The use of a blog as a reflective aid

Keeping this blog as part of my ICT course has gradually become easier and less time consuming. Initially i was sceptical as to the real value of a blog compared with other means of recording but it has proved to be a quick and easily accessible means of sharing information and findings. I would now definately use one with a class to record experiments, events and even activities. We are moving into a digital age and as such need to equip the children we teach to be active and successful in a digital medium. Children are excited and motivated by computers and the internet and this needs to be harnessed and developed.

Using ICT in my teaching

Throughout the course of SBT 1 I used ICT in my teaching mainly through interactive activities on the IWB and the use of digital photography to record other practical lessons and trips. The children seemed to really engage with the technology and really enjoyed the hands on activites on the whiteboards and digital simulations such as a video of the water cycle and of sea animals.
The children themselves were able to use laptops in their literacy lessons in order to word process their own versions of the Cinderella story and produce a display on the water cycle.
In the future I would definitely continue to incorporate interactive and visual ICT resources into my lessons as they clearly enhanced and furthered the childrens understanding. I would also have provided more opportunities for them to conduct their own research on the internet and compile their own projects based on their findings as time constraints prevented me from being able to do this in this particular placement.