Looking back to July when I started the IT&DML program, I realize I’ve come a long way! I didn’t have much of a digital identity and I wasn’t very technologically savvy. I definitely identified with the term “digital immigrant!” It’s now November and I know I still have a long way to go, but I’m learning so much.
My philosophy hasn’t really changed much; I still think that learning is all about being challenged, being engaged, having fun, but working hard. The past few months, I feel that I have experienced all of the above, and that is what I want my students to experience. I’ve been frustrated at times, but I’ve enjoyed the journey and I’m coming away better prepared to engage my students.
Setting up a blog was my first challenge. Once I established my site, I enjoyed posting entries. I’ve always liked writing - it helps me to clarify my thinking. The blog was a perfect fit for me and an excellent way for me to wade into the waters of technology.
In September, when I realized I needed to develop my own website, I spoke to the tech person in my district and was told that the only approved sites were Final Site or Google Classroom. I immediately set up sites for each of my classes on classroom.google.com and I have had a lot of success with them. I’ve added more technology to my lessons, and I’ve been able to upload documents, links, and assignments to the classroom website. In addition, kids can turn in their projects on the website so that I have all of their work in a specific folder. As the year goes on, we use it more and more. I’ve demonstrated the site to a few teachers and might be modeling for others soon. Who would have thought??
Although the Google Classroom site is convenient for my students, it’s private and accessible only with a Bristol Public Schools gmail address. I realized that I would need to create an additional site to share with parents, my class, and anyone else interested. After experimenting with a few sites, I chose Weebly because it seemed pretty straightforward.
The fact that I even have a website is amazing to me! However, after evaluating my own blog and learning hub, I realize that I need to make some changes. My partner for the learning hub critique was Tina, which was lucky for me. To me, Tina’s learning hub is an exemplar, and provided me with ideas that I would like to incorporate into my site. In particular, I love how Tina categorizes all of the entries on her blog. I see that I definitely have some organizing to do. Tina embedded her tutorials on her hub which inspired me to revise my hub to embed my tutorials instead of just posting links. I’ve looked at others’ websites also, and have come away with ideas for designs and content that I would like to include in my hub. There are lots of talented individuals in our program!
While my learning hub and blog are still works in progress, so is the art of teaching. I’ve grown a lot in the past few months and I plan to continue to learn along with my students. As I take risks, I’m encouraging my students to move out of their comfort zones. So far, students seem to be receptive. My students this year have been engaged in their learning which is a big first step. I feel like my new knowledge has invigorated my teaching and I’m looking forward to continuing the journey.
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