Mid-Course Summary Reflection


    I truly can't believe we are half-way through the course already. Each week I have enjoyed researching new topics related to instructional technology in the classroom. The two topics that stand out to me as being crucial to integrate into my own teaching are computational thinking and the ISTE standards. Learning about the significance of computational thinking has helped me reflect on how I am already integrating these thinking skills in my classroom. I can start naming these skills for my students, so they know what they are, their importance, and how to continue using them in the future. One example I'm thinking of is when we solve multi-step story problems. I can name that we need to use the "decomposition" thinking skill, by breaking down the problem step-by-step, and that this is an important way of thinking that mathematicians use to solve complex problems. Reading all about the ISTE Standards was also a key learning for me in this course. I was truly inspired by the videos I watched of other schools incorporating the standards in their classrooms, and I really want to give my students more opportunities to become empowered learners so they can "thrive in the digital world" as the ISTE website says. 

    Some of my favorite assignments of the course were the class infographic, and the ISTE lesson plan and presentation. I was proud of the way our cohort came together to design the infographic with our QR codes. I love the creativity and how smooth it was for all of us to work together to get it completed. The ISTE lesson plan was a favorite of mine because I enjoyed planning a unit that was all up to my own teaching experience and creativity. I challenged myself to use Canva to create the presentation and I am proud of what I was able to create. I have used Google Slides for as long as I can remember, but I've been learning how to use Canva this year and I really enjoy it. An important skill I've been learning in this course and in 5600 is patience when designing things. There is so much that I don't know, but with the course videos, zoom recordings, google, YouTube, and ChatGPT, I know I can figure it out eventually, and my confidence has grown so much over this first half of the course. I am looking forward to continuing my learning over the next several weeks. 

    



 

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