Professional Experience and Integrating ICTs

I can’t believe two weeks of prac are already done and dusted…time flies!! I’m certainly feeling exhausted after many late nights of planning and early mornings getting prepared before the munchkins arrive at school. Being a little out of my comfort zone with grade three (prep is more my thing) is certainly testing my planning and teaching abilities. 

So, while I’m struggling to get my head around the year 3 curriculum and how to teach the related concepts, I’m also finding it hard to integrate ICT into all my lessons. In terms of the SAMR model, almost all of the technology I’ve used so far has fallen into the enhancement phase and has simply substituted a whiteboard and marker or pen and paper. 

The only ICT I feel redefined part of my teaching and the student’s learning, was the use of Google Earth to investigate how light changes throughout the day while zoomed in on an image of their school. This part of my lesson was highly engaging and is something that would not have been possible without this technology. 

Other than that, I have simply been using PowerPoint to deliver my lessons on the IWB. I’ve included a few YouTube clips and have planned lessons which allow students to interact (entering answers, dragging objects, etc) as well. It’s a little embarrassing that the students are constantly having to teach me how to use the IWB while I’m teaching them, but at least it shows they are confident users of technology. 

Hope everyone is enjoying or surviving their prac. I know I feel a bit like I’m just surviving some days. Good luck to you…only one week to go!!!! 🙂 Then back to the reality, that is assignments…sigh.