Ms. Findel

In important part in teaching whether it is in a mock situation like this or in a real classroom, is being able to reflect on the overall objective that represents the goal and the teaching strategies, quality of the information, and tools used to meet that objective. We created this activity to promote creativity and collaboration to show understanding of the five senses. We also wanted to integrate meaningful and appropriate technology into our lesson.

While creating this lesson I became more aware of how important it is to find new, useful and appropriate tools to do different steps of the lesson. Finding appropriate and new tools was a challenging task, but after some time and research we came up with tools that were appropriate for second-graders and for the task we were looking to accomplish with each. I remembered a tool that one of my professors used at my first college, PollEverywhere. Learning how to work the tool as the educator this time was challenging but once it was figured out, the tool became very useful. I liked how flexible the PollEverywhere tool was and the number of possibilities available when using it. Another tool that was new to us as a group was Awwapp.com. This tool was something we came across in our search for new and useful tools. Learning to use the Awwapp tool was overall a simple task, but while playing around with it and trying out different features available we found that the tool allowed for collaboration between multiple students or teachers at once but the collaborators needed to all be working on the same page at the same time. As a group, we didn't think it would be much of an issue. This didnt cause much of an issue during out lesson but it was an inconvenience for the students while working in their groups. 

After implementing our lesson, my group and I did a short self-reflection about our teaching. I believed the lesson went well overall, but I did think that the time restraint of thirty-minutes was our biggest issue. We did integrate many tools for the time that we were allotted. I think that if given a lover period of time or time over a week or so to implement the lesson topic and parts of the lesson, that it would have flowed smoother and been less rushed. I thought that the tools were used nicely and effectively within the lesson and that the class enjoyed the new tools. Our classmates did suggest that it would have been more efficient with respect to time and creativity if the Awwapp would allow them to work on different pages of the story than their groups. The class enjoyed how the PollEverywhere tool allowed for the use of Emojis for more creative and entertaining responses. Other classmates suggested that the lesson would work better if broken up over different days which we agreed would have been more beneficial if given the opportunity.

Reflecting on my teaching as well as my groups as a whole will benefit me in my future as a student and eventually in my classroom as a teacher. By reflecting on what went right and what could have been changed or added to allows me to work on those things and keep them in mind for the next time. Reflection also allows me to check that the tools are appropriate and useful for the lesson being taught and the goal objective I wish to reach. I enjoyed how this mock teaching pushed me to find new tools and allowed me to explore the extent of their uses. I believe integrating technology benefited the students and myself in learning and teaching about the five senses.