Reflection

Throughout this whole entire term, my knowledge for technology in education and lesson planning has tripled. Before this term, I had no idea about the technologies elementary teachers are using in their classrooms. I am truly amazed with the endless possibilities and how it encourages a better way of learning. Anything from videos to hands on instructional apps that make learning more exciting and interactive; the possibilities are endless.

Before this class, I didn’t really know where I stood with incorporating technology in the classroom, but after this class, I am a huge supporter of it. A few technologies I can see myself using are Google Classroom, Kahoot, and Class Dojo. Google Classroom is basically an online classroom bulletin board. This app is more designed for students at middle and high school levels, however, I could see myself using it to communicate with the families and parents. Parents want to be involved in their student’s education and it is important that they do so. Kahoot is a great app that allows teachers to create quizzes for the students to answer. It is sorta of like a fun game that can be a little competitive. I am all for gamification and Kahoot allows that. Class Dojo is a classroom management app that helps teachers keep track of their students progress behaviorally during the day. Teachers can give students online badges for different things such as participation. This encourages students to work harder and strive to do better. All of these apps are great versions of technologies that I can see myself using in my future classroom.

I have never really thought about the process of lesson planning. It is very extensive with the amount of research, time, and effort put into it. When planning a lesson, the first step is to consider your students and their needs. Then to think about standards. The word ‘standards’ can be a bit intimidating to new teachers, such as myself, but they are there to guide teachers on what they are teaching and at what level. Next step is to plan your lesson. Do you want it to be about geography, science, or even reading? After considering all of this, it is time to create, prepare, and teach your lesson.

My lesson I planned is about endangered species. Endangered species are a big deal and it is important that students are aware of it at an earlier age. It includes students creating and designing a diorama of the environment their endangered species lives in. Making origami of that animal and learning about the animal. This lesson is engaging and informative. Students will be able to interpret facts, apply it to a creative project and express their ideas and information to their peers.

From this experience, I have learned that lesson planning is a lot of work but I found it entertaining to do. I enjoyed this activity and I am excited to say that I just created my first lesson plan! 🙂