Self-Assessment 2

As I mentioned before, before I started this semester I had very little knowledge about and around technology. Thus, for my Inquiry paper, I decided to explore various forms of technology that can be used in the classroom. I decided to explore the Internet for any resources/websites that teachers could use.

Perhaps one of the most Useful books I came across was How to . . . Weave the Web into a K-8 Classroom. This was a useful resource for me because it allowed me to see and explore dozens of different websites. One of the things that I didn't like about some of the websites, however, is that some of them required the teacher to register with the website.

One of the exemplars that I used was My French Coach. I did have other titles from this series (My Word Coach and My Spanish Coach), however, I chose not to focus on them in this inquiry because they are very similar. I do not use this software for my own benefit, but it does look like it could be a useful tool in the classroom. As I mentioned in my paper, it would not replace learning another language in the classroom, but rather, it would benefit the students if it was used as a supplemental tool/resource.

Another website that I found useful was the Smithsonian Zoo's website. The link that I provided in my paper linked directly to live footage of animals. However, if one explores the website in more depth, one would notice that there are many other useful links on the site. There are many pages of information about each animal (habitat, diet, etc.). Children can also watch animals in as "natural" a setting as is possible. For example, if studying the lifecycle of animals, students can choose to observe an animal on a daily basis and see what changes/behaviours the animal experiences. Students can write reflective journals and take daily logs as well. In addition, students can have conversations with the experts. This makes the experience more authentic as they can ask a question and have a true expert answer that question immediately.

In order to "personalize" the paper, I included many quotes that I feel very strongly about. My favourite quote about education is the one by Socrates: "Wisdom begins in wonder." This has always been the case for me - if I am not interested or personally engaged in the subject that I am learning, I will probably not learn much about that topic. Thus, I believe it is very important to always get to know your students so that you can appeal to their interests. For example, if one of the students in my classroom is a dancer, I would allow that student to create a project that revolves around dancing. Again, if a student cannot present his learning in a paper, then perhaps he can represent his learning in an artistic piece.

I chose to write about this topic (bringing technology into the classroom for "technological immigrants") because I feel that many teachers are afraid to explore the "unknown." Many people do not feel it is worthwhile to spend the time to experience something new because they may feel that it is too hard, or once the experience is complete, they will not return to it. Or, people may feel that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I enrolled in this class because I know that the world is changing and that the 21st century is a very different kind of learner than the 20th century learner. Films shown on projectors no longer excite students like they used to. Children want to touch and feel and experience what they are learnin, not just witness it. There is a Chinese proverb that I like to follow as well, and it goes something along the lines of: "Tell me and I forget, Show me and I remember, Let me do and I understand."

Learners need to do in order to understand. You can't build a house if you've never done it before. This is why I did my paper, I will never know about technology unless I try it out!

Final Self-Assessment

When the semester first began, I remember telling everyone in my SIPS class that I knew NOTHING about technology . . . that I barely even knew how to burn a CD. However, throughout the semester I have been shown that using technology is not that hard, and that it is actually a benefit to student learning.

My attention has been brought to many great websites, my favourite being www.ted.com. This website doesn't necessarily teach people how to use technology, but it does allow for a lot of thinking and self-reflection. Many of the talks are thought provoking and leaves me wanting to hear and research more about the topic.

I also liked that we had a chance to talk about the use of blogs, etc. I always thought blogs were a waste of time and mostly done by "computer nerds," but I have since learned that this is not the case. It is a great way for classrooms to showcase their learning and to collaborate as well. In addition, our class had many discussions about web safety, which is a big deal in 2009. Safety is my number one concern for my students, and it was great to learn what to expect (in terms of internet safety) and where to go for more information/help.

Technology has become such a common part of everyday life - one can't go a day without the use of any recent technology . . . in fact, one can't go an hour without the use of recent technology. As I gain more experience in the classroom, I hope to also gain experience with technology.

TPGP

Wow, the last day of school (ever?) has finally arrived. It has been a very short (and long) six years to earn my two degrees which will enable me to teach. However, the last six years has not educated, nor prepared me, for this profession. My learning has come from 23 years of experience - and I will continue to learn more from new experiences. I will never be a "perfect" teacher, but there are things that I can do to become a "better" teacher:

Goal #1: To Become Organized
Being organized is one of my weaknesses. I often stuff everything into a folder or my bag and not go through it until a week (or two!) later. This is not good practice! It is very imporant for teachers to be organized so that they know what to expect. It also helps with planning. In addition, if everything is organized and kept in the proper place, planning and marking can be done in a more timely and efficient manner.
Objectives to reach this goal:

• Create files/folders/bins for each grade and subject
• Place everything that belongs in a certain file/folder/bin in the correct one - as soon as possible
• Organize and go through on a weekly basis
• Create a "To-Do" list - daily, weekly, and monthly

Goal #2: To Enrich My Knowledge

I believe it is very imporant to have a strong knowledge base to be an effective teacher. The elementary curriculum is so vast and broad, that it is difficult to know everything about everything. However, I would like to have a good foundation of all the subjects and topics that I am expected to teach. I am aware that I will not, and should not, become an expert in any/all areas.

Objectives to reach this goal:

• Develop good professional and personal relationships with colleagues and teachers
• Read "teacher books" on a regular basis - the latest research on exceptionalities, classroom management, etc.
• Attend Professional Development workshops at least once every two months
• Continue to have a personal reflection journal to reflect on my practice

Goal #3: To Become Familiar and Comfortable with Technology

When I began this semester I was very uncomfortable with technology. To be honest, I was afraid that many of our assignments would be "technology related." Really? A technology class with assignments related to technology? Fortunately, my SIPS instructor was so passionate about the use of technology that my fears immediately disappeared. I quickly learned how easy and useful technology can be. Students are surrounded by technology, thus, teachers should use technology whenever appropriate/available.

Objectives to reach this goal:

• "Play" around with technology - visit the Apple store/Futureshop, etc. on a regular basis to see what new technologies are available
• Spend at least 20-30 minutes a day "playing" with technology that I am unfamiliar with
• Incorporate the use of technology in the classroom whenever appropriate so that I can learn from the students if necessary

Goal #4: To Maintain a Life Outside of the Classroom

It can be very difficult to take a day off when you are a teacher. When I was in my field schools I would often come early, stay late, work through lunch, go to work (my job that paid!), then go home and research/plan/prepare, etc. It was very exhausting and no one should have to feel that way every night. I hope to ensure that I do not do this again!

Objectives to reach this goal:

• Do not go to the school more than 60 minutes before the morning bell rings
• Do not leave the school more than 75 minutes after the afternoon bell rings
• When it is time for bed, do not think about school/work - allow myself the time and opportunity to sleep

Intelligence Online

Our IO unit plan turned out pretty well. We had been working on it for some time, although Stephanie had been working on it with her partner teachers from her field school. We focused our unit around building things that move and simple machines as well as the Renaissance period. This unit allowed students a variety of ways to showcase their learning. We wanted to be sure that students with different learning styles were able to participate - blogs, books, movies, and so many other types of media were presented.
Our idea about Dragon's Den didn't actually come about until close to the end of our unit. We had discussed ideas that were very similar to this show before, but we didn't seriously consider it until later - we were glad we did. It is a neat "hook" for students - to see that they have something "meaningful" to work towards, and not just some arbitrary poster/presentation.
The groups that looked at our project liked it a lot - we received many positive comments. One of the difficulties that I had with the unit, however, was coming up with a rubric that allowed all students to succeed, but also allowed the teacher to "mark" students on several different aspects. What happened, in the end, was a self-assessment for the students, and a relatively general one for the teacher. The teacher's was straight forward and addressed the expected outcomes in the curriculum. Looking at the rubric, it is nearly impossible for any student to get "1s" or even "2s."
I believe this unit will be useful in an actual classroom. However, I will probably make a few minor revisions to it, such as, provide websites that are more "kid friendly" (one of the videos we provided were more geared to older students/adults). It would be interesting to see how a unit like this play out in the classroom.