Reflection Synopsis

Reflection Synopsis

In reflection, the last seven weeks has raised my awareness and understandings of implementing technology in the classroom. When planning a lesson, I have learnt to consider the partnership between SAMR and Blooms Taxonomy to extend the level of learning for the students. When using technology as a mode of learning with students, there comes the responsibility to teach legal, safe and ethical expectations and ensuring that the students follow them. Personally, having participated in an online community during this course has had its complex moments, however it has been an experience which has deepened my understanding of how and why an online community can be an effective way of sharing knowledge and understanding.

 

Implementing technology in the classroom

The classroom can be a room inside or a space outside where a learning environment is set out. It is important as educators to be creative within these learning spaces, and the implementation of technology is one effective way. There are so many different types of technological devices available to increase the level of learning for students such as; the use of mobile phones, powerpoint, videos and blogs. To reflect on advancements made since I first attended school, to the senior years and now training to become a teacher is really amazing. Technology changes so quickly and its level of acceptance within the Education System is also growing all the time. As a future educator, it is accepting the challenge to move beyond a reliance of key technological favourites and rather adapt and modify different and better options as they are available. Skilling students in having the ability to use technology to access information is a vital need for their future as working citizens.    

 

Developing effective learnings experiences with SAMR and Blooms Taxonomy

While it is important to provide opportunities for exploring with technology in the classroom, it is vital that the learning experiences are challenging and require critical thinking. When responding to the weekly embedded tasks, I gained an understanding of the need to develop activities that were linked to the SAMR model and Blooms Taxonomy. This raised awareness was important as a future educator as I realised that a task where a student uses technology to simply view information can expect simplistic skills from the student, however a modification of the task in partnership with a more complex use of the technology can significantly increase the skill expectation. Also by implementing technology on a regular basis in the classroom will demand a higher level of knowledge and understanding from the students as their need to adapt to changing technological advancements will be a necessary skill. By gaining a deeper understanding of technological devices in the classroom, SAMR and Blooms Taxonomy, I believe that these understandings will have a significant influence on the way I plan and implement future learning experiences.   

 

 

Legal, safe and ethical considerations using technology for learning

When implementing technology within learning environments, it is vital to be aware of, teach and adhere to legal, safe ethical considerations and expectations. As a young adult, I became very aware that this is an area that I needed to gain a deeper understanding of as it is very easy to blur these boundaries without meaning to. However as a future educator, it is vital that I adhere to all considerations and expectations required so that I set a good example to students by clearly demonstrating where the appropriate line is and why it can’t be crossed. This line is still debatable even between adults as many educators would argue that providing students with the opportunity to use their mobile phone device in the classroom can be beneficial, while other adults would strongly disagree. During my middle school years, the use of YouTube within a class learning experience was very debatable and each teacher had their personal perspective. However today, students are not only using YouTube in the classroom, but they have accounts and are creating their own videos and uploading them. This example reflects the challenge of knowing what the safe and legal expectations of using technology are, and then being aware of the changing lines of the ethical expectations and ensuring that I make wise and professional decisions.

 

Participating in an online learning communities

When one belongs to and participates in an online learning community there is an expectation that each person reads each other’s text and makes contributing comments. This was not a smooth process for me as I was able to see others contributions and comments, however they weren’t able to see mine. This was a learning experience for me as it was due to my link not being available. Even though this was my fault, I found it a good learning experience. Having the opportunity to read others contributions, provided me with greater understanding of the content being covered and the different opinions that a group of learners can have. This learning community strategy would be very effective to use with students as the level of engagement required a higher level of critical thinking.