I have been asked to think about how I would use one of the topics discussed in my ICT input. I have decided to focus on Prezi as it is something I have never seen before and think has great potential in the classroom. Prezi is a different way to create eye-catching presentations which I think children will really engage in.

Prezi is interactive and allows you to create a background, and move around it easily. A nice example I saw today was a rainforest that zoomed in and out of different animals that inhabit it, which had typical rainforest noises in the background. I think that if this was used in a classroom it would be an interesting way to introduce the topic and set the scene to the children. This is great for all types of learners because it provides visual experiences, physical experiences and auditory experiences. The combination of these three could really engage a child and help them retain knowledge.

The nature of Prezi means you could use it in all age groups of a school, whether it be using mainly visual aspects for younger years, or adding more information based learning for older years.

Ways in which I would use this in a school would be to introduce a topic in an interesting way to the children, or even to sum up information I have taught. I think it would be a good way to validate a lesson at the end of a day in a way that isn’t tiring or repetitive for children. Another way I think this could be advantageous in a classroom could be to get the children to make their own Prezi on a topic they have been learning about. This would probably be too difficult for younger years though, so different levels of support may be needed.

Areas this can relate to in the Curriculum for Excellence is the ICT section. I will highlight some course codes below corresponding to a Primary 4 age group and older, as this is the age group I will be in for my first placement.

“As I extend and enhance my knowledge of features of various types of software, including those which help find, organise, manage and access information, I can apply what I learn in different situations.” TCH 1-03a / TCH 2-03a

Prezi is a program that will help children find information, and organise their own thoughts into a presentation.

“I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in  creative and engaging ways.” TCH 1-04b / TCH 2-04b

Prezi will allow children to do just that. Children can use any image, sounds and information they want and put it all together in a fun and interesting way.

Prezi seems like a very beneficial resource that teachers can use and I look forward to using it in the future.

In my opinion feedback is very beneficial and is key in personal improvement. If you never receive feedback in any shape or form you may never realise problems or areas you could improve on. I personally believe we should actively seek feedback on all academic materials we produce so that we can further improve it and receive the best outcome possible. I also see the benefit of giving others feedback. Not only will you help the other person improve, but you will become more critical in your own work. Overtime you will be able to look at work you produce in a constructive and critical way that you may not once have. This will allow you to self-improve.

Receiving feedback on my previous posts have all been positive experiences. I felt appreciated as a person because someone took the time to read my work and comment on it. I not only received comments that my work was good, but also areas to improve on. These suggestions were all done in a positive manner and I did not feel put down by them. I believe I have actually become more confident in my writing through the receiving of areas to improve. I know that it is not just myself who is receiving feedback, and we all have areas to improve on. In a way, I feel less worried about making mistakes because if I do, I know it can be addressed and fixed in the future.

At the task of giving feedback I was somewhat perplexed. I know that giving feedback allows others to improve, but I was worried about how they may take the feedback. I know that some people can be self-conscious with their writing and a bad comment could lower their moral significantly. To combat this, I not only was very careful in my wording, but I thought about how I would feel if I received that feedback. If I would be happy with my feedback, I would post it. If not, I would find an alternative way to word it so it came across in a friendly and non-accusatory  manner.

From giving and receiving feedback I have learned that it is something I wish to continue receiving throughout the entirety of this course and my professional career. I hope that my peers will continue to comment on posts I make, and I will offer feedback in return. In my future placements I will actively seek feedback from my placement teacher so that I can improve in any areas they see fit. I hope this will help me become a great student and future teacher.

To be an Enquiring Practitioner means to take part in the process of your own progression as a professional. It means taking responsibility for your own improvement, may this be in your teaching styles, presentation, interaction or any other aspect of the job. An Enquiring Practitioner will take part in many ways to evaluate their performance and use the results to better themselves.

This is a diagram of 10 factors that should be considered when taking part in practitioner enquiry.  These factors influence how successful the enquiry project is. A description of why each of these factors are improtant when considering practitioner enquiry can be found through this link by clicking on each section.

http://www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-update/practitioner-enquiry/critical-considerations.aspx#expert-partnerships

The benefits of being an enquiring professional are plenty. It allows you to better your practice meaning your students will be better off. You will gain knowledge of new initiatives or methods of teaching that could benefit individuals you are teaching which you may not have come across otherwise. Enquiry allows a teacher to assess where they are and critique themselves. This is a fantastic skill to practice because it means you are actively engaging in bettering yourself and are not finding yourself stuck in the same old ways of practice. Professional Enquiry can also help you work collaboratively with other practitioners. This could open up a whole new range of possibilities for a teacher such as access to new lessons, styles of teaching or joint learning opportunities.

Enquiry can be a difficult thing for some professionals as some people find it hard to be critical of their actions. I think it is very important however for professionals to get past this challenge because so many benefits can arise from professional enquiry.

As a student teacher I think for me, professional enquiry is something I will benefit from looking into. It has helped me realize that you never stop trying to better yourself as a teacher, and although I am at the very beginning of my professional journey and may feel like teachers I work with are so far ahead of me, they are still themselves learning new things and bettering their understanding of the field. This is inspiring to me because I know that teachers I will be working with will understand my learning journey and are still taking part in it themselves. I will continue to critique myself in all aspects of becoming a professional teacher and try my best to work on the areas I find lacking.

I haven’t always wanted to be a teacher. My first dream was to be a Vet. However, this quickly changed as I got my first pet rabbit and discovered I’m deathly allergic to fur. How heart-breaking. I soon moved on to the idea of becoming a Doctor, then an Author, then a Marine Biologist, then an embalmer-yes, I know that’s strange. Finally, when I started High School I began to think about becoming a Nursery Teacher.

For years I was told not to go down this route as there are very little jobs, but the thought of settling for a second best job was not one that I would consider. I soon set up a week’s placement at a nursery and although I had fun and enjoyed it greatly, something didn’t feel right. It took me a while to realise what this was. I knew I loved interacting with the children and working in a nursery felt very rewarding, but I didn’t feel like I was meeting my full potential. Inside, I knew something was missing. After much thought I finally realised what this was. Nursery is a very play-based environment and I wondered to myself if I was more suited to the structured learning that takes place in a Primary School.

In my 6^th year of High School I decided to set up a placement at my old Primary School. I visited once a week for an hour and a half. This soon became the highlight of my week. As soon as I stepped into the classroom and saw the artwork on the walls, the Alphabet posters and Maths diagrams scattered all around I knew I had finally found my place. This felt right. If I wasn’t 110 per cent sure by then that I wanted to become a teacher, I knew I was the minute the children stepped in and exploded into excited chatter with me. Unlike the Nursery aged children, the Primary aged children were much more inquisitive to my presence. I enjoyed interacting with them and understanding the minds of children this age.

All in all I would say I was influenced to continue down this path by the fact that I can teach children all subjects and broaden their knowledge of the world. A Teacher is a gateway to a child’s future. Without good Teachers how can we allow children to grow into the person they want to be? I am hugely influenced by the fact that I’m shaping a child’s future and giving them the tools they need to achieve their future dreams, just like I am achieving for myself now. I want to be a Teacher who my Pupils look up to, can approach when they need help, and who supplies everything a child needs to have the brightest future possible. The future they are dreaming of. Whether that be becoming a Teacher themselves…or maybe even an embalmer, I will provide that for them and become a successful Teacher.