Your final journal entry should be a substantial one that reflects on your experiences in the course. Ask yourself,So, hmm, what do I understand differently? Well, I've seen a range of things on the Internet used in a lot more useful ways than I had seen previously, and used in ways which are not about the ego of the person writing or in the video. Twitter is a prime example of this, previously it had seemed like a useless tool that people used for self promotion. Now, after doing the research on it I find that there is more too it than that, some people use it for communicating ideas and group problem solving.
- What do I understand differently now?
- How has my thinking on unit topics either changed or solidified?
- What, based on my professional experience placement, works in theory but not in practice?
- Where are there still gaps?
- What will I need to watch out for in my teaching?
Where else has my understanding changed? Well, the educational use of the Internet. I had thought of it in the past as a research mechanism (which is what my mentoring teacher thinks of it as well), but I have been shown a wide range of ways to use it in and out of the classroom. However, I am still not sure how most of it can be used in the mathematics classroom. So I understand the potential, the risks and the appropriate way of doing things - all I'm lacking is how to apply it (which is what I'm missing in other subjects as well).
I've also seen the youth digital literacy issue in my classes as well, student's who know how to do things, but don't really understand what to do. We gave out a year 12 assignment which involves using the Great Circle Mapper, and many students didn't like the idea of using an online tool or submitting part of their assignment electronically. {Aside: of course, some students weren't clear that if they keep going east or west around the world they will get back to where they started ...} There's a lot talked about teacher expectations of students and how it effects outcomes, but no one talks about the expectations which students have about their education and how they have difficulty when things go against that.
Also, interactive whiteboards are an interesting issue. The one that irks me the most is that the computer has to be started, logged in and all that rubbish (network security programs) needs to finish before you can start loading the IWB software, an my mentor can tend to leave it to the last minute to start the process (I don't have a password). There is also the essential requirement of having an ordinary whiteboard and whiteboard marker as backup, because you never quite know when the power it going to drop out on you (thankfully we had a pen that lesson, the students were disappointed that the lesson didn't stop though). But its been good to be able to prepare stuff to display: it turns out I have a tendency to make spelling mistakes when I'm thinking ahead of myself, something the year 12s were quite happy to pick up on.
I think there are gaps everywhere, some I know about (timing in lessons, making decent plans and great resources), and other's I don't. Actually, this reminds me of Rumsfeld:
there are known "knowns." There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know.Its a great, insightful statement that one, its a pity the media jumped on him for being an idiot when he said it. But it applies here, there are things I know I don't know and I am sure there are things I don't even realise I don't know.
As for this blog, well, I haven't used it since the last assignment was due. So the title was picked deliberately.
As for stuff I need to watch out for: I am my own worst enemy.
