involves accessing Echo, creating multiple lessons, each complete with hyperlinks to an array of assignments and resources all created on Google docs. I use a digital projector to present my lessons, as well as a document camera. While I have a whiteboard in my classroom, I have had opportunities to work with Smartboards. Most of all, I have become very familiar with Gmail and all of its many applications such as Docs, Drive, Forms, etc. Since taking this course, I have a broader perspective on the application of the many digital resources that are out there. For instance, I have become very interested in the notion of the Flipped Classroom as well as Challenge Based Learning. While my school is a fully committed to Project Based Learning, I see the potential for me to create a library of digital resources and activities for my students to complete as homework and allow us to utilize class time for more engaging and hands on activities. This course has also opened my eyes to the means necessary to accomplish such as task. One resource that I have quickly adapted to is Screen-o-matic. This is a resource that allows the user to record themselves and their computer desktop in order to create videos. I have already started to use this resource and even teaching my students how to use it as well. It will make my job easier as I only need to record a lesson once, and then all my students can watch and rewatch for years to come. Screencasting is just one of the many new resources and concepts I have gained from this semester. I look forward to implementing many new methods in my future teaching. I can already tell that my students next year will have a significantly different experience than my current students and for the better.
0 Comments
The Flipped Classroom is a relatively new approach to teaching where students learn the content at home at their own pace, via instructional and interactive videos. This is helpful to teachers and students alike as it provides students the advantage of previewing the material in advance and arriving prepared to engage with concepts through activities.
Flipped Classrooms have several requirements as well as several benefits. Let’s get the obvious requirements out of the way first. To begin with, Flipped Classrooms rely heavily on technology. In order for students to access a range of digital lessons and activities prior to class, teachers must first be technologically savvy enough to create and distribute said lessons. Next, students will require some form of computer device to access the materials at home or abroad. From my experience as a teacher a predominantly digital school, I know many students have their own personal devices or at least have access to a shared family device. However, I also know that there are still a significant number of students who do not have access to such devices, outside of school. If, however, a school was in fact able to provide its students with sufficient access to these digital resources, there still remains the most important of the requirements: That students actually review the material prior to class. This, in my opinion, would prove to be more difficult than merely supplying a student with a laptop. These requirements, while unflinching, are balanced by the many benefits of this new method of teaching. Schools that have participated in Flipped Classrooms have shown student improvement in both math and English. One benefit of this method is that students can prepare for class at their own pace, on their own terms. If a student needs to rewatch a portion, or an entire lesson, they are free to do so. Students are then better prepared for the following class where they are able to interact with the material in a more authentic and engaging manner. Another benefit of this approach is that teachers really only need to make their videos once. For example, if a teacher created a digital introductory activity for a project, they could reuse that video the following year when they teach that topic again. Furthermore, teachers can share videos and resources with one another from all around the world, along with feedback. I personally find this concept very interesting. I have only been teaching for a few years, but all of my teaching has been at a Project Based Learning school that encourages students to bring their own digital devices. This unique perspective may be the reason I am so instinctively on board with this approach. Thanks to my Master’s program, I have become more familiar with educational technology such as creating tutorial videos for students and thus see how easily method could be implemented. Going forward with my teaching career, I anticipate I will create a range of videos and digital activities for my students as homework in order to free up class time for more hands on learning. August Turak
In his article "Can Creativity be Taught?" Turak ultimately argues that no, creativity can not be taught, at least not in the way we’ve been trying. While there may not be a prescribed formula to teach creativity, Turak contends that students can certainly become more creative. Turak further explains six important “Insights” which he learned from Louis Mobley, in order to help expose students to more inspiring circumstances. Louis R. Mobley, 6 insights:
John Seely Brown Brown begins his lecture by addressing the fact that our world is experiencing a significant shift from equilibrium to a state of constant flux. In this new, constantly changing world, we need to acknowledge the need for rethinking our outdated methods. Brown claims that the skill sets of the past are beyond inferior for the demands of the present and certainly the future. Thus, we need to adapt to the world we have created. Brown provides a few quintessential qualities for adapting to the word of flux:
Howard Gardner In his lecture, Gardner explains his idea of the Five Minds that he considers necessary for the future:
Of the Five Minds that Gardner explains, he stresses the significance of the Synthesizing Mind. The synthesizing mind is what helps us decide what to we pay attention to (facts, data, discipline, subject matter) and how we put it together in a way you can retain that knowledge, and truly understand that information. Gardner further explains the need for teachers to develop synthesizing minds in our students. But how can we accomplish this? I found this notion relevant to my research study as I am seeking to improve my students skills of critical thinking. If teachers can help develop students Synthesizing Minds, then we can in turn increase their critical thinking skills and help students better organize the information they encounter. |
AuthorThe best teachers never cease to be students. Archives
December 2017
Categories |