Personal Growth Reflection CEP 812

Created by: Jean-Claude Aura Date: June 2009 Page 1

“Enough” is not a word that one can use after finishing all 3 Certificate courses. There’s so

much more to do that it’s worth taking a short recess and reflecting upon one’s achievements.

My reflection is two-faceted. One facet has to do with my improvement in the field of

technology, and the other with educational issues. Below is a chart that pretty much summarizes

where I stand so far in educational technology.

Technology Current use Future use Promises Pitfalls

Podcast Students listen to

podcasts of

personal interest

and report verbally

or in writing.

Students will make

their own podcasts to

post on the school’s

website.

High student

engagement,

better academic

achievement,

more realistic

preparation for

the real world,

better classroom

management,

minimization of

the digital

divide.

Convincing the

admin to allow

students to use iPods

and access iTunes.

Online

simulations

Students watch

some online

simulations and

report on them.

Students will make

their own online

simulations.

None

Online

educational

games

Students play them

for educational

purposes.

Students will create

their own repertoire

of online educational

games for quick

access.

Some sites are

blocked. Hard to

match lab schedule

with proper timing

for online games.

MS Office Students use

PowerPoint to for

class presentations

Word to present

written

assignments. They

almost never use

Excel.

Students will learn to

prepare professional

PowerPoint

presentations by

adding audio and

video files. They will

use StAIRs. They will

use Word to address a

real audience such as

the admin or publish

their work in the

school magazine.

None

WebQuests Students go on a

scavenger-like hunt

for info.

Students will work

individually and in

groups to work on

activities that promote

higher-order thinking

skills.

Some sites are

blocked. Internet

access not always

available.

Personal Growth Reflection CEP 812

Created by: Jean-Claude Aura Date: June 2009 Page 2

E-portfolios None Students build their

own E-portfolios and

include all their

academic

achievements.

(Above

promises).

Students’ self-

esteem boosted.

Improved

language

quality.

None

Web pages None Students create their

own web page on

Google Sites and

share their work on

line. Later, they can

publish their own web

page.

(Above

promises). With

a worldwide

audience,

students will

feel the need to

take learning

seriously.

Students need to be

mature enough to

hold responsibility

for the entire group’s

work.

Edublogs Students leave

comments on

existing Edublogs.

Students will create

their own Edublog.

None

I also intend to enhance my tech skills in a variety of ways.

Review all 3 Certificate courses: I will brush up on my existing skills, go over the

material learnt to make sure I haven’t missed out on any important parts, improve my skills

in the technology that I learnt how to implement in the classroom, and visit Atomic

learning to go over some tutorials to reinforce my understanding of the technology that I

am comfortable with as well as new ones I am not very familiar with.

Organize PD sessions: I am planning to give plenty of PD sessions at my school as well as

anywhere else where the teaching staff is interested in developing their technology skills.

This summer, for example, I will be giving a PD session on PowerPoint to a group of

teachers who are complete beginners in technology. If all turns out well, I will try to initiate

them to StAIRs. I’m sure I’ll learn new things as I am presenting these sessions.

Attend PD sessions: I will do my best to attend all the PD sessions offered in my area. I

will also try to subscribe to online PD sessions. I still don’t know how to do it, but I will try

to figure out how so I can attend long distance PD sessions.

Lifelong learning: First of all, I am planning to continue my Master’s in Educational

Technology. Apart from that, I am naturally curious, so I don’t think I will have a problem

learning new things. I have subscribed to feeds through NetVives, most of which are tech

related. This way I keep abreast of the latest educational technology and its implementation

in the classroom. Once I see something I like, I explore it until I become a pro at it.

Personal Growth Reflection CEP 812

Created by: Jean-Claude Aura Date: June 2009 Page 3

Looking back at where I was when I first started the Certificate course, I can’t believe how much

my teaching techniques have improved, as well as my understanding of educational goals and

curriculum alignment. It’s hard to put it all in writing, but I am readier than ever for a more

challenging teaching experience. Something funny though, which depicts the unexpected nature

of events: Since I started the Certificate course, I’ve always wanted to learn movie making and

editing, which I never got round to doing. However, I have learnt so many other things that I

didn’t know existed (Edublogs, WebQuests, TechQuests , podcasts) or that didn’t occur to me

(Web pages, educational games, online simulations). Whatever the case, I look at myself in the

mirror and see a new me.