Week 4 Reflections

As I finish up my assignments for this week I find myself reflecting on many of the themes we have covered.  I am happy to have developed a few resources which will be useful in the upcoming school year: integrated lesson plans, forms and Padlets, plans for a parent info night (which might not be usable this year, but hopefully in the future), and proposals for technology integration in the school.  I have thought a lot about the strengths and areas of growth that my staff have in terms of how, when, and how effectively we integrate tech into our instruction and learning activities, and I can see that we are actually quite fortunate for the most part in the tech that is available to our school community.

I can't help but wonder, connected to the discussion this week around BYOD and Mobile Devices in the Classroom (E-tivity #2), how quickly we will have to adapt to a new learning model in September.  I am fairly confident that if we are not allowed to have shared devices and BYOD is encouraged, that most students in my school will have what they need, and those who don't will be provided for.  I am also confident that I, personally, will be able to adapt my programming to my students so that we can still engage effectively in learning materials, whether or not we can share printouts, photocopy rooms, and workbooks.  I also realise that I will probably be in high demand in my school, as my colleagues will experience a steeper learning curve and struggle more with making these kinds of changes.

While I recognize the importance of "unplugging", I have remarked several times over the last few months how fortunate we are to have the technology available to us that we do.  Without Zoom, I could not have had an Easter "get-together" with my extended family members.  I would have had to stop playing D&D with my friends.  While my little family of 4 is very close, we would have really missed our interactions with our friends and family.   Over the next few months until a cure for Covid-19 is found, we will have to be very mindful of our use of technology - using it where necessary and turning it off when it isn't.  It will have to become more of a tool for working and less of a tool for recreation.

Thank you for the thought-provoking conversations.