Entering the 3rd month of being back in the classroom has opened my eyes to a lot about how I could have done things differently in years past and even this school year. In all my administration classes, they talk a lot about reflecting on your teaching, so allow this post to be one where I do that.
When it comes to technology, I realized that I probably over thought the fact that kids do have easy access to computers and the Internet, or at least ways to get to one. I am realizing that is not necessarily the case. I do my best to make the computers in my classroom available, but with coaching a sport, I can't be available in the afternoons for the first few months and that has made it tough to "require" use by the students.
When it comes to keeping a classroom blog, I should have started out requiring kids to reply to a post for credit on a test, or something a long those lines. I also should have done the same about getting the word out about my Facebook and Twitter pages to the parents. I have realized that I am not getting the usage from students out of my blog, Facebook, and Twitter that I had hoped for, and that all falls back on me for how I approached it.
I am using the blog to update what we are doing in class, but not as an engaging tool with parents and students as I hoped it would be. I know that next trimester I will need to do a better job of communicating this to parents. I have also had a recheck on reality of what it means to teach 120 kids each day. Communication takes a lot of work, even in the electronic age when it is supposed to be faster.
The good thing is that our district is on Trimester schedule, so in November I will have a whole new subject and classes of students. This will allow me the opportunity to adjust my approach to utilizing the social media I have created in my classroom. I will make it more of a focus during class time and share more of what is being done and what students are saying. It will also be more applicable as I get into Government and Economics. Sometimes, subject matter can play a huge role in how technology is used effectively.
A couple weeks ago I did take my students to the computer lab to work on a project. The past two years I have read and read about how this generation knows how to use the Internet and a computer and type in Word successfully. I am learning that is not really the case. Technology is not as "natural" to them as we think it might be. Certain aspects, yes, but as a whole, no. It will be interesting to see if this changes in the coming years.
What have I had success in though?
- Students were able to easily navigate the CIA World Fact Book site for a geography project.
- Several students have signed up for the Remind 101 account that I have created.
With next trimester also comes the possibility of video conferencing with a 5th grade teacher who is a friend of mine and having our own "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" game; as we both study government. I am looking forward to that, and hope to blog about the experience when we get to that point.
How have you reflected on your teaching recently?
When it comes to technology, I realized that I probably over thought the fact that kids do have easy access to computers and the Internet, or at least ways to get to one. I am realizing that is not necessarily the case. I do my best to make the computers in my classroom available, but with coaching a sport, I can't be available in the afternoons for the first few months and that has made it tough to "require" use by the students.
When it comes to keeping a classroom blog, I should have started out requiring kids to reply to a post for credit on a test, or something a long those lines. I also should have done the same about getting the word out about my Facebook and Twitter pages to the parents. I have realized that I am not getting the usage from students out of my blog, Facebook, and Twitter that I had hoped for, and that all falls back on me for how I approached it.
I am using the blog to update what we are doing in class, but not as an engaging tool with parents and students as I hoped it would be. I know that next trimester I will need to do a better job of communicating this to parents. I have also had a recheck on reality of what it means to teach 120 kids each day. Communication takes a lot of work, even in the electronic age when it is supposed to be faster.
The good thing is that our district is on Trimester schedule, so in November I will have a whole new subject and classes of students. This will allow me the opportunity to adjust my approach to utilizing the social media I have created in my classroom. I will make it more of a focus during class time and share more of what is being done and what students are saying. It will also be more applicable as I get into Government and Economics. Sometimes, subject matter can play a huge role in how technology is used effectively.
A couple weeks ago I did take my students to the computer lab to work on a project. The past two years I have read and read about how this generation knows how to use the Internet and a computer and type in Word successfully. I am learning that is not really the case. Technology is not as "natural" to them as we think it might be. Certain aspects, yes, but as a whole, no. It will be interesting to see if this changes in the coming years.
What have I had success in though?
- Students were able to easily navigate the CIA World Fact Book site for a geography project.
- Several students have signed up for the Remind 101 account that I have created.
With next trimester also comes the possibility of video conferencing with a 5th grade teacher who is a friend of mine and having our own "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" game; as we both study government. I am looking forward to that, and hope to blog about the experience when we get to that point.
How have you reflected on your teaching recently?
