LE 3 Reflection

The main focus of this unit for me was teacher collaboration and taking leadership positions at school to ensure teachers are up to date on how to integrate technology authentically in their classrooms.  It was useful to get a chance to actually create long range plans and specific lessons to train staff.  Doing these activities in the course means when we eventually have to it at school it would not be the first time we have done it and we have a little bit of experience in it.  It will definitely boost my confidence a little bit.  I specifically liked collaborating with my partner Scott using Google Hangouts and recording the whole thing with Screencastify.  I had never done this before and almost felt like we were doing a little podcast.  It made me realize that their are many convenient ways to collaborate with teaching partners and other colleagues.

Halfway Reflection

Describe one significant idea or issue that has arisen for you, as you were engaging in the topics during Learning Experiences #1 and #2.

I was surprised by the SAMR model.  I thought that I integrated technology pretty effectively in my classroom, but really I am only reaching the substitution and augmentation levels.  That means it's back to the drawing board for me and setting new goals for technology integration to try and get to that redefinition level.

Elaborate on how specific resources, ideas or experiences in the Learning Experiences have contributed to your learning. e.g. reading material, course activities etc.

The course activities in LE2 were cleverly organised.  Only after I finished all the tasks I realized that they were set up sequentially to show an order of how to start using ICT to differentiate for special needs students in my classroom.  Here are the steps I came up with:

1. I think a logical starting point for using technology to differentiate for special needs, is to first get to know your students.  You have to know what their strengths and need are if you are going to be successful at figuring out what technology will work best for them.
2. Find out about what technology and software is available that could help them reach their potential.  This is an ongoing process, because ICT develops constantly and new things are developed daily - especially in the field of technology.
3. Select tech and software that fits with their strengths and needs and provide learning tasks that they can successfully complete independently.  This will give them ownership of their own learning and build confidence
4. Deliberately plan to integrate technology in your long term plans and annual learning goals.  If you don't proactively decide how you will integrate, you might either not do it at all or forget about it untill las minute when it's too late to do it properly
5. Pass on the knowledge to other teachers who might benefit from everything you have learned and do it in a way that is easy to access like a screen cast perhaps.

Share how your participation in the discussion forums have contributed to your learning and connect this to your understanding of the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession.

Participating in the discussion forums gives us an opportunity to learn from each other. Teachers are doing amazing things in their classroom, but we never find out about them if we don't go looking for it.  This is what 'Ongoing Professional Learning means to me - seeking out new learning opportunities individually.  One way of doing that is taking AQ courses because let's face it, sometimes being a teacher can feel a little like you are on an island.

Interacting with other teachers and sharing what we do also relates to 'Leadership in Learning Communities' because we take initiative by sharing our own strategies and looking critically at those of others to try and offer advice from our own experiences to try and improve their practice.

Finally, the reason we commit to extra professional learning in a schedule that is already jam packed (which often means late nights and weekends in front of the computer) is ultimately for the students.  If what we learn here can trickle into our classrooms and kids can benefit from it, it means that we do demonstrate 'Commitment to Students and Student Learning.'

Discuss any outstanding questions and the steps you may take to further explore your interests as part of your learning in the course.

I am very interested in introducing coding in my grade 6 classroom next year and my goal is to research some more to find out how to integrate the curriculum to make it worth spending the time on.  I think the kids will love it and find it very engaging.

I also want to keep fighting for more technology at my school, because as it stands, I can only book a class set of computers for a few periods a week.

ICT in the Classroom: "Necessary for some, good for all"

"Necessary for some, good for all." I love this saying because it means that while I can use technology to assist students with special needs, I can use the same technology to enrich the learning of everyone else in class and extend the learning for the students who need a challenge.  And if everyone is using technology to complete tasks, no one is feeling singled out.

Many of my special needs students in the past have been hesitant to start using technology if they were the only ones in class using it.  They already felt embarrassed that they could not do the same as all the others and getting a Chromebook or iPad to work on while everyone else was using pen and paper, made them feel even worse.  Once they see the benefits and become more independent, usually they stop caring so much, but it does make the initial sell tough.  However, if everyone uses it, nobody needs to feel excluded or singled out in anyway and all learners can become more independent in their learning.  By careful planning and giving students choice using technology, everyone can be successful at their own level.