Assessment Task 1 - Part A

Thinking back to when I first enrolled into this course, I was very excited to take this subject on, as I love using technology and have used it daily in my classroom (childcare and kindy) for many years. I can see the enjoyment it brings to the children in my class and being able use the many different resources within, allows for a different type of learning and engagement to occur. As I worked through each week of the course I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all these new tools I was trying to implement on my blog and wiki, considering I had never used these before taking on this course, I felt my current computer skills would help me get through the course, and looking back it did in parts. I was then able to offer my help to peers where needed as I enjoy working in a collaborative environment.

I have learnt a wide variety of new skills throughout the course, such as concept mapping, embedding and iframe codes, to using a decision matrix. With some assistance from my peers and lecturer I managed to overcome my fears of exploring these online tools and can see the importance of using them within my classroom. Having gone through the fearful stage of feeling lost and not knowing what to do, I feel now that I could better assist my students if they were to feel the same way, by allowing them adequate time to explore, discuss and have a go.

By forming a online group and working in a collaborative way, even though it was done via online, I found this strategy, for me was a big help at achieving what was expected of the weekly tasks. Knowing I wasn't alone and we were all learning together, allowed me to feel comfortable in asking questions when needed, and no question was a silly one. We all wanted to help each other as much as we could to achieve completion of the course. I would use the experience of participating in your own design challenge and therefore design cycle, in my classroom by splitting students into small groups and allowing them to work through the design process as we did, for a certain purpose that could entail a certain subject, idea, improvement etc.

However in saying all of this, I did come across one issue throughout my design. This occurred throughout using the peer feedback process. Which is one that I would expect to come up also within the classroom, as humans we tend to think and understand on different levels to one another which can lead to misunderstandings. With clarification from my lecturer I was on the right track, we were all able to move forward with open communication on the matter, allowing myself to make the final changes to my design which then allowed for final peer feedback to occur. Remembering about this will allow me to apply in my classroom to make sure clarification on what is expected on the task and that everyone is on the same page to minimise any misinterpretations that students may have before continuing on with the tasks.

Looking back on my design in my wiki, I was able to follow the design cycle which incorporated strands of the Australian Curriculum – Technologies – Design and Technologies strand under the year 5 and 6 band description of Food and Fibre production, I used my interest in gardening and sustainability with my work experience in early childhood with the indigenous community to come up with a design that created an sustainable edible garden with links to local indigenous bush tucker. In my challenge I designed 4 alternative gardens and and then through elimination chose an ultimate design. However in my classroom with a 5-6 grade I would challenge them to design different types of this type of my final design of garden and we would. as a class, use each groups design with the decision matrix to work out which groups garden would be the best suited to the space given within the school grounds, similar to what I was required to do in my challenge. I chose to challenge the years 5 to 6 age as I feel that being older and more mature they would be able to grasp what was needed of the design challenge and give them ownership of this new space within the school, allowing these students to share in their achievements with the rest of the school as this space would then be used with all year levels as deemed appropriate by the teachers.

I have learnt a lot of new knowledge and useable tools that I cannot wait to use within my classroom to educate students in the Technology strand. Reading and learning about the co-constructed learning, I feel this is a way of teaching I would love to incorporate into my own teaching strategies and can see the positive outcomes for my students. I finish this blog entry feeling ever so excited to what else I will learn, the more tools I will come across and get to have a go, building up my confidence and experiences that I can use now in my current workplace and to my future students in the classrooms I endeavour.