Summative

In my last post, I reflected on some of the main things I would take away from this ICT class. For the most part, the effectiveness and simplicity of using technology in the classroom is what I will take away from this course. I had no idea how many tools there were that could be used in the classroom. For example, Scribd, Symbaloo, and EverNote are all tools that are very easy to use. These are also tools that I would have never thought to use or known existed, and their availability (FREE!) is a bonus! 

I would like to use technology in my classroom more often. The school I'm going to for my second placement is very modern and up-to-date with their use of technology throughout the school. They have iPads, many computers, SmartBoards, etc. Many students also have their own iPad. 

As much as I'm a fan of technology and think it can be a fantastic tool for education, there are some faults. I think that teachers need to be careful about how much they depend on and use technology. Using it in moderation is great, and using it as a tool to assist learning is ideal. However, when students are not meeting the lesson objectives because of distraction, this is very counterproductive. As teachers, we have to be careful to balance this line of too much technology and not enough. I believe this is something that I will struggle with throughout my student teaching. Hopefully I can get the hang of it soon enough! 

I'd really like to use technology to assist differentiated learning in my classroom. I think it's a great way to allow students to express themselves and use many skills (problem solving, communication, creativity, etc.). For example, students could be given a research project on a particular topic, and use technology (whatever they chose) to show and present their findings. Another example would be in English, students could read a particular poem or book and represent the main themes/ideas of that piece using technology. This could be a Wordle, EverNote, picture editing, etc. 

Now that all courses are over and done with for the first semester, it is time to enjoy the holiday season and take a quick break before jumping back into the swing of things in the New Year!