The Last Melon

(GIF found at: http://giphy.com/search/the-last-melon ).

Alright, the final blog post for the ICT course. The last melon. So with this final post, I thought I would reflect back on the course as whole, and touch on a few of the main points of some of what we learned, and maybe mention a few of the resources and programs that were introduced to us that I feel I will actually make use of in the future.

So first off, I think that the whole idea behind becoming more fluent with technology and communicative aids is super important for teachers to understand and utilize in their practice. Technology makes life easier for everyone, so using it and teaching others how to effectively use it only seems like common sense. The use of technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our society, and instead of regressing back to Luddite mentalities, teaching students how to use it critically and effectively is the way to go. That way, they will be that much more proficient with it when they get older, having developed alongside the technology. It is great to be able to connect with so many others at the touch of a button, and the resources that exist now are actually quite unbelievable.

Some of the main apps and programs that I think I will take away from the course are the quiz and test making websites, such as Kahoot! and Socrative, as well as networking resource websites such as Blackboard. Apparently my upcoming CT really likes and uses Blackboard in her classroom, so after this student teaching placement I feel like I will become even more proficient in using the site. As for the quiz making ones, I plan on testing them out with my upcoming group of students. I feel like Kahoot! will go over great with the kids, since it helps to turn the learning and memorization process into a competitive game against their classmates. As a teacher, whenever you can make lessons more fun and engaging, students will take more out of it, and it will reflect back onto yourself in a better light. It also has the added bonus of providing the teacher with valuable information about the students, and helps with formative assessments of where the students current standing is with the material from the course.

Moving forward, I think that I will continue to keep my e-portfolio updated and current, since it would be a great resource to have at your disposal come job searching time. I have enjoyed reflecting on my thoughts and compiling them in this blog as well, but I am undecided how much additional blogging I would do following the completion of this course. Perhaps once I get into a classroom I could use it to keep students and parents informed of the daily or weekly events. Or perhaps I would use it if I ever do any extensive travelling, since that is still on my bucket list of what I would like to do before I get myself settled down and working. We will see what lies on the horizon, but something I know to be true is that I will continue to make use of technology and ICT in the future.

To those of you reading this who will be moving out to their student placements next week, I wish you all the best, and hope to hear back from you in the summer. If not, enjoy the summer, and I will see you all again come September. Cheers!