ICT Portafolio

As an online teacher, I am familiar with online lesson planning. I usually use online tools and dynamic platforms that call students´ attention and engage them in classes, having in mind that one of my functions is being an online class designer in a private academy and that teachers need to sell classes with their new ideas so they get more students´ enrollment. The classes need to be appealing, but above all, they ought to have consistency in the framework. This is why I consider that SAMR and TPACK models can guide teachers in their lesson planning because they put at play several concepts, recommendations, challenges and so on in the transition from the materials and tasks of face-to-face classes to online-designed classes. 

Recently, I have thought about my classes online and to what extent they cover the SAMR levels. Having established that my classes are online, substitution is the only way to deliver my classes, with worksheets, Prezi presentations, graphs and visual aids. Then I support and assess the information using websites and online tools, such as Padlet, quizzes, Kahoot or any game platform that helps me get augmentation level. However, I have to admit that I get short when I need to create modification and redefinition levels. I guess the method, time and academy framework have made me restrict myself to providing activities that go beyond. 

There is no justification for the lack of activities in the transformation section. I would like to see this self-assessment of my classes as the beginning of a new way to teach them. Gaining consciousness about these models of planning opens up not only the possibility of new methodologies in my online classes, but also the possibility of changing my perception of students´ capacities and independence. It is necessary to challenge students’ curiosity and guide them to the 21st century learning, promoting their functional, humanistic, and metacognitive knowledge.  

With these models, we can promise our students the exploration of their independence in their learning process, give them an active role, so they can stop thinking that the teacher is the only one who creates tasks. We can prepare them and facilitate spaces where they can develop their inventiveness, cultural knowledge, critical thinking and collaborative work. The following video is very inspirational for me, and I think it is tightly related to the purpose of the models to plan our classes. 

SMART megaclub online

It has interactive activities completely online that reach the SAMR levels, it goes from the creation of a podcast to the posting of students´ memes. 

Students memes activity was really engaging. Padlet. 

Connectivism opens up the possibility of exposing students to an unlimited learning context and contents. Nowadays, it is positioned as an essential tool for teachers’ effectiveness and capacity to create engaging activities. Even though it brings challenges, it represents a rewarding learning innovation. Here you can see some challenges discussed in class, that I consider relevant.

According to Siemens (2020), the use of technology influences the learning process positively. He claims that by means of the interconnection brought by technology, all knowledge can be spread to places that were unthinkable before. However, as teachers, we should know that some ideas with selfish interests, could have a negative influence on students. This is why we need to be updated about the benefits and challenges that tech brings because, for good or bad, digital worlds for education are not coming to an end. We need to be prepared to change and understand that what works today can be obsolete tomorrow, and as teachers, we have the responsibility to guide and facilitate students´ digital skills. 

Teachers´ responsability towards tech+education. 

A successful integration of technology in the environment occurs when teachers promote students´ responsibility and appropriate use of technology more than knowledge of the subject itself. They can easily find information on videos, podcasts, or blogs, but the ability to analyze this information, to distinguish between useless and potential data, and finally to achieve strategies to understand is what they may receive in class with the help of the teacher. Likewise, the implementation of ICT in the curriculum should be guided by traditional methods in order to develop positive attitudes in students who, after the analysis and synthesis process, will be able to present their knowledge efficiently (Merrill, M.D., Drake, L., Lacy, M.J. and Pratt, J., 1996). 

Blended learning 

This has been defined as creating a virtual world or an educational environment for students where they can take an active role in their independent work by managing their time and concentration in terms of homework or even projects. With blended learning, students can receive instruction online and also have controlled practice in face-to-face classes. There are many models, such as the rotation model, flipped classroom, flex model, à la carte, and enriched virtual model (McCabe and Francis 2020). In my opinion, this also represents the strategy to engage students in their process and make them more aware of what they are learning and what to do with it. Furthermore, it creates the role of manager and gives it to students, opening the possibility of a self-directed learning where teachers become coaches instead of evaluators. After COVID, we may gain more awareness about the benefits and challenges of blended learning and how prepared we are or how we can start to be ready for blended learning environments. 

References 

My growth mindset

Even though my mindset is fixed in some aspects of my life, I can recognize that in my job I am trying to develop a growth mindset. According to Dweck (2006) growth mindset is believing we can acquire new abilities by constantly changing, dedicating, persevering and being strategic about what we want to learn. There are five aspects related to having a growth mindset: effort, challenges, role models, obstacles and criticism.  

In my case, I usually get overwhelmed by all the things I must do, and sometimes that brings anxiety, so I have lately thought about realistic goals that make me feel calm and satisfied. I try to see the process for what it is, a constant opportunity to build my big goal. Looking at the process helps me be more aware of my abilities and efforts when I am doing things. I realize the possibilities I have to learn and be updated in my profession and life. Then I can see the changes I have experienced since then. I value who I was because it defines part of me, but I know I will be different in the future. Thus, I have a bunch of possibilities. I always try to see the difficulties and problems as challenges that will lead me to be better and more capable, or at least to be comfortable with them. Furthermore, I know I am not an expert above all in my profession, and with my students, I can learn from others, and I always expect that. I try to receive criticism in the best way possible, without being biased by pride or emotions. For that, I try to communicate in an assertive way. I know that complaints and negative thoughts are not helpful when you work with others. Finally, I believe that what defines your character and philosophy should always be coherence, no matter what you are going through. For me, these are my principles that let me see I am aiming for a growth mindset.

Iste standards for students

References