In my first post I talked a lot about how I did not feel like I was technology literate. I know I am still not 100% there but I have gained one important thing. I now have a spark of curiosity about the technology that is in the world. I have more wonder and motivation to learn about new technology and apps that I could integrate into the classroom. I think that curiosity is the main piece of the puzzle that I was missing, now that I have been exposed to a small slice of technology that is available I have more interest in discovering what is out there.
I feel more comfortable navigating different apps and formats such as Apple products or Google Drive elements. I still get frustrated occasionally when I encounter something that is not made or set up with what I view as common sense. However I have learned to push past my frustration and un-comfortability for the benefit of my students. I want them to also have new experiences with technology so I could fall flat on my face but the students would probably be able to teach me about whatever technology thing-y I don’t understand.
Personally in the beginning of the course I was not a fan of how “loose” the structure of the class was, if you haven’t figured it out I’m a bit of a Type A person. However I realized that we were the first group of students shaping the course so both the instructor and the students were figuring it out as they went along. And honestly, some flexibility is good for me to learn as a teacher.
The only other suggestion I would have is maybe one or two class periods where we could possibly get different devices like iPads or chromebooks and actually physically play around with different apps like nearpod, kahoot or keynote. I just think a bit more hands on practice with what your classroom would actually look like could be benefical!
Thanks for everything!
Attribution: Bryan McDonald