Using ICTs with minimal resources

Whilst completing assignment 3, one of my factors was the issue of having minimal resources to use whilst on prac. This is describe as a digital divide.

I completed my practical experience at a rural school, in which had very minimal ICT resources, which in turn made it very difficult to integrate ICT into lessons to enhance learning. Many of my ICTs that were use was PPT and quizzes.

It also made difficult to integrate ICT into learning as this prac was situated at the end of term, where many students were at the stage of completing assessment requirements. This also made it difficult and not many lesson were spent teaching new content.

Ash

Diversity

Whilst on prac I had the opportunity to design lesson plans that need to include differentiation for a number of students, ranging for ADHD and Special Need students. As such these I taught these students in the subject of HPE. In previous pracs I haven’t had to differentiate for such needs. However, I have learnt a lot in this process in accommodating for these students.

I was quite lucky that the student with special needs was willing to give anything a go and would try to participate in all activities set by the teacher. Although when lesson planning, a chosen activity that would develop fundamental skills for a specific topic, I would chose one that would be easily differentiated with rules and different skill level. This page incorporates techniques that can be used to differentiated activities.

Reflections

After reading Elyse’s blog post of prac reflection and her experience whilst on prac and using ICTs, it is evident that reflection is significantly important.

Assignment 3 requires us to include 5 lessons which ICT was incorporated for learning. We are then asked to reflect on these lessons. Reflections really hit home when you are required to include them in an assessment piece. What do you reflect on? What aspects do you look at the needs improvement or planning? In asking these questions I have found a page that has some helpful hints in reflecting after a lesson. This page has some hints on how to reflect and how it can be done.

Ash

Behaviour

In reading Elyse’s blog about challenging behaviour of some students and dangerous sports, it reminds me of my very last HPE class for my Year 7s.

This day, Friday last period, Year 7 and Javelin = me freaking out. I had never taught Javelin and haven’t had many experience with it for almost 6 years ago when I was in school myself. Being a nervous wreck was an understatement for me.

Along with this, there were a group of boys who could play up if not been given explicit rules and expectations straight up. This was there first day of athletics and it was all up to me. I had set aside 10-15mins for rules, expectations and procedure and lets just say the lesson was AWESOME. I was like a child on Christmas morning. The lesson went smoothly and my mentor was extremely happy. Lessoned learned, make those rules known.

Ash

🙂

Profiling teachers

In my last post I recommended to anyone that hasn’t been profiled to do so on there next practical experience.

If you haven’t heard of it before or seen it in action, in summary it profiles teachers on behaviour management, both good and bad behaviours. The school that I did my practical experience implemented the Essential Skills for behaviour management. As such, I have read that many Queensland schools have adapted these skills for behaviour management.

In my research I have come across an article that looks at Classroom Profile Training: Increasing preservice teachers’ confidence and knowledge of classroom management skills. It also highlights the 10 Essential Skills for Classroom Management.

Ash

Just keep swimming

With the end of prac coming quickly, I can’t wait to catch up on assignment work.

I hear from some of you that your practical experience is a positive one. I too am javing a positive prac. Today I had the opportunity to be profiled and can I just say if you get the chance to be profiled, take it. My profiler has brought to my attention a lot of different things my mentor hasn’t. This gives my a greater opportunity to reflect on my teaching and become a greater educator.

Ashlee

Health

My Year 8 class is learning respiratory and circulatory systems in HPE – Health. There are many students with diverse learning styles and compensating this can be difficult. If students aren’t engaged, the class can be very disruptive. With my next lesson, students are learning about heart rate and how to calculate it in a little activity I have created for them. I will also take along my IPad so students can visually grasp the concept of heart contractions when their heart beat increases.

The app I have been looking at so students can visually see how the heart works is the Virtual Heart app. I like this app because it is simple and easy to use. I have downloaded others and had a play, but I find this the best.

Ash

🙂

Time flies when your having fun!

Hello everyone

I can say I have been off the grid again for almost a month. But I am loving prac and I hope many of you are too. My placement is mainly in the junior secondary school looking after year 7s and 8s mostly. Hear I was thinking year 7s will be challenging but I can say I love educating them!! Apart for the 45min drive there and back my prac has been a positive experience so far.

On the other hand fitting in ICTs in learning is challenging. With a school that doesn’t have many opportunities to utilise ICT in the classroom to facilitate learning, I am having to use PowerPoint, Microsoft publisher and video cameras to assist learning. However, I am wanting to use my IPad so my year 8s in Health can explore a virtual heart on Wednesday. Fingers crossed!

Would love to hear what some of you are using out there.

Ash 🙂

Let’s roll

In my previous blog Am I ready? I mentioned that I am very nervous about our upcoming prac. Let me elaborate on this a little, although I am nervous I am yet very excited about getting out there and doing what I enjoy and putting all my hard earned learning into practice. Nervous is me not knowing where I’ll be going for prac until a week before. This i am sure that many of us feel the same, does not give us ample time to get organised and this freaks me out.

I was once told that if I enjoyed teaching I would know by my first experience. Oh how right they were and here I sit in my third your as a future educator. I have never experience the joy I had to be able to teach and see the excitement of students when they learned something new or interesting. After reading a page on “I’m an educator. What are you?” it simply states that, education is the most interesting and difficult adventure in life.

I am definitely up for the challenge and bring on lesson planning and prac.

Ash

Am i ready?

With the completion of assignment 2 near, our next step is to start thinking of prac. I can say I am nervous for the up coming prac but I have been nervous for my previous prac too. In reflecting from my last placements I have decided to ensure that I place an emphasis on the importance of reflecting after each lesson. We have been told many times that great educators make sure they reflect on each lesson.

Therefore I am going to assign after each lesson an appropriate time to reflect. I have done a search to see what aspects to think about when reflect and here I have found some useful tips. This page uses Bloom’s to reflect on the teacher.

What are some aspects do you reflect on? Would love to hear from others.

Ash