Final Class Reflection

I have learned a lot of things in this class, and I feel like I my goals have been met this semester. I have found out that I like blogging as a means of self reflection. I have been a journaler off and on through my adult years, but blogging allows me to journal in a more professional way and to use photos, videos, and illustrations to express what I am thinking about. I learned how to use Google Slides to make a "choose your own destiny" book activity. I learned how to use Google Forms to make a quiz. I used Nearpod to make a social media activity for students. I enjoyed learning about Edpuzzle, because you can crop video where necessary and add questions or small quizzes for students. Below is a small listing of the apps that I would use in my own classroom. 

1. Nearpod
2. Google Forms
3. Edpuzzle
4. Google slides (not just for slideshows)
5.  Blogger (for student classroom blogs)
6. IMovie

I learned that there are some apps that I do not like. I did not like the set up of TEDed. It seemed kind of clunky, and not something that I would want to use in my classroom. 

I still have the same feeling about technology in the classroom as I did coming into this class. I still feel that teachers should only use technology sparingly, and only when it can enhance or improve a lesson. I feel that teachers should always have a plan B in case something about the technology or software doesn't work. These tools are all well and good, but they can't cover up for shoddy instruction.

But I do feel like technology can be used to meet students on their level. Since students are using technology in their private lives anyway, I feel like a good teacher could integrate tech into the classroom to help keep them engaged and to teach them real world tech skills that they will use later. As we saw earlier in the semester, there are apps on Android or IOS that teachers could actually request students to download and use in the classroom on their own devices. 

Overall, this is one of the most practical courses that I have taken in my masters program, and I feel that I have learned skills that I will use on a day-to-day basis.

Image from TeachHUB

The First Time That I Made A Student Cry...

 This blog was started as a way for me to reflect on my teaching experience and how I can grow and not replicate the same mistakes.  One lesson that I will never forget is the first time that I made a student cry.

I was young, just started college, and was a substitute in a local classroom. I arrived at the middle school and checked in with the teacher's plan and was prepared for the day. There weren't any problems until the last class of the day. Unbeknownst to me, this class contained mostly low-achievement students. I followed the teacher's directions on how to get the class started and instructed them to read their assigned book aloud. 

In the back of the first row was a student who faltered over a few words, which his classmates corrected him for. After being corrected a couple of times, he finally put his head on his desk. I went back to check on him and found that he was crying. I instructed the students to read silently and dismissed him to go to the bathroom. 

"What have I done?" I thought to myself. "I've messed up big time." Later in one of my classes at TTU, the professor said that you should never make students read out loud. Now in my life, I have never asked anyone to read something aloud because you never know when reading may make them insecure. It was a huge lesson for me, and one that can't be erased from my psyche. 

  

Technology Goals and this Semester

Hello everyone. Thank you for reading my introduction and for checking out my educational blog. I hope that you get to know me a little more through this medium, and I look forward to meeting each one of you.

What are my personal goals when it comes to technology? When I sat down in January of this year and reviewed my goals from 2023 and planned my goals for 2024, I never thought of including any goals related to technology. There were personal, professional, spiritual, and financial goals, but no technology goals. My goal for using technology this semester is to learn how to engage students in this high speed digital age while also not letting technology be the master of my classroom. I know that we all remember the low tech days of our childhood; overhead projectors with clear sheets that were written on then cleaned off, VCR and laser discs, the games Dangerous Dave and Oregon Trail on the school computers.

Suddenly, everything changed. First, DVD players made their appearance in the classroom. Then projectors that connected to the teacher's computer. Then smartboards that we could write on, watch videos from, and listen to music on. In an instant, everyone was carrying computers in their pockets. 

I think that it is important to use technology effectively in the classroom, but I am cautious because I understand that "technology is a tool, not a teacher." I don't want to be the teacher who relies so much on tech that I am not an effective teacher without it. 

I hope to learn some more skills in this class to add to what I have already learned from my technology classes that I have already taken. I want to use tech to assist my students and keep a good communication line with them. I understand how important communication is to our students. Adolescents are more connected now than ever and it is important that we reach them at their level.

As I reflect back on my previous technology classes, I realize that my goals have stayed the same. I just want to reach my students and be an effective teacher, no matter what tools and technology that I use in the classroom.

(Image from Adobe Blog)