Hi all,
Two classes left! As I reflect on the semester and specifically this class, I cannot help but smile. It has been a truly positive experience. During the first week, there was a part of me that did not think I would make it. So many programs I was not familiar with and platforms to navigate. I was even a little reluctant to embrace them at first, me being a pen and paper kind of guy, and believed I would not use the majority of programs we explored. Boy, was I wrong.
In the last couple of weeks, I have had a tremendous amount of assignments due. I believe I had two unit plans, a workshop, a virtual classroom, and a case study due. One thing I downloaded was an extension called “Turn Off the Lights” because of how much screen-time I have been having. I have found it to be extremely effective for reducing the level of blue light exposure to my eyes and has helped me fall asleep easier after being in front of a computer screen for a number of hours before bed. Downloading this extension resulted in me researching the effects of prolonged screen time and will therefore check off the “Technology and Health” competency from the list.
Two more competencies I will check off are “Personal Learning Networks” and “Open Education.” In this class and others, I have extended my personal learning network by following education professionals on Twitter and exploring the myriad of resources they have shared. The sheer wealth of information and educational resources is astounding. I have utilized sites like teacherspayteachers.com, Edutopia, and many others as I created my unit plans. I have shared the content that I have created, for example, my virtual classroom, with my fellow teacher candidates and will use theirs in the future as well. I have attached a link to the virtual classroom I created with Google Slides at the bottom of this post.
I will try to complete the rest of my required competencies by the end of the semester. I feel that I still have tons to learn and am excited to discover more resources to enhance my pedagogy.
See you next week!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gJNnTbVnu0fXRrfpbywX8TG8tZb2g7wYTRAKNJSo7E0/edit?usp=sharing
