Blog #2
On Monday our class had the privilege of hosting Kirsten Thompson the ICT Coordinator at Mountain View School Division.
I really enjoyed being able to have her virtually speak to us about her experiences using technology and social media within her past classrooms and now as her job as ICT Coordinator and how she implements it within the entire school division.
After Kirsten Thompson shared her wealth of knowledge on implementing her techniques we shifted our focus of topic onto how we as teachers were going to implement technology into our future classrooms. She had us ask ourselves, what is our "niche"?. What can I as a teacher bring to the table that nobody else can? Or that limited others can? Or that can't be replaced by technology?
What is my "Niche"?
I believe I have a number of things that I can bring to a classroom that can't be replaced. I have experience playing professional sports which not many people can say that they have done. As a physical educator I believe my experience in this area can greatly benefit me. I also think I am very outgoing and easy to talk to which allows me to be easily approached by students who may need someone to talk to.
Kirsten then proposed a follow up question.......
What is not my "Niche"?
My belief is that maths and preparation are not my niche. I tend to struggle with maths even into my university years and have always found myself a procrastinator (this would be why I am sitting at my desk doing this blog at 9am on Sunday). However I believe that I can continue to work on these things and get stronger at them. For example, I have gotten much better at preparation since entering university and will continue to improve as I enter my professional teaching career.
I would like to share some tech tools that I benefit from as a physical educator -
On twitter follow @phys_educator fro great resources on games and activities to try our in your gymnasium
Check out https://thephysicaleducator.com/ for comprehensive lesson and unit plans
And for our visual learners a GREAT resource for finding new low organised games is the YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzr04d7ECQcMPDQadUAH0Yg - Joey Feith
Finally, a thought for my readers.... Are you planning on using social media in your classroom? Like a class Instagram account? Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on using social media in your school!
Thanks for reading!
Mr. Asham 💬
Good on you for being able to take a step back and look at yourself from an outside perspective to see what is not your niche, as it can be a difficult thing to do. Being able to do so though also means that now you are aware of these and can work on building up these skills, I definitely can relate to the procrastination.
ReplyDeleteI hope run a social media account for my classes, they are a great resource to keep parents involved, allow you to present students abilities (with permission), and can be a great resource to other teachers.
I love your point about what you can bring to the table being a professional athlete Dustin. I think that has a big "wow" factor for students, and something will try and connect with and look for guidance on. I also like that you know what your weaknesses are. I too struggle with planning, and it's probably my biggest fear going in to teaching, but then I see and talk with the students and all those fears disappear. And if you ever need help in the Math department, I know a guy who is really into Math who is more than willing to help. It's me by the way.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this review Dustin. I am pleased to see the inclusion of these links demonstrating ways in which you are already building your digital PLN and finding resources to fill a specific niche in future situations. When it comes to the social media debate I encourage you to check out this article. It was originally wrote with principals as an audience but many of the elements apply to classroom teachers as well: https://fishbowlteaching.com/2017/11/principals-on-social-media-why-should/
ReplyDelete