Well, it is upon us, the final week of classes. What a painfully bittersweet end. I must say, my heart feels more full of sorrow than relief. I was so ready for an incredible feeling of elation. Alas, it has been coupled with the realization that I will likely not see my fellow teacher candidates that I have grown so attached to during my weekly observations for a considerable period. In fact, it is quite likely that I will not see the majority of them in person ever again. As I reflect on this fact, it occurs to me that I will probably experience these feelings each year as I say goodbye to my future students.
Anyways, I may as well talk about my remaining competencies. The three I believe I adequately addressed this week were “Theories,” “Distributed Learning,” and “Inclusion.” I do not think I will be able to honestly say I feel comfortable checking off “Intellectual Property” or “Gaming in Education.” While I did read the articles on the aspects of intellectual property that you posted on the website, I feel I failed to grasp them or their relevance to my teaching practice. What I mean is, I have a hard time seeing how as a teacher, I will always be able to respect these laws. I may not be taking specific images or resources and claiming to have ownership over them, but I will use them and will likely not properly reference them properly or pay for them. As for gaming in education, I feel that this approach does not coincide with or complement my teaching style.
Learning theories, distributed learning strategies, and inclusive learning environments, however, comprised a great deal of what I learned this semester. Not only from my own learning experience as a remote learner, but in many of my classes. Throughout this semester I was introduced to different forms of multimedia learning, blended and synchronous online learning. I learned a great deal about web accessibility through using Google Classroom, creating online resources with google Slides, and how adopting the ASMR approach to introducing technology into the classroom is vital. It is not about finding the most advanced technology; it is about figuring out which technology best for the lesson at hand.
The end of term survey I took for this class asked me how willing I was to introduce/utilize different types of technology in my future classes. I believe I responded 5/10. This score does not insinuate that I believe introducing technology is ineffective, it reflects my technological ineptitude. However, had you asked me the same question at the beginning of the term, it would have been considerably lower. This class has not only demonstrated the effectiveness of utilizing technology in the classroom but actively encouraged me to do so. I have begun using Canva, Hypothesis, and the different factions of Google in all of my additional classes this semester. Without a doubt, I will apply a considerable amount of what I learned in this class to my remaining classes and future teaching.
This semester has been quite the ride, and I feel incredibly grateful to have had Valerie and Luke assisting me along the way. I cannot thank them enough.
Until next time!
Phil