April Course Journal

Although this is very similar to my post about the Guided Learning Experience assignment, here is another look at my perspective of giving my first lesson plan!

Dead Week Reflections

Although I've never understood why exactly we call this week 'dead week' (considering we still have full classes, and most professors treat it as a week to cram in everything they haven't been able to finish yet), it is here nonetheless, and yet another semester draws to a close. As I sit down to reflect on my semester in this class, many things strike me. We've learned about so much that it is almost difficult to synthesize, and I greatly appreciate that. There were aspects of the class that were extremely frustrating, but there were more parts that were incredibly enlightening and educational. Covering everything from the Universal Design for Learning, to the TPACK framework, to how to make a lesson plan, to what a 'one button studio' is, this experience has truly made me think about how I view technology. Although I still have reservations about the benefits of technology in the classroom, I can safely say that I no longer fear it as much as I used to. I view technology extremely differently than I did at the beginning of the class. I now have ideas about how I want to incorporate it in my future classroom and I (finally) agree that it can be very important to education.

I had a love- hate relationship with how free flowing the class was as well. The lack of instruction we had about most of our projects was stressful, but, upon their completion, it always became clear why the door was left so wide open. I loved the opportunity to learn how to think and create for myself, and I loved how we learned about different teaching techniques through having to be taught by them. After almost every assignment, I could see how the different styles we had been learning about were being applied directly to our learning, and THIS WAS INCREDIBLE! I was able to learn a vast amount while also seeing how the things I was learning could work effectively. 

All in all, I would say this has been a very good semester. There was always a unique learning experience to partake in. I know that I will use the skills and knowledge I gained here to enhance my teaching in the future! So, amidst the stress, overwhelming exhaustion, and inevitable crabbiness that dead week has come to embody, I still can not think of this class as an inconvenience-- only an incredible learning experience (which, lets be honest, is an accomplishment during this time of the year!) Here's to a great semester! *drops mic*

Baby Steps

I taught my first lesson today. Granted it was only in front of two of my classmates and lasted a grand total of 20 minutes, but it was still a start; in hindsight, I was way to stressed out about it. I planned what I wanted to teach carefully, but every time I sat down to work on it my stomach tied itself in knots. That is probably one of the biggest things I would change for the future, because, as it turns out, there was not much to be worried about!

Although far from perfect, the lesson went smoothly. I decided to 'teach' ELL level 2 students how to write a formal outline. I started by having my classmates write a paragraph about their ideal vacation spot. After that I introduced the format of an outline via Prezi, and walked them through step by step with examples. Next we went over some vocabulary quickly, and I ended with an activity where they arranged strips of paper with a point per strip of a pre-made outline. First off, the classmates who helped me were great. Overall, we kind of had fun with it, and that helped with the nerves a lot.  The best part of the lesson was probably going through the Prezi. I would ask them lots of questions as we went and they would ask me lots of questions too. The worst part was the activity at the end. I think the idea was good, but it was way to hard. I hope to change that part so that it is simpler for next time.

Another great part of this experience was that my technology ran smoothly, and I think that I used an appropriate amount. I purposely didn't use a lot of technology, just because the demographic of students that I was aiming to teach would have probably been overwhelmed by a new writing concept as well as foreign technology at the same time. I liked using the strips of paper at the end, and I think it even got the classmates who were watching/ being students for me were more involved.

Overall, I really appreciated having to do this. It was stressful and scary, and the whole time leading up to my presentation I was dreading it. However, I did see the value in it from the start, and once I did get started I found it to be very enjoyable!

Break

This last week, our TEAC 259 class did not meet as usual, and the lightened load couldn't have come at a better time. I feel like I stand with the rest of campus when I say that I feel over-run, overwhelmed, and exhausted; having the afternoon off was a blessing.

Even though there was a small afternoon of reprise, the majority of my time between class periods has been spent in mayhem. When I'm not physically going somewhere I'm working on homework, and as a result I have probably spent a record breaking amount of time staring at a computer screen. It hit me this week that out of the dozens of hours I have spent doing homework, only about 30 minutes of those have been spent on something off of my computer. I've even started taking all of my notes on the laptop-- a habit I have always avoided. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed the things we have learned about technology this semester, I can undoubtedly say that I am very excited for the day that the semester is over and I can 'unplug' for a little while. As beneficial as technology can be in a learning setting, at the present moment it is sequestering; it is the place where stress and doubt and a surplus of work reside and I am ready to be rid of it! At least for the summer, because when I return, I will have had a few months to only continue to gather great ideas of ways I can use what I've learned from this semester in my life-- present and future.

March Course Journal

Since I'm sure everyone loved watching me be awkward on camera the first time I posted a video blog, I figured I'd try it again! Here is a video summarizing the things I've learned in class this month! Enjoy!

Flipboard

I'm a little late on the draw here, but here is another link to a really great resource for teachers. Flipboard allows you to pin different ideas and articles to boards for your personal and professional life. Check it out here!

Maker Month Madness

As the month of March draws to a close, so does one of the most unique experiences I've had in education thus far. Our last week of class dealing with 'Maker Spaces' was incredible! We got to spend the majority of the class period playing with virtual computer games that were controlled by the movement of our hands instead of a mouse and these crazy little things called 'Makey-Makey's' (pictured below) which allowed us to hook up random items like marshmallows to your keyboards to control certain keys. From there, we were able to do crazy things like play a virtual piano or a game of Tetris with said random items. It was so amazing! The entire class period sparked an interest that I didn't even know I had, and I found myself learning things through exploration rather than direct instruction. Nobody told us how to use these things, and as a result, everybody had different outcomes (none of which were more or less correct). It was a great lesson on the importance of curiosity and the value of new technology in the classroom.

I would love to try and incorporate these kinds of things in my classroom someday. However, at this point, I'm not entirely sure how I would do it. A lot of the things we learned through the process were more science related, and I have been having a hard time thinking outside the box enough to come up with an idea for how to use these things in an ESL classroom. I think that integration between subjects is very important though, and I would love to try and do something that helps students learning English to better understand the science concepts embedded in these games. This may be a lesson on the vocabulary associated with electrical circuits followed by class time that lets my students play with something like a Makey- Makey, or trying to create a virtual game/ world that allows the students to learn the vocabulary through exploration as well-- I don't know yet. Regardless, I think the possibilities are endless and this activity once again shows the importance of trying to incorporate various technologies into any classroom setting, even if it is not something that directly ties to the subject you are teaching.