We have come so far now down this path of technology-based learning, and it has been great to learn alongside some wonderful people. At first I was a little reluctant to step out of my comfort zone, I already was using some technology in my classroom, but it was just in a limited way. As time has gone on though, we have been presented with such a wealth of information showing how much positive change we can affect in our students’ lives by adopting technology in a blended lesson format within our classrooms, that it is impossible not to want to help our students achieve their ultimate goals. If I were presenting at a conference I would literally encourage my fellow teachers “to go for it.” I don’t believe we as teachers have all the answers yet, but we have a duty to do what is best for our students and so we must endeavor to deliver a curriculum and lesson format that is most effective for their needs.
TPACK as shown in the graphic above is a framework which denotes 3 primary forms of knowledge; Content knowledge, Pedagogical Knowledge and Technological Knowledge. It was put forward by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler in 2006. As can be shown in the drawing, these three layers of knowledge overlap with each other, and represent deeper levels of understanding. TPACK was introduced to show teachers that they need to be able to understand how to present knowledge and concepts to their students using technology so that students’ learning needs can be fulfilled. To that end, in the beginning I endeavored to use an app once or twice a week in my classroom for just a short period and students would work on that all together at the same time. Quizlet would be a good example of that. I got more and more comfortable with using it, which was great, but I think my students got a little bored of using that same app, although they did tell me that it helped their learning and that they enjoyed it. By following this course I have tried to branch out, little by little. I tried Quizizz, which I really like, and in some ways this is better than Quizlet as it allows you to ask students to log in so that you can track their scores better, and they can play a class game, but it is individual, as opposed to playing Quizlet Live where you are in teams and each player is depended upon. I also found after a while that when using Quizlet Live, students would register themselves more than once and then when it came to playing the game that there could be a team with a non-existent player which was a little frustrating. Thus I have gone back to getting the students to use the more individualized learning plan that Quizlet offers– ie playing the matching game or using the test feature to help them review new vocabulary and grammar. You live and learn! There have been growing pains, but it has been fun to learn about the video presentation apps/programs that there are available. I found screencast-o-matic to be the most user friendly free screencast app to use, but now having been introduced to Adobe Spark, I’m not sure I could go back to using just google sides now even if I did a screencast with it too! The images that Adobe has to choose from make the end product look really professional, and my students seem to really enjoy watching the short videos that I made. A couple of weeks ago I left my comfort zone and got my students to make their own Adobe Spark presentations about their pets, and they loved it! Class had ended, but students were still there working on their presentations because they were so into it and hadn’t finished – that really was an important moment for me personally. We haven’t watched their finished products yet in class, due to the Easter break, so I’m hoping that the momentum won’t be lost. Having recently attended Alice Keeler’s workshop and being shown how instant feedback really makes a difference, I feel that it is important to make sure that things are current. When giving Quizzes I always find that even if you grade them pretty much straight away, there is always someone who missed it and needs to make it up, and so the results end up lingering in a pile somewhere being forgotten about. Recently I used google forms a couple of times to make quick multiple choice assessments, and it worked out really well. Students were able to get pretty much instant feedback which was great. I am still struggling a little with the flipped part of the teaching – we are using lots of different apps in the classroom, but we are pretty much using them together all at the same time. I need to make a leap of faith and organize some stations so that students can make choices about their own learning. When learning is more personalized and students are more in control of their own learning, then they are going to be more successful – I think at this point I just feel as though I will be less in control, and that is what is scary! As an educator, being made more aware of ways to reach your students is so powerful – I feel as if I want to rewrite all of my curriculum, but there is just not enough hours in the day! One step at a time….
1 Comment
JP
4/22/2019 11:22:04 pm
I really like adobe spark. You are able to do so much in such a short amount of time! I think spark is the most user friendly out of all the apps we use now - and that it is super evident in how your students have reacted to using it!
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AuthorI am a French & Spanish teacher at Justin-Siena High School wanting to get new ideas to motivate my students. Archives
May 2019
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