Personal Reflection #2

It's been a couple of weeks since the course started and though it's been hectic at times balancing this course, my work and my life outside the classroom I am glad that I have pursued this path. Since starting my Masters in DTLT I have rekindled my love for technology on a nuts and bolts level. While I always maintained a fondness for shiny new gadgets, I had lost touch with the new wave of online programmes, social media, apps etc. DTLT put be back in touch with my roots, so to speak, with the group sharing various different tools for utilising technology in the classroom, such as the popplet and QR codes.

However, I haven't just been shown new tricks and gadgets. It has sparked in me again an interest to seek out different resources and tech that I could use in the classroom and in my daily life. For example, I have downloaded a new budget app to my phone to help limit my spending and I have started to use Class Dojo in my classroom management system. The children seem to have taken to it well, and it has opened up a new avenue of communication between myself and the parents, which before was pretty much non-existent. I feel much more like a teacher now, not only having communication with parents, but also the sense of responsibility. No longer am I hidden away in my classroom. The parents can actively see and comment on what I am doing in the classroom. Time will tell if this is for better or worse but so far the results have been positive.

In a practice what you preach style approach, I felt the need to 'up my game' so to speak with my use of technology in the classroom. I found I had been getting stale and repetitive doing the same tasks over and over again. As mentioned in our tutorials, it has now become so easy to amass resources like PPTs and Word documents, store them on a USB drive and just dust them off again whenever the needs be.

Now, I have created more original content for my classes and am trying to add more elements to the lessons where the students can utilise the technological resources available to them. What differs from before though is that now I am much more conscious of technology being 'methodologically neutral' as Blake (2008: 27)  put it

"how these tools are used and to what principled ends define the scope of a methodology, but the mere use of technology by itself will not improve the curriculum."

Im not just using technology for the sake of technology's sake, but that I actually think it will improve the lesson and the material that is being taught.

Prenksy's thoughts on the Digital Native has caused me to reflect upon my teachings more. Am I teaching my students in the best way to suit their needs? Are some kid's disinterest or unruly nature affected by the way I conduct lessons or my Immigrant views on technology?

I am also quite keen to better understand VLE's and PLE's, perhaps offering the students a greater freedom to study, especially with project work and such. Im looking forward to the tutorial this Friday and the weeks to come and continuing my education in Education.

Bibliography:

1. Blake, R. (2008) Brave new digital classroom: technology and foreign language learning. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, [electronic resource]