In Thursday's class we were lucky enough to have Howard Griffith from Manitoba Education come into our class to discuss web based learning. He gave us some insight into the website that was created to help students and teachers via web based learning. We were led into a discussion about who can use the website, what the website is, where to find it, and why it was created.
Coming from personal experience, I was excited to get a few more ideas on how to implement these modules in the classroom. I was first introduced to the blackboard program last year in my second student teaching placement. I was informed how to logon for the demo mode, and had access to the basics while I was teaching a grade 11 chemistry course.
It wasn't until my third placement (in MountainView School Division), that my cooperating teachers showed me just how easy it was to sign up and get full access to the modules present. I got myself signed up for 3 more courses; grade 9 science, grade12 biology, and grade 12 chemistry. While I had a fairly strong unit set up already for the grade 9 science, and therefore didn't use it much for this course, the grade 12 chemistry course became a very valuable resource.
The layout of the acids and bases unit was set up in an excellent manner. There were plenty of assignments ready to go along the way, and the answer keys were all written out in a full step-by-step manner, which saved me a large amount of time. All I had to do myself was splash in some personal preference changes, images, and labs. The unit was pretty much ready to go from that point on. I loved how the core ideas were solidly set up. A strong foundation was laid out... I got the ability to spice it up to my liking.
My use of the grade 12 biology unit did not work out the way I had liked unfortunately. I had one student who was going to be out of town playing hockey for team Canada for 3 weeks. I got him and myself all set up on the online unit. I had envisioned how this student would be gone for 3 weeks, but wouldn't miss a step. He'd come back to class and be ready to rejoin immediately... Unfortunately, when he arrived at camp, the coach removed all cell phones, laptops, etc., from the team...
I like how you used WBCs as a part of your PLN and a base on which you built your units. This is a great idea. While developing units and lesson plans on my student teaching placements, the most helpful resources were the units and lessons used by my cooperating teachers and other teachers had developed. Just like you it was great to see what was successful for other teachers and pick, modify, and adapt the resources to fit my teaching style. WBCs makes teaching resources that much more available and if I end up teaching in a high school next year, I'm sure I will enroll in a few of them to give me ideas while planning for the year.
ReplyDeleteI was quite surprised during the Howard Griffith presentation when you mentioned that you had some experience using WBC's in your student teaching.I had no idea that this resource was available to teachers and student teachers. Now that I think about it, I have only been doing placements in middle years classrooms so maybe that is why I haven't been made aware.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I could see how they would be of assistance to you and I could also see how deflating it would be for you when your student got back from his hockey.
We make a plan but it never quite seems to go the way it's supposed to does it?