E-Folio Analysis

Nicole Moxey
ETEC 533

Through the readings, discussions and activities in this course, I have gained
in-depth knowledge about how to authentically integrate technology into my daily
mathematics and science lessons and units. The hands-on activities provided, allowed me to
integrated even more resources into my classroom. Many of these I had never explored prior
to their introduction in this course. We were also given the opportunity to share resources
that have been used in our teaching practice and these I have explored in more detail since
being introduced to them. As always, this course was a good reminder that I need to
continuously be looking for resources and new ways to integrate technology into my daily
practice. Even though this is sometimes an overwhelming and/or daunting task, it becomes
even more important as technology continues to change at a faster and faster pace. As
mentioned by Bryn during one of our discussions, “​I think the focus should be less on the
technical elements of technology integration; as we all know technology evolves so fast it is
often challenging to stay on top of it all. Far more importantly, in my opinion, is to develop a
culture of digital curiosity where every teacher, regardless of their level of proficiency, is
encouraged to experiment with at least one educational technology.” ​In order for teachers to
help prepare their students for the 21st century, we need to provide as many opportunities
as possible for students to explore the most up to date technology.

In Module A, we viewed and reflected upon at least two video cases, as well as
interviewed a colleague. Both of these activities were highly informative and required me to
reflect upon my own teaching practices and philosophies. I connected with many of the
frustrations expressed in the videos and in my interview in regards to technology use (or lack
of) in the classroom. Some of the main concerns that were identified were a lack of access
to technology, lack of support and lack of professional development and time. These were all
areas that I have complained about, especially in my current teaching situation. During one
of the discussions, Amanda mentioned, “​I think it’s important to start small and to not
overwhelm teachers when they are watching examples of integrating technology. I also think
there needs to be opportunities within the school day to provide collaborative time where
teachers can connect and not during their own time.” I completely agree with this statement.
It can be difficult for teachers to make time in their personal schedules, so I think it’s
important that teachers find valuable workshops or activities during the Professional
Development days provided. Also, schools need to be creative so that teachers are able to
collaborate with each other during the regular school day. One example of this was
mentioned by Kathryn during her ​explanation on how her school has managed a BYOD
program that was implemented in her school recently. “​There is also lunchtime drop in
support sessions for teachers.” Another student, Kari, posed two very valuable questions.
“...is/should the onus be on the teacher to explore and learn how to use new tools
themselves if they are interested? Are we mislabelling a lack of training as a lack of
interest?” ​After engaging in all of these discussions, I realized that these obstacles can be
overcome as long as the teacher is passionate about integrating technology. In recent years,
there has been a surge of online forums, webinars, tutorial videos, online resources and
groups that teachers can join. Teachers are no longer required to travel and pay out of
pocket to attend workshops. Now, they can watch videos, share resources, create units and
collaborate with teachers all over the world in the comfort of their own home or classroom.
There are tons of teaching groups on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Time
still is a bit of an issue, but isn’t this something that teachers have always struggled with?
Throughout this course, my thinking on these obstacles has most certainly shifted and I think
that teachers need to be open-minded, willing to take risks with their students and be willing
to try new things. Technology, when integrated to extend student learning, can empower
students to take responsibility for their learning journey. Shouldn’t the goal be to create
lifelong learners?

During Module B, we were introduced to many new resources that could be used in
our mathematics and science classrooms. This was one of the most important and relevant
aspects of this course, in my opinion. We know that students tend to learn best when they
are given hands-on activities and this is exactly what we were able to do as we explored all
of these resources. I was able to dive in and learn more about these resources, as well as
find ways to apply them to my own teaching practice. Although, not all of them were relevant
to my current teaching position, many of them could be implemented into my classroom
immediately. One of my favourite resources was PhET Interactive Simulations. This resource
covers many of the math topics that my students are currently learning about and many of
them cover areas that some of my students struggle with. The students are able to explore
the specific concept before they practice their skills using varied levelled games. My
students get excited when they know that we will be using this program. They enjoy figuring
out what level they should be using and this allows student to be working in their zone of
proximal development. My current class has students working at a grade two to nine level
(yikes!). This creates many challenges, but with the integration of technology many of these
challenges can be overcome. PhET also contains many science topics that I am looking
forward to exploring with my students in the coming months. A second resource introduced
in this course that I am excited to use with my students is WISE (Web-based Inquiry Science
Environment). During one of my weekly blogs, I discussed integrating this into my Earth
Month activities. The great thing about this resource is that it appeals to all types of learners.
“For example, our visual learners are able to learn through diagrams and videos. They also
have some interactive activities that create opportunities for the students to actively engage
in their learning. The students are also provided with a variety of ways to show their
learning.” Finding ways to reach the needs of all of our students can be challenging, but it
has definitely become a little easier with our increased access to technology.

During Module C, we were provided with opportunities to share resources. In my

opinion, this was incredibly helpful because these resources have been tested by our peers
and they have been successful in their teaching situations. I created a Google Doc for all of
the resources that I thought would be helpful with my students and am slowly working
through the list trying to figure out ways to integrate them into my lessons. One that was
mentioned, Mathletics, I already had experience using as I had used it with my grade two,
three and most recently, grade 7 class. I loved this resource and so did my primary students,
but my grade 7 students are less excited about it. They love playing the “game” aspect of it,
but are not super keen to move through the modules and answer the questions. Because of
this, we tend to use it as a way for my students to practice, review or solidify their skills.
Another great resource introduced was Geogebra. I had never heard of this before, but was
intrigued. Kathryn stated, “​Already I can imagine myself using it with geometry concepts, as
it allows the student to create and manipulate shapes. Another aspect I like is that there are
also already made resources by teachers that you can search – this hopefully would save a
little time!” Saving time is always a bonus, since as I mentioned earlier, we never seem to
have enough of it in a day! ​Trish introduced us to a bunch of AR and VR resources that I
can’t wait to explore further. My school was recently given Google Cardboard viewers for
each student, as well as 10 VR headsets. In May and June my students and I will be
exploring Chemistry. “​Ready to make Chemistry and Anatomy come to life… well your
students are going to LOVE ​Anatomy 4D​ and ​Elements 4D​. Imagine taking paper cubes with
the periodic table of elements and putting them together to create chemical reactions in front
of your eyes!” Thank you, Trish for these great resources! Finally, Khan Academy was a
resource that was continuously mentioned throughout this course. I had heard about it
before, but had never spent much time exploring it to see if I could use it with my students.
What I discovered that I loved about Khan Academy was that it covers both mathematics
and science topics, it’s free and it can be used across all grade levels. There are videos,
activities, and quizzes, and students can connect with other students around the world. Last
week, one of my students was struggling with a concept in class, I was able to use some of
the resources in this program to help with this. They sat in a quiet room, worked at their own
pace and left with a feeling of accomplishment. Goal accomplished!

Another aspect of module C that I found helpful was the opportunity to apply our
newly acquired knowledge and resources to help create lessons/units that could be
implemented into our classroom. The goal was to deal with some of the misconceptions that
our students have. One of the lessons that I created focused on area and perimeter, but I am
interested in trying out the lessons that were created by other students in this class. Tracy
created a lesson using Goegebra and number talks. Since I am not familiar with this
program, I am interested in sharing it with some of my colleagues that teach students in the
younger grades and I will be using it with some of my students who are still struggling with
the recall of basic facts. Tracy stated, “​...I strongly believe in the power of digital tools to
allow learners to access learning that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to experience.” I love
this statement! Using technology to help scaffold learning should be the goal of all teachers.
Another lesson that I am interested in exploring further was created by Sarah. Her lesson
focuses on the misconceptions students have when learning about fractions. “In a fractions
unit before moving onto mixed numbers students should have a strong understanding that a
fraction is part of a whole. When students begin to learn about mixed numbers and improper
fractions they often struggle to see what they mean conceptually as they have spent so
much time learning that fractions are part of a whole.” Although we have worked on fractions
already this year, I am hoping to integrate this when we review the concepts that we have
learned throughout the year.

Throughout this course, my thinking in regards to technology integration into the math
and science class has evolved. I always knew the importance of finding ways to authentically
integrate it into my daily lessons, but I tended to focus less on science and math and more
on English and social studies. I realize now that this was because I found it more difficult to
find resources in these subject areas. This is one of the main reasons why I chose to take
this course. Although, this course has been one of the most challenging ones that I have
taken so far (it’s my 7th), it has also been the most informative and reflective. It has pushed
me outside of my comfort zone and made me question some of my beliefs. I need to spend
the time to explore the resources presented in this course and continue to find relevant
resources so that my students can extend their learning of concepts that they find engaging
and interesting. This course has provided me with enough recommended resources to get
me started with this. I will also be sharing some of the more advanced resources with my
colleagues that teach grade 8-12 mathematics and science. As I stated above, many of the
obstacles that I struggled with at the beginning of the year in regards to technology, can
easily be overcome with enough determination. My learning journey continues… this time
with a little more focus on mathematics and science!