Week 8 Reflection…

As we near the end of week 8 we have received our assignment 1 marks back, I have finally caught up with my blogging, watched all the lectures, and am almost finish the learning pathway. My goal for this weekend will be to continue working on assignment 2 and hopefully get a large proportion of the unit plan completed. To assist with my study this week I have been listening to some study music which I found on fellow student Steven’s blog. Steven said this music had been a lifesaver for him this week, so I thought I would give it a try to calm the explosion of thoughts and information occurring inside my head!

As week 8 draws to a close professional experience draws nearer and nearer. I am hoping (with all my fingers and toes crossed) that this week I will found out my professional experience school, grade and mentor teacher!

That’s all for this week,

Courtney H

Back in the Day…

This week whilst looking at some fellow student blogs I came across this very entertaining and very funny YouTube video posted on Michelle’s blog. In the video Ellen DeGeneres shows kids some technology which she grew up with, including the first mobile phone, a typewriter and an answering machine. The kids’ reactions were extremely hilarious stating that the first mobile phone was ‘one of them old ones from back in the day’, the typewriter was an unknown object for the kids with Ellen even having them search for the ‘on’ button, whilst the answering machine they described as ‘so complicated!’

These reactions from the kids demonstrate the rapid advances in technology which have occurred across the last few decades. These objects, which were everyday items not too long ago, are now completely obsolete. It will be incredible to see in twenty years’ time the new technology which will be developed for our use.

Courtney H

Welcome to Week 8…

This week whilst researching about the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT within education I came across this article. The article lists the three main advantages of using ICT tools for education:

1. Through ICT, images can easily be used in teaching and improving the retentive memory of students.
2. Through ICT, teachers can easily explain complex instructions and ensure students’ comprehension.
3. Through ICT, teachers are able to create interactive classes and make the lessons more enjoyable, which could improve student attendance and concentration.

These are three reasons for using ICT which I hadn’t really considered before, however they all seem to be relevant points. For me, the main reason which I would use ICT within the classroom is to create a more engaging and hands-on lesson, better meeting the interests and needs of my students, where the ICT tool would be used to transform student learning.

The article also listed three main disadvantages of using ICT :

1. Setting up the devices can be very troublesome.
2. Too expensive to afford.
3. Hard for teachers to use with a lack of experience using ICT tools.

These three disadvantages would most likely be the most common disadvantages when looking at integrating ICT into classrooms.

Hopefully through this course (EDC3100) we can begin to overcome this third disadvantage by becoming more competent and experienced ICT users.

Courtney H