Reflections of edc3100

I have, to a point, thoroughly enjoyed this subject! I have learnt so much useful information that is both applicable to me in my degree, my future as a teacher, and also my role now as a teacher aide. Being a self confessed ‘organised freak’ I have also loved the layout of the study desk. It’s very user friendly.

I have found the teaching staff to be great from the perspective of an online student. He has time for us, listens, makes suggestions and scaffolds our learning very well. I also found Assignments 1 and 2 to be well scaffolded for us. I am not however finding Assignment 3 to be quite as clear. I feel I am more confused by the examples (especially Part D) than helped by them. Maybe it’s just me, maybe it’s the fact that it’s the end of semester and I’m exhausted.

Despite enjoying this subject I have found it to be an extremely heavy workload, with 3 assessments and a minimum of 30 blog posts (that’s a minimum of 3000 words in total just for the blogs!). I found it to be a lot of work especially if you take into account the 75 hours a fortnight I work, the 2 year old daughter and a husband (who also require my time. I’m ready for the break!

Overall I feel EDC3100 is a great, useful subject that I will take a lot away from. Thanks for a great semester everyone!

Cyber smart

I enjoyed the process of completing the cyber smart program. Most of the thing in the modules I already knew about and enjoyed viewing from a students perspective. I made me reflect deeply on the things I saw and do with and about internet engagement. After finishing this program I realised cyber safety has become a very important and pro-active issue for teachers in the past 6 months; on my facebook I have seen many different posts from teachers holding up a sign that reads ‘please re-post this, I want to show my class how far and fast a photo can travel around the internet’. I think this is a great way to engage students and show them a real life situation they have a vested interest in to see that what we say and put on the internet can spread far and wide and for this its important to filter what we expose to the world to see.

Lesson planning template is there really a need for so much detail ?

What can I say?  I understand that we need to know all the things outlined on this template as we are learning to be teachers; however, in the real world I am not going to:

• Type out my strategies to facilitate, guide and enable students to achieve the learning.
• Type out how I need to synthesise learnings.
• Type out which authoritative pedagogies I’ve supported, etc, etc.

This lesson template is over complicated, expects too much and is incredibly time consuming.  Whenever I have used this template the only part I ever use is the Resources, Introduction, Lesson Body and Conclusion sections.  All other parts are pretty much ignored and have no impact on my lesson.

Even my mentor looked at the format and said you won’t need all of that. so when it came to plan my lessons for her i just used the basic template that she uses to write down the main points of what i was covering.

is 3 weeks really long enough ?

Whilst I was on prac there were 6 other prac students at the school, all from different usq. All doing 3100 with 3 weeks and the same teaching requirements. I know other girls from another university doing the same degree as us and their Education degree requires them to do prac for A WHOLE TERM!!! At that university the first term is spent excelling the students through a whole semester of lectures and tutes in a term and the second term is spent at a school. I think this is an amazing idea, it would give a pre-service teacher a great insight into reports, the admin side of a teachers role and get to really see planning from start to finish. But I also see the down side, for many people studying at USQ flexibility with work and family commitments is a key factor. For most people including me having to do a term long prac would be impossible for many reasons but I can see how it can defiantly have many benefits to our future careers. After thinking about all these different options I think doing a few weeks of prac each semester is a great way to maintain balance of family, finances, study and classroom experience.

Nearly at the end..

Much like a lot of the students in this course, I am feeling mixed emotions going into my final week of prac for EDC3100. I have had a up and down experience with my mentor who has given me opportunities to put into practice the things I have learnt and getting me to teach for than 1 full day and as much as they may of thought it was helping me get more practice I look back on it and wonder “ did that really help me or would I have benefited from more observation time?”.

My usual job is as a kindy teacher in a day care centre. It was a big change for me to go in to a school as my degree doesn’t result in teacher registration and I don’t have plans on teaching in a school. So I really found the difference between my play based learning at my usual job to the strict routine of a classroom hard to adjust to. All things asdie I am looking forward to finishing this off and becoming one step closer to completing my degree.

I hope everyone has a great final week!

Will this work load ever be finished?

I was checking through my emails just now and I came across a blog about time management.  In this blog they talk about feeling overwhelmed with going on prac and all the assignments that they have piled up back to back that need to be completed.

I feel the same way, completely overwhelmed, concerned I’m not keeping up with everything, but I’m giving it a red hot go.  I have lesson planning to do for next week, assignments for edx1280, blogging to do and an upcoming exam that I really have not prepared for at all.  And let’s not forget this 3100 assignment due 10 days after prac that I’ve barely started.

But, I’ve been at this whole uni thing for a few years now and due to graduate this and I always seem to get through it all – don’t know how I do, but I do, and I’m determined to do it again this semester but just when your right in the middle of it all its hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Assignment 2 about to be gone!

At the end of my post i will go and submit my  assignment 2. The lesson plan  and essay have taken up many hours of my weekend and nights to the point where my 20 month old daughter will get a iPad wifi keyboard and sit next to me and type. Sometimes i wonder to myself why am i spending so much time on my computer and away from my child is that really the things i want her to remember and mimic from her childhood?

hopefully i have done enough to pass and keep going on my journey to graduation at the end of 2015. Good luck to everyone who has put in the time and effort in to their assignments.

Reflective thinking so far..

The last couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy! Not only with assignments but working full time and being a mum. Half way through the semester and another massive assignment submitted for one of my other courses. I’m about to begin module 2 and the next assignment. I thought it was time for a bit of reflection on how far I have come already with this unit and what I have learnt so far.

At the start I was sure this course was simply going to teach us how to use a power point presentation in the classroom. I even thought that it would be easy as I have skills with basic ICTS. I now laugh at the fact that I used to think this. EDC3100 has been amazing but also challenging so far. I have learnt that there is more than just power points and that ICT should be used to enhance learning. Most importantly it has me excited. I also cant wait to see what technology will be developed and put in to use within the classroom over the next few years. I am sure we have all taken different things and experiences out of this learning journey that will take us all in different directions in our teaching career.

Prac is coming are you ready?

So prac is coming up fast now and i know i am starting to stress  about how i will go. i have been looking around for tips on how to survive through it and things to help me be as prepared as i can. I found some really helpful advice so i thought i would share it for all those others out there who are starting to stress out just a little about the 3 weeks coming our way.

Do your homework!

Make sure you know how to get to your new school, what time to arrive, where to park and what to wear. You don’t want to be stressing over these things an hour before you’re expected in the classroom.

Be excited (but nurture that scaredy cat inside of you too!)

Enthusiasm will have you off to a great start – you’ll energise your students and they will think you’ve been teaching for years. A few nerves are normal so don’t worry about those – they’ll keep you on your toes!

Be ready to learn and open to new ideas

You might feel out of your depth at times but that’s perfectly normal – you’re there to learn. So don’t beat yourself up or think you’re doomed if your first (second and third!) lesson doesn’t go to plan. That happens to the most experienced teachers as well and it’s a great learning opportunity.

Raise your hand

Ask for help or advice if you need it. You aren’t expected to know everything so don’t be afraid to seek guidance and feedback from your mentor and other teachers at your prac school. They are there to help us succeed and will most likely be thrilled that you’re open to learning from their wealth of experience.

Clear your in-tray

Chances are you’ll be exhausted after your first days of prac so try to have your assignments and other important things completed beforehand. That way you’ll be able to devote whatever energy you have left each evening to preparing for the following day of prac.

Reflect, reflect, reflect!

We hear that word all the time but there’s good reason for that – reflection is a fantastic learning tool so it’s a good habit to get into. Written reflections will also provide evidence of your personal learning journey which will not only be satisfying for you to read at a later time but also relevant to future employers.

And finally, give yourself a well-deserved high five!!

Juggling the demands of prac, uni and personal life all at once certainly isn’t easy so don’t forget to reward yourself along the way. It could be as simple as grabbing a (large!) mocha on your way to school in the morning or spending a few hours at the beach. Whatever works for you.

– See more at: http://www.usq.edu.au/SocialHub/study-work/2014/09/jodie-surviving-prac#sthash.yhbq8UWC.dpuf

Is there a place for iPads in early childhood education?

Today I wanted to delve into the somewhat murky and problematic debate, I want to talk about iPads in the classroom and their benefits. I was inspired by this in reading a number of posts focusing on classroom resouces. I my self have a Ipad and use it for work purposes and just to play games. I also have 2 ipads in my kindy room for my children to use at set times of the day. Every day I always see the difference between the children who have cleary had exposer to Ipads before and those who haven’t and I think to myself do children really need to know how to use this technology at such a young age and if so how is it benefiting their learning.

I found this youtube clip about a preschool who have implemented ipads in their classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGbDgSpWAak. Do you think that Kindy children need to be learning how to use this technology at such a young age?