Google Classroom

Reflection

I found this Google classroom tools very interesting since it is very easy to use and fun too. Moreover, Google classroom tools create an interactive learning environment for teachers and students. In Google classroom we don’t have to meet face to face in order to discuss rather it saves time, keeps us organized, and helps you communicate with our students.

In Google classroom, teachers can create a classroom, invite students. Teachers can create an online classroom, invite students in the class then create and distribute assignments. With the Google classroom, students, and teachers can have conversations about the assignments and Teachers can keep update of the student learning progress.

I really liked Google classroom tools as I found it very effective and useful. Like sir said to us that we don’t save to carry drive and laptop with us every day as there is Google drive which helps us to organize our work and keep it safe in it. Even Google Classroom helps students to see who all have completed their works and who all did not. Even it helps to communicate directly with teachers and peers. Not only that we can provide direct feedback to individual students and even provides an announcement which is very much useful to both teachers and students in building positive learning attitudes.

Summary of what i understood

Eight Reflection

The following are the list of new things that I have learned through the implementation of the ICT module in the final year.

Ø I have learned how to use different multimedia software such as PowerPoint, to create presentations by using different designs and simulations.

Ø I also learned about Google Docs which was a total alien for me. it was a document authoring tool where many users can edit a document at the same time and edit each other’s work.

Ø I have learned how to create a blog and how it is used. But after sir taught us about the blog, I felt more interested to write in a blog. Now I knew that a blog can be utilized as a platform to showcase our own knowledge and skills. Through blogs, we can become a better writer by receiving feedback from the readers.

Ø In addition to the above-mentioned points, I was very much inspired and motivated to use and explore more on Camtasia after sir taught us how to use Camtasia in teaching and learning. Camtasia is a video recording and editing software which allows us to develop video tutorials.

The above knowledge and skills that I got through ICT are fun, interactive, and stimulating ways to learn. By now with the knowledge that I got from ICT, I feel confident to learn more with fun and interesting. Even in the future, I am excited and ready to let go and take a student-centered approach to teaching, not to a teacher-centered approach.

Google docs as a co-constructive tool

Seventh Reflection

After going through the notes that sir uploaded in vle I understood that the co-constructive tool is a tool that supports the construction of knowledge through a shared understanding. There are numerous of co-constructive tools such as Google Docs, Electronic whiteboard, Wikis, Discussion forum on portals etc.  Among many co-constructive tools, our ICT tutor guides us to make a google doc for each student.

After making Google Docs with the help of our ICT tutor I found it was a very powerful real-time collaboration and document authoring tool. Multiple users can create, edit, and share a document online and access them from any computer with an internet connection. One most advantage that I came across while I working with Google Docs is that we never have to remember to save a Google document because Google automatically saves our documents to our Google drive.

In Google docs we can easily format text and paragraph. We can even choose fonts, add links, images, and drawings and we can even produce text documents, slide presentations, spreadsheets, and surveys. Thus it provides a better opportunity to work as a team and results in effective learning.

• By using Google Docs, we have made one lesson plan incorporating ICT in group of 3 members.

ICT as a source of constructive tool

Sixth Reflection
Constructivism is an approach to learning that holds people actively construct or makes their own knowledge and that reality is determined by the experiences of the learner (Elliott et al.,2000:256). It believes in the personal construction of meaning by the learner through experience. There many many constructive tools such as Multimedia authoring tools, MS Publisher, Camtasia, etc. Among those tools our ICT tutor mainly focused on Camtasia. So I enjoyed learning Camtasia in the ICT module.

After our ICT tutor guide us on how to use Camtasia in teaching and learning I was very much inspired and motivated to use and explore more on Camtasia. I watched the video tutorial about how to use Camtasia that sir has uploaded on vle and I tried to explore on that day after watching it. After going through the video tutorial I knew that Camtasia is a video recording and editing software which allows us to develop video tutorials.

Self-reflection
While I was making my video tutorial on the topic adding decimals to thousandths which is for class five mathematics, I observed myself that Camtasia can record on-screen activity all the while allowing us to narrate whatever we are doing on the screen. It helps to create interesting tutorials that can be uploaded directly on YouTube and can even upload on google classroom. When I was making a video tutorial which is my assignment I did mistake in between. So I found it a little boring but we can edit our videos using Camtasia. It can import media from anywhere and create stunning interactive content.

Another great thing about Camtasia is that there is no time limit to any video which is recorded. This makes it easier for people who often have to develop tutorials which are varied in duration.

It allow us to arrange videos, audios, and images on an unlimited number of tracks. We just need to get creative and we would be surprised by the kind of videos we can produce using Camtasia. It compromises of per-installed music tracks, images, and videos. This way we don’t have to look for relevant material or waste time. In fact, we could simply make use of their already available interesting content and develop powerful presentations.

 Interesting visual effects like cursor effects, shadows, coloring objects, and borders allow us to customize our videos and make them look more professional. It was fun working with Camtasia and what I realized is that we can use our creativity and do magic with Camtasia. It makes teaching and learning fun.  

• Below is the video that I created using Camtasia on topic adding decimals to the thousandth.

  

• My friends really enjoyed the video tutorial that I have created. I got lots of positive feedback from my friends.

ICT as a source of communication tool

Fifth Reflection
Communication tools are the applications that enable easy communication between the teachers and the students, amongst students beyond the physical barrier either by space, time, or both of the classrooms. The following are the examples of communication tools: email, electronic bulletin boards, online chat, video and web conferencing, social networking sites like blog, journal diary that is on the internet. Of all the ict based communicative tools that we have seen earlier, in this module our ict tutor focused on blogging

A blog is an online journal or informational website displaying information in the reverse chronological order, with the latest posts appearing first (Skraba.A,2018). It is a platform where a writer shares their views on an individual subject. It is very important to mention that blogging grows each day.

Reflection

After having a blog, I have seen many people blogging and I do read some of the blogs especially blogs written by Passing Tshering popularly known as Passu. Till I reached in fourth year in college I don’t have any idea about blogs and didn’t have any idea how to go about it. After our ICT tutor taught us how to create a blog through video conference I was very much inspired and motivated to create my own blog. At first, I thought that creating a blog would be a difficult one but it wasn’t a difficult task when I follow the guidelines given by our tutor. 

Moreover, I had watched the video from youtube to get more information on how to create a blog. In fact, it was as easy as creating any other media accounts like Face book, WhatsApp, we chat, etc. After creating a blog I got an opportunity to share my understandings of different topics. When we post our write-ups, we even have selected members or anybody to comments on write-ups. Maintaining a blog lets me share on different topics. It also gives me an opportunity to comment on other writings. Moreover maintaining a blog, lets us write anything where don’t care about right and wrong. Blogging gives us the right to work from any location and at any time. Through blogs, we can reach the billions of people that use the internet.

Blogging lets us promote our writing habits because it is a part where we can express ourselves and share our passion through writing. Writing gives us time to organize our thoughts as well as re-think, re-phrase, delete, edit and change our beliefs. That’s the beautiful thing about writing. It allows us to analyze the coherence and logic behind our thinking. This exercise can eventually become a part of our mental thought process in everyday life, leading us to become better thinkers.

Benefits for integrating technology in teaching and learning

Forth Reflection
Through integrating ICT in teaching methods, students gain a genuine learning experience, collaboratively constructing their own knowledge and applying their learning’s in a real-world context. The use of ICT techniques in learning/teaching has a very positive influence on a student’s learning capabilities as well. It is established that students reflect in a very positive manner towards work and education when they are using computers to complete tasks given to them, encouraging and motivating them to soak in the knowledge.

The refined and present-day systems, such as, video conferencing, virtual reality and 3D animation, it empowers students and teachers to work together in ways that mirror a 
comprehensively constructive way to deal with training.



It augments the student’s quick learning environment, offering extraordinary chances to push learning past the bounds of the classroom. This improves the retention capacity of the students, brings in more focus, and makes the whole process enjoyable.

Self Reflection on communication tool

Third Reflection

Through ICT, the work can be done more effectively and easily. As a teacher or an instructor, we can develop material and the way of teaching to the students in the simplest form so that the students can understand the lesson clearly. For instance, our ICT tutor taught us with one video clip on how to design an effective PowerPoint presentation. Sir told us in this generation the students are more advance and according to it, we have to design our lesson by using different ICT and communication tools rather than following the practices of digital immigrants.

The use of ICT enhances the student’s creativity, become competent enough, explore and motivate them towards positive learning. Fortunately, I feel blessed that I am introduced to the ICT module in this final semester which changed my entire notion of ICT. Before I never thought that ICT can be integrated into teaching and learning as I thought it was used differently. So with the help of ICT, I have learned how to use different multimedia software such as PowerPoint, to create presentations by using different designs. Moreover, I have learned how to create a simulation. Even I knew that a simulation can be utilized as a platform to showcase our own knowledge and skills to advertise something new.

• The following is the PowerPoint presentation that I have made.