This is my final blog of Digital technologies and I don’t know whether to jump with happiness at the fact these blogs or over or be upset on the fact that I will not be able to go to the class that I thoroughly enjoyed.
“There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails.” – Nancy Kassebaum
(Gupta, 2015)
This quote is one that has motivated me to deliver the best I can in this module as with technology rapidly growing and taking over and being implemented in many sectors it is important that I grow ad develop with these times.
This module has truly opened my eyes to the uses of digital technology and the vast amount of ways it can be used. This is one class that I can see me referring to a lot in my future career especially with there being more of a focus on it throughout the curriculum for excellence.
Although I have still struggled with writing the blogs, I can see the purpose of them as it truly has allowed me to reflect on what I have done in the class and t6he progression of learning that has taken place.
“Blogs offer many benefits for education:
- Promotes autonomous learning by providing opportunities for students to take more control of their learning
- Motivates students to become better readers and writers.
- Promotes discussion among students.
- Encourages the use of the Internet and the Web among students (and teachers)”
(Mora, 2013)
Therefore, without this I may not have noticed the full extent of my development.
Not only could I see the benefits of developing different skills for students, but I was also gaining and developing my skills from this module. I was working on my presentation skills as at the end of every class we had to show our peers our work so I was also having to develop my communication skills in order to fully explain what our activity was about so that others could gain and learn from our experiences. This module also gave me an insight into lesson planning as I was continuously having to refer to the curriculum and link experiences and outcomes to the activity I was creating. Therefore, not only was I gaining knowledge I was also working on my time management skills and planning as I had to ensure I completed the task at hand in the correct amount of time. This was an area I slightly struggled with in some sessions as the amount of time it took to create something sometimes was not worth it for the amount of time it took to actually carry out the activity. Therefore, this is something I can continue to develop on and be cautious about when it comes to planning lessons. I was developing my creativity as every week I had to come up with new ideas to suit the learning criteria. My skills in digital technologies were also continuously developing as Before going into this class I thought I was familiar with digital technology and the uses, but I very quickly realised I was wrong and knew only a minute fraction of the possibilities when using it so therefore I learnt something new every time I went to the class. I also worked on my perseverance and not giving up the minute something doesn’t go to plan or I do not understand something. A prime example of this was in the first part of the animation session. I was completely disheartened and disengaged with the session as I could not get to grips with it. However, I persevered and didn’t give up and by the end of the second part of the animation session I loved it and I easily say that it was my favourite session along with QR codes.
This module as been a fun and enjoyable one and I really felt I have learnt a lot that I will use in a classroom setting. Due to the fact also that this class was very creative and hands on I really felt I have retained a lot of information as this is a way of learning I really enjoy and am most comfortable in rather than writing notes. If there was a module like this for my second year, I would jump at the chance of completing it.
References
- Gupta, P. (2015). 20 Popular Technology in Education Quotes. [online] EdTechReview. Available at: http://edtechreview.in/news/2112-technology-in-education-quotes [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].
- Mora, S. (2013). Benefits of blogs in education – Education Blogs. [online] Desarrolloweb.dlsi.ua.es. Available at: http://desarrolloweb.dlsi.ua.es/blogs/benefits-of-blogs [Accessed 26 Mar. 2019].