RIP3 Reflection
Throughout
the course of the semester I have tried new things in my classroom.
Technologically-geared activities that otherwise I would probably not have
attempted since. After teaching for four years – I know that I have certainly
do not have everything figured out,
but I have become much more comfortable in my material as well as in my teaching
style. If I had not had this class, I would have remained in that comfortable
area – that is not a good thing. This is the reason teachers take classes – not
to gain another step in the pay scale, but to keep learning and keep techniques
fresh for their students. So, in short, this class has been great for
introducing new techniques. I have learned that not every technology-based
activity has to be difficult or elaborate. It simply has to be something that
is better done using technology. Nothing has to be forced. That is something I
learned from this course that I appreciate. I have created so many more tech
artifacts than I thought I would: I’ve created a twitter account (that I now
check regularly), I’ve created a YouTube channel account and created a
flipped-classroom video to place on that account, I’ve created a blog
(obviously), I’ve created numerous lessons based on readings from class, I’ve
created a Nearpod account and given two lessons with that program. I have explored
many other blogs, Web sites, apps to aid in my teaching. Speaking of apps, I have
downloaded 5 new teaching apps to my personal device for later use.
This
semester’s growth and learning was incredibly meaningful and important. I have
always known that I need to adapt for my students. I have always changed
lessons and activities and adapted from 1st hour to 7th
hour if classes need different things. With all of that adapting, I had not
expanded into the realm of technology as far as I know I should have. I had
myself tricked into believing that English was different. English shouldn’t be
a flipped classroom because it, in a lot of ways, already is. English is about
literature and writing – those things don’t lend themselves to technology.
English is a humanity and technology takes away a piece of that humanity. I was
telling myself a ton of lies like that. Not like I was announcing this to
people or making it part of my teaching philosophy, nor was I sharing that with
my kids. These were just a few things I told myself to almost justify why I wasn’t
using technology the way I knew I probably should have been. Now, I see that
English can be a humanity and still utilize technology. Students can connect to
others via writing blogs and through technology actually have a much better
chance of having their voices heard/read than ever before. I know now that I
can absolutely incorporate a flipped-classroom style of teaching for a few
lessons. I also know that English is an absolutely perfect time to incorporate
technology to teach a concept or incorporate formative checks. I have learned
that my students need to experiment with technology. I learned that it is my
obligation to teach students to be flexible and open to using technology. I
need to show them that is okay to try something and fail – that it is okay to
be creative and branch out even if it means going back to the drawing board.
Those are the most important take-aways a teacher can have. I used to think
that the most important part of my job was to make them good writers and
readers – and that is important – but now I also see that they have to be 21st
Century learners and I have to give them skills for functioning in a world that
is constantly changing due, mostly, to technological advances.
This
class and what I’ve learned this semester reminds me of when I was first learning
the art and the craft of teaching. When I was first learning what it meant to
be a teacher, it seemed foreign in some ways. I knew I was learning valuable
information, but I just didn’t know how it all connected back then. I didn’t
know how it was supposed to look or sound or feel. That’s how I felt about
using technology in the classroom prior to this course. I knew the basics. I
knew how to use a few things. But overall, I didn’t know how it would look in
practice. When I first was learning about how to be a teacher, it clicked when
I was able to practice the craft. I tried things, and I failed miserably. Then
I tried different things – still failed, but got better and better. I came
alive in the front of a class in a way that I never thought I would while I was
learning how to be a teacher. Similarly, with technology in the class, I have
tried and failed and tried again. However, in the process of doing so, I have
made the material more alive for the students. Plus, it’s always good for
students to see me as human and see how not everything works out for me. In
some ways, I felt like a new teacher trying out different technology-based
lessons. I had the nervous-excited feeling of first-day teaching. I had the
thrill of a lesson gone right (when it happened). It has been fun. I also know
that if I’m not comfortable, that means I’m not lazy or complacent.
I now
know how easy it is to find information about a new classroom tool. Where I was
intimidated before about knowing how to use something new – I now see the
simplicity in going to a Web site or Googling a new tool to use. So many sites
and apps are user-friendly. Also, I know that the sites that aren’t
user-friendly or don’t meet my needs do not have to be forced – there are so
many other options available. I know now that it is not a big deal to have a
Twitter account or a YouTube account. I know that I can easily create those
things for my students’ needs and my needs without making a big production of
it. I know that there are so many free options for educators that I don’t need to
worry about that complexity either. I know that simple lessons can be made fun
with tiny additions of interactive technology. Take Nearpod for example, I gave
the same lesson I usually give with the addition of three sections where
students can use their phone to interact with the lesson. This made the world
of difference to my students, and in turn, to me as well. I know that I can
better reach students by engaging them in this way and I don’t have to rack my
brain attempting something completely elaborate or worry about behaviors when
students are all engaged.
I will
absolutely continue to use technology-based lessons sprinkled into my
curriculum. I will use Nearpod again without a doubt as well as
Polleverywhere.com. Both are very low maintenance and low commitment, but it
makes a difference to students. I will also be attempting to use Google Lit to
map out Odysseus’ journey during our unit over the Odyssey. I also want to use
Cahoot as a formative assessment tool. I will consider using blogging or story-makers
to get my students’ writing outside of the classroom. I know that there are
other hurdles with that – parent permission and privacy, but it is something I
am definitely more willing to try now. When I find the right time, I would like
to attempt flipped-classroom lessons every now and again. I know now how simple
it is to create, but I don’t want to have students do this unless it’s completely
beneficial. I will now seek out opportunities to use technology instead of wait
for someone to push me to do it. I am excited to try new things now instead of
being cautious about these opportunities.
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