Technology Course Learning Experience 1 Reflection

One of the most glaring ideas that has punched me in the face was the idea about being a reflective teacher. Yes, I know we hear this all the time, or at least I have in my short time as a teacher. However, I have never taken the next step in my reflective practice to journal or catalogue my reflections. Setting up this blog is just the first step in my journey to truly becoming a reflective teacher.

I recently had a conversation with a fellow teacher who is in the latter stages of his career as being a teacher and thus filled with words of infinite wisdom. I told him about this technology course that I am taking and how we needed to create a blog as part of our reflective practice. I asked him if he thought that we could truly utilize our reflective ideas if all we did was think about it and not record our ideas. His response was “yes, eventually”. This was coming from a teacher who I have grown to respect over a very short period of time mainly because he wasn’t wrong too often. As I left the conversation, I pondered about his response. Was he saying that if we eventually make the same mistakes or do the same things over and over again we will learn from it and put in in our toolkit?

What he is saying is correct – yes, eventually if we make the same mistakes over and over again or if we deal with a particular student a certain way and it is successful over and over again then we will remember it. However, I think that if we find a way that we can record our ideas to review and reflect on, then we won’t have to do it over and over again to remember the lesson. What I do think we need to do however is maybe just focus on one or two lessons that are particularly important to us as an individual teacher. There are so many lessons we could be learning on a daily basis but to really remember each and every one of lessons and take it to heart I think would be quite unrealistic. Yes, it may be possible for the select few but for the majority of us I would argue no.

To finish off the story – I ended up going back to this teacher to finish up our conversation and really clarify what he was thinking. We ended up on the same page, people learn differently, but yes, it needs to be documented in order for it to really stick. He mentioned that he journals his successes and improvements right into his lessons which will serve as a reminder the next time he uses that specific lesson.

Throughout the duration of the first few weeks of my technology course I have been fortunate to have been part of some great discussions with some excellent feedback from my peers. In addition to my thoughts above about reflective practice, another big idea that has impacted my learning is the SAMR (Substitution / Augmentation / Modification / Redefinition) model. This model represents the developmental use of technology in the classroom. Understanding the reasoning behind how and why I am using technology in my class will further help me to utilize it in a manner that is most beneficial to furthering my students’ understanding.     

Reflection is part of my work...

I have been blessed with learning from a few very special teachers who served as my mentors, as well as administrators who took the time to help me develop my pedagogy. I will never forget something my mentor teacher at the time and now my good friend, Ingrid, said to me - take the time to look back and reflect on what you learned. To put this into context, I had just had my vice principal come in and watch my lesson as a student teacher for the very first time. I was nervous and flew through my lesson. Needless to say, it was a disaster in my books. As I hung my head a bit after my lesson, Ingrid said that as I continue my path as a teacher, one of the greatest tools at my disposal was reflecting on what I had learned. Maybe it was from a botched lesson, or maybe it was how I handled a difficult situation in class. No matter what it was, to become a great teacher, you can reflect and use these as your own teachable moments.

Today, I read a blog created by George Couros. In his post, he argued that blogging is a great way to reflect and that as teachers, reflecting should be part of our work! His last sentence reads: "If we do not take time to look back, how will we ever be able to move forward?" I am the first one to admit that reflecting is hard. Mainly because we don't take the time to do so. Life gets in the way - courses, family, extra-curricular activities. I often take a few minutes to reflect about my day in my mind. I think about specific things that happened, how it could have been handled differently, things I could do to enhance or improve the situation. The honest truth though is that I quickly forget about it. Yes, maybe I do remember the odd reflection here and there but so many times I've caught myself thinking to myself - gee, I should really take the time to write down my reflections so that I can look back and remind myself of things that I have learned and forgotten!

My commitment here on this blog is to not only share about my journey with integrating technology in the classroom but also to share important reflections and discoveries that I have made after a tough day or maybe an excellent day, or perhaps something I learned from a failed lesson! If you haven't gotten the drift, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

A little bit about myself...

I am a fairly new teacher however this is my second career. My goal as a teacher is always to have my students' best interest in mind. With that being said, since I started my journey as a teacher, many of my choices have come from, "will this help my students in their future?" Is what I am teaching something that they can carry with them when they come out into the workplace?

This has led me to technology. Specifically, how can I utilize technology in the classroom to enhance my students' learning, to prepare them for the "real world". I am setting up this blog in part because it is a requirement in an additional qualification course I am taking in "Integration of Information and Computer Technology in Instruction" but also because I hope that others can be part of my journey into my learning, my thinking, and ultimately the way I impact the lives of my students.

In case you are wondering, I am definitely not a techie! I am fortunate because I do pick up things quickly but I am usually quite resistant to new fads and the latest and greatest technology items. For example, I didn't buy into Apple products for a long time, that is until I got my first iPhone a few years ago. I don't own the new Xbox One or even a Blu-Ray player for that fact. But I do understand the importance of technology in our lives and how it is constantly changing.

I invite you to join me in my journey. Share your thoughts...critique my ideas...learn with me!