Module 3: Reflection on assignment 2

 At first when I saw the assignment criteria I was fearful of not doing a  good job on it because of the different criteria I had to used to evaluate each website. However, I read the instruction over and over and discuss with my working partner what is really expected of us to do in order to achieve the task set out before us. I was then able to use the criteria listed to evaluate each website thoroughly and finished my work in due time.

The criteria used for evaluating the websites were very useful because they have taught me to be critical in my observation and use of information. Also the different criteria used, helped me as a teacher to look beyond the information given and to go more in-depth to learn more about the criteria used for evaluating each site found.   

Module 3: Activity 9

Reflection on activity 9

This activity was based on criteria used to evaluate websites. There were four criteria used in the activity and each one serve a purpose. The websites require much reading, evaluation and understanding because they were evaluated on the purpose, accuracy, creditability and bias. This exercise has taught me how to better recognize and understand websites with authentic information and what to look for in each website.I can now use my gained knowledge to critique a wide range of websites found when doing my research.

Module 3: Activity 8

This activity was very easy to construct with the knowledge gained from doing all of the other activities and assignments from this module. Using spreadsheet in the lesson is a good way to grab students’ attention and at the same time get students actively involved in the lesson.  Creating tables, charts/ graphs in excel has now become more of a fun activity than a challenge and with the help of the teacher students will become more comfortable constructing their very own spreadsheet. This software also helps them to organize, calculate, analyze and present data collected with confidence. Also the group’s collaboration in the drop box is very helpful because group members share their lesson plans and ideas with each other and build on each other strengths and weaknesses.

Moduke 3: Activity 7

This activity was based on the use of spreadsheet where teachers’ aim to get students to learn how to create charts/ graphs. The just-in-time approach to learning is also very helpful; this is where tools and skills are introduced for relevant activity. I know students in Grade 5 and 6 are going to benefit greatly from this software program because they have to use spreadsheet to organize, calculate, analyze and present data for their school projects and other activities. I also enjoyed the group discussion where many ideas are shared among teachers. Each day I am gaining more knowledge and my understanding to the different software programs is indeed broadening.

Module 3: Reflection on assignment 1

I am happy to have gotten back my assignment with a good grade. Looking back at the steps I took to the get the assignment completed was not difficult but time consuming. However, I can say that hard work does bring success. As Educators, we sometimes forget the roles that we have to play to bring about learning in the classroom and in everyday life. This assignment has reminded me of the seven roles and how importance each one is in helping our children to succeed. The mediator, the interpreter and designer of learning programmes and materials,  the leader,  the scholar, researcher and lifelong learners, community, citizenship and pastoral, the assessor and the learning area/ subject specialist.

 I mostly like the role of the mediator because my role as a mediator is to understand the needs of my students, acknowledge how learning environment may affect them and find ways and means to solve whatever problems they may encounter. At times it may seem very difficult to accomplish but this course has taught me that anything is possible with the right frame of mind. Hence, I will help my students organize their thought processes and channel them in a meaningful way whenever I see failure written on their faces.  Being better prepared will help me as a teacher to meet the needs of my students and in the long run they will be better equipped with the knowledge gained from it. 

Also the role of an assessor is very important  because his/ her job is to identify the needs of the learners, planning and designing learning programs, tracking learners’ progress and diagnosing and implementing new methods. Not only should educators monitor the learning patterns of their learners but also their own teaching patterns because learners are affected by teaching methods as well as classroom environments and other factors. Therefore, as an assessor my objective is to be on cue with my students performance, noting that assessment is an essential feature of teaching and learning and should continuously be integrated into the teaching and learning process.

Reflection on Module 3 (Activity 5)

Activity 5 had much application software to choose from. I like the work that my colleagues presented, especially the newsletter article by Maxim and Chad and the video clipping by Elicia. As for myself, I did something that I was comfortable with. I use Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Publisher to design and plan my activities. Although I use those software programs and enjoyed planning activities with them I would like to try the newspaper article and the video clipping because they had my interest. I am learning so much and I am filled with ideas of what to do in the classroom when teaching ICT.

Reflection on module 3 (activity 4)

Using excel to do activity 4 emanates interest. I always use it to prepare my class record but never master all of its functions properly because of lack of practice. However, while doing the activity I have learnt some new additional information which I had never used before, like the “COUNTIF” function which looks at a specified range; for example, (G5 to G15) the COUNTIF will check each cell in the range against the criterion given after the comma ">79.5%". The brackets and comma are very important. The quote marks ("") are necessary because it has specified more than just a number on its own. Example, =COUNTIF (L5:L15,">79.5 %")

The “=IF” function was not new to me because I use it constantly when preparing my class record. This function can be used to record the students’ competence or not competence, pass or fail. For example, =IF (L5>40%;"competent";"working towards competence")

This exercise has improved my knowledge and ability to use many of the features in spread sheet comfortably. I really like the outline and the steps that were given, which helped excel users and beginners in the activity. I can definitely say I am better able to prepare class records as part of my evaluation and assessment method.