Educational Technology End of Semester Reflections

 

Hello! Welcome to post 6 of my blog! Here is a short reflection on how my semester went!

• How did you use AI applications in your practicum (e.g., not at all, lesson planning, assessment)?

• I did not use as much AI as I thought I would. I did use it during lesson planning to help in the section of real-world relevance as sometimes it was tough to connect what we were learning to how it would benefit students in the real world.

• What did you learn or “take-away” from this course and how has your perspective about integrating technology into K to 6 education changed/grown throughout the course?

• I use a lot more technology than I expected myself to use. All of my lessons included some use of technology, whether it was a slideshow presentation with the information or using the document camera, almost everything we did included technology. One thing I learned was that I like using technology, although not always reliable. I use it everyday and I like having everything on one device rather than having tons and tons of papers. In grade 1, the students do not use much technology, however, I tried to include them as much as I could when using the SMART board when it came to helping them understand the content. 

• How did this course help you answer your “burning” question about the use of digital technologies in K to 6 education?

• The question I had at the beginning of this course was “ how do I utilize technology in a way that is both effective and impactful for my students, without relying on it too much.” 

• I know for a fact that I relied heavily on technology within the classroom but only when teaching. I had lots of hands-on experience for the students but for my own peace and security I used the SMART board and a slideshow for almost every lesson. I think the way I taught was impactful and students were able to learn and I am super proud of both them and myself for getting to the point we were at. 

• How did you contribute to the learning of others?

•  Often the other teacher candidates and myself would discuss and help each other with lesson plan ideas or different issues that we had within the classroom. Also from the growth of the beginning of the unit versus the end, my students learned a lot! I am super proud of them! From them not knowing how to add to adding numbers up to 20 they shocked me everyday with how well they were doing in math. Also for science, they were able to identify animals and define migration, adaptation, and hibernation, which is evident in the assessments I took of them. 

• What did you learn from others?

• One of my biggest mentors other than my mentor teacher was my students. I learned so much from them and when I told them that they did not believe me but I hope they do know that I learned double from them what they learned from me!

 Thank you so much for going with me through this journey! Until next time!