LE2 Reflections IICT Specialist

The first part of the learning activity was to post programs that we use in our teaching and may I say, it was unbelievable how much knowledge was shared. It is absolutely mind-blowing to realize how much technology is out there and how much each teacher has assimilated and still is! A pure example of the Standards of Practice in the area of Professional Knowledge! Some of my colleagues are absolutely inspirational with their ideas and contagious with their enthusiasm.

The ministry documents activity really opened my eyes up to the language that the ministry uses towards technology use in the curriculum. I was quite surprised in some areas and subjects about the lack of specific language towards the use and in others the amount of specific language detailed. From subject to subject it differed greatly. Although technology was mentioned in almost all subject curriculum language, there seems to be a gap in the overall consistency across the whole gambit. Finding a consistency in the board documents can be a little challenging from a professional practice point of view. Technology standards and use tend to be very open just like the new French curriculum!

Our chat session about issues at schools concerning technology use was very informative. I realized that there are fellow teachers struggling with the same issues with technology that I am encountering. There were also others that had an amazing environment and a whole plethora of resources related to technology and its overall use in lessons and classroom activities. What shone through in the 'Google Hangout Chat' for me, was the importance of being a leader and showing leadership qualities to either improve or continue to nurture a positive attitude towards the use of technology in the whole school environment. The commitment shown by my colleagues towards making engaging lessons and activities for their students, was inspirational to say the least. It makes me want to become a better educator and open a new future of learning using technology.

Creating a plan for the whole school year to promote the use of technology and training, was actually quite difficult. I realized that there are so many moving parts and human-beings! The idea of team-work really did become apparent for me while organizing each month's technology idea. Ongoing learning is for me one of the Standards of Practice that has to come from a positive attitude towards change. Adapting to a new way of teaching using technology is crucial to meeting the standards of practice that are so key to us as educators. Involving the parents was a very important issue in designing a plan to use technology, too. Having all parties involved in the 'movement' is beneficial to the students and their families and creates a consistent growth-mindset among all participants.

The video conferencing activity that we did was quite informative. The amount of lesson ideas and the scope of the information available, blew my mind! Having an author video-conference with students was one idea that really portrays the use of technology to engage learners. Video-conferencing with other countries and cities and even with another class from your board, makes learning so much more 'realistic' to students and helps engage them. Even the idea of video-conferencing with parents who are not physically able to come and meet the teacher, blew my mind! It was once again apparent, how educators are committed to the standards of practice in all areas; professional knowledge, ongoing learning and a total commitment to engaging learners.