Course Reflection

Hiya Bloggers one and all,

To quote from the great film Dirty Dancing, ''I feel like it is all slipping away somehow.'' Yes the end has finally come. It is time to write my course reflection and move on to the big Web2.0 world of teaching.

Well it seems like a long time ago that I started wide eyed and naive on the path to Web2.o enlightenment. A long time ago indeed. I used to think I was reasonable in applying technology in the classroom. That was before this course and oh how my eyes have been opened. There is so much out there. Wow!!

I have really enjoyed my journey of learning. I have already used some of the applications in class. Bubbl.us is fabulous, as is glogster which I need to explore more. I have looked up and used things from blogs. I am now aware of a range of networking sites which will be useful for teachers. If you haven't checked out mrb's blog Network Nine you should. It will be shutting soon I believe. I was very inspired. Here is the link: http://mrbsblog.com/

I have been inspired by this new web world and have started creating a blog for my class and have learnt a lot including such things as embedding YouTube videos images, links to make the blog interesting. Well for me at least, I suppose if the kids like it then that is a bonus. I guess I am aware that we can sometimes use technology for the sake of it rather than having it enhancing the learning experience. Hopefully I will be able to make the blog meaningful for the children and their learning. There are of course issues for us as teachers. Of course we only have two hours, maybe three with our laptops. Thus, access which is reliable is not always available. I see my blog and it's activities therefore as mainly to push the more interested and Gifted children. Those children who will be happy to head home and hop on the internet and learn to sate their curiosity. Of course many applications will help in delivering more interesting and motivational lessons as well.

The course as it has gone on has also lead me to feel rather overwhelmed by the amount of useful material out there in Web world. It is just incredible. You could spend hours and hours every day and not scratch the surface. I guess the challenge then is to take small steps, become confident and competent in a small range of applications before pushing out those boundaries little by little. Hopefully such things as delicious, scootle etc, will also make it easier to find things which will be helpful and meaningful.

This trip to Webway heaven I think has helped me see the future. Especially as the children become more settled in school and more mature, I think we will see teachers step more into the background and rather than teaching we will be facilitating which I guess we already do to some extent. I think we will point the children in the right direction, help them with selecting appropriate technology and using our great questioning skills, guide them on their learning. I think the children will demand it of us. I like to think that this will see the children become more creative and engaged learners. Rather than us feeding them information and activities as we can sometimes do, they will develop more higher order thinking, skills.

Well again quoting Dirty Dancing, ''22 countries in 3 days that's what the kids want." Our kids are growing in a very different era to ourselves and I think we need to keep up with the times or school will become rather irrelevant for most. Never before has there been so much information and technology available. We need to equip our children to be able to think and work in this world. That of course means we have a lot of learning to do ourselves.

Well anyway if you have read this far I apologise for writing such a load of drivel, hahaha!!! At least if you have insomnia I will probably have cured you of that. Please just wipe that drool off you mouth though, it is a little gross.

Well so long suckers, it has been fun,

Cheers Colin
P.S. I commented on the blog of Jane Coates and the link is as follows: http://janesweb2.blogspot.com/2010/06/reflection.html