Hi everybody,
If you don't want to do a powerpoint reflection and upload that to your portfolio folder (or if you have not done it yet), you can do a quick voice reflection on our flipgrid here ( it will take you 1 and half minutes):
If you don't want to do a powerpoint reflection and upload that to your portfolio folder (or if you have not done it yet), you can do a quick voice reflection on our flipgrid here ( it will take you 1 and half minutes):
If you are too shy to leave a video message....answer the above questions here...
ReplyDeletePLease reflect on the following:
-How did you experience this ict4red course?
-Which was your favourite strategy and why? What did you do during this strategy with your learners? And how did you use tech to make the strategy come alive?
-Describe the challenges that you have faced during your journey
-Before the ict4red course I was not really integrating tablet technology in the classroom. I was simply using the tablet as a means of teaching subject content and every now and then I used it to upload videos for the learners and do online assessments. The course really showed me how you can do so much more with a tablet and how you can link and integrate sound teaching strategies with technology. I learnt many new functions of the tablet I did not know of before and also learnt about various apps (most of which are free) which can enhance both teaching and learning.
ReplyDelete-My favourite strategy was the Jigsaw method. I found this a very effective strategy to use as learners can teach each other and I often find that learners can take in information better when it comes from their peers as opposed to a teacher. Learners may also feel more comfortable talking amongst their peers. I used this strategy with my Gr 11 Economics learners when we were doing the topic of Money and Banking. I uploaded various pictures onto the learners tablets of instruments associated with money which they had to identify as well as identify security features of banknotes from a picture that was uploaded onto their tablets. The learners also had to take a video of themselves explaining to the rest of the group members how money is created in the economy from a single transaction.
- I could not always complete the given tasks in one lesson with my learners and sometimes ran out of time and would have to wait until I saw that particular class again. Also I had to find a way to incorporate the strategies into the curriculum and assign time for it in such a way that I was still able to cover the set curriculum. Not all learners could participate because some of their tablets were broken/flat or not at school. This was probably the biggest challenge I faced when implementing the strategies with the learners.
I must be honest, initially I was pretty sceptic about the whole course. The reason being I haven't been exposed to the use of tablets in a classroom environment, so I was pretty unsure of what was expected of me. Just to find out that it was pretty easy and the course is designed to make learning fun and to tune kids in on what is relevant. Definitely the scavenger hunt. The learners loved it! They were actively involved for the whole lesson. A lot of planning and extra work on my end, but totally worth it! I became the facilitator and no longer the focus point of their attention, they had to figure the lesson out on their own as they went along. That brings me to the whole Enquiry Based learning, the learners are made responsible for their own learning at their own pace. Learners learn best from each other. The learners got clues and had to find the correct QR code for that clue. The QR code lead them to were the relevant items were hidden. This created an exciting lesson that forced the learners to work together and have everyone be in charge of something at some stage.
ReplyDeleteWe used the tablets from our mobile lab to scan the QR codes that were placed all around the playground. The QR code directed the learners to the correct item. It has been very time consuming. A lot of planning goes into every lesson and a lot of the time we have to purchase whatever we use for the lesson out of pocket which makes it pretty costly at the end of the day. On the day it takes an incredible amount of time to introduce the concept to the learners and thereafter to run with the lesson.
1. The course helped me to integrate the use of technology into my classroom in many ways. I have learned many ways to integrate the use of the tablet into my lessons. I have also learnt many new functions to use on the tablet that I never even knew existed. So, to sum it all up, I would say that this experience opened up my eyes to the many ways in which we can use and integrate tablets into our lessons.
ReplyDelete2. My favourite strategy was the Jigsaw strategy. I think that we can really use this particular strategy with great results in the College. I used it with my Grade 10 Afrikaans class. I did a Poem with the learners and, afterwards I typed out 4 questions with subheadings on a piece of paper. I put learners into groups of 5 consisting of 4 learners per group. That was their home group. They were then furter divided into nr's 1-4. All the 1's went together, the 2's etc. They had to look at the questions and answer them as a group. Afterwards they all went back to their home groups and discussed the questions. This was a great strategy as we were able to cover much more work that just working together in 1 group answering questions.
3. I also could not complete some of the strategies in 1 lesson and, had to wait until I saw the learners again to complete. Sometimes the learners had no tablets and, sometimes their tablets was flat which made it difficult to do the activities.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I feel that I learnt some very valuable strategies that I can use in the classroom and definitely feel more proud of the fact that I use technology in the classroom. I came to appreciate my technological know-how after seeing how some people truly struggle to use technology.
ReplyDelete-The Field trip. I really felt that the learners were more excited about their learning when they got to move around and apply their knowledge at the same time. Also, teaching them how they could make their own barcodes etc. to scan was very exciting for them. I set up barcodes for learners to scan with clues for which books they could find the answers to specific questions based on poems that I had taught them. They then had to photograph the answer and organise folders on their tablets for each poem's answers.
- I felt that the homework could become strenuous and also felt that the course was very long. Being someone who knows a lot about technology already I became easily bored. However, there were several valuable lessons and strategies that I learnt!
The ICT4RED course was very insightful. It broadened my knowledge on how to integrate the tablet and technology in general in the classroom. My Favourite strategy was JIGSAW because it was easy to use in the English subject. The learners were divided into groups of 5, each group were given a station and they had to come up with a definition of one of the features of style in writing. these learners then had to go back to their individual home groups and explain their specific feature that they discussed in their expert groups. The activity is easy to manage in a limited space and you can use it with almost any theme. I Should also add that the learners enjoyed the field trip activity, where they had to use their tablets to find clues and answer questions in and around school campus. when setting up the questions and clues, I used a QR code Scanner. The learners had to use their cameras to take pictures of clues and tasks. they also used their video app to make a 60sec video of themselves acting as student and teacher discussing'direct and indirect speech' They LOVED this! I on the other hand was very exhausted after this activity which I had to do for 3 classes, but it was fun non the less. the challenges I faced was Not being able to do the homework to the best of my ability because of a very heavy workload and its not an easy task to integrate with the CAPS requirements, especially for English. I could not meet the June deadline because of exams and an extreme amount of marking and finalisation of reports. Other than that I would certainly use some of these strategies in the classroom again, but this time at my own pace so that more thinking, planning and consideration can be put into it.
ReplyDelete