Education in the digital Age Dr.

Panos Vlachopoulos

Alternative Assignment One (30%)

Reflective Blogging during Teaching Experience 5

Please complete 4 entries in your private blogs. You will have to reflect on your own practice during
your TE in the school. Try to address the questions below (all of them) in a way that goes beyond
merely description. You can reflect in any order you wish (for example, you can start with question 2,
then 3 and so on). Although there is no set word limit, try to stay in the range between 400 to 600
words per posting. Less than 400 words will be considered a poor posting (see Grading Criteria on
the back of the page).

Please DO NOT mention the name of the school, the names of the pupils, or the name of any staff
member of the school, for confidentiality reasons.

New Technologies in Primary Teaching

Sample Questions/ Blog post titles:

1. Me, and technology: After a classroom/teaching experience, think:

What happened in my class today? Did I use any form of technology in my teaching? Why
/Why not? Can I think of a way that technology could help me improve my teaching
approach? Give an example!

2. The teaching and learning environment:

Think back to your childhood, as a pupil. What do you remember about the school
environment, the classroom set up, any available equipment for teachers etc? How different is
the situation now, in the school you are in? Why do you think is that (please give reasons
even if you think or observe that the situation has not changed that much...)

3. You, your colleagues and technology:

Talk to other teachers in the staff room, and try to find out what is their attitude towards
technology. Do they use any technology? Why/ Why not? Report in your blog their views. Do
you agree with the reasons they offered?

4. The school of the future:

How do you think that the school and classroom environment you have experienced over your
TE5 could be improved? Can you see any ‘opportunities’ to integrate technology in the
particular school/ or classroom? What are the opportunities? How would the changes you
suggest help you become a better teacher?
Education in the digital Age Dr. Panos Vlachopoulos

GRADE DESCRIPTORS

A+, A, A- Content
Narrates the experience in a way that is highly illustrative and provides sufficient factual
context for reflection. Adopts a critical stance when reflecting on experience; notes changes
of views, attitudes or knowledge as well as areas for future learning and improvement.

B+, B, B- Content
Narrates the experience in a way that provides sufficient factual context for reflection.
Adopts a somewhat critical stance when reflecting on experience; may note changes of
views, attitudes or knowledge as well as areas for future learning and improvement.

C+, C, C- Content
Narrates the experience in a way that is factually descriptive, perhaps to the degree of being
trivial or superficial. Makes effort to reflect on experience, but reflection is superficial in that
a critical stance is not taken and little attention is given to changes of views or attitudes, or
areas for future learning and improvement

D+, D Content ( Re-submit, re-write the entries)

Narrates the experience in a way that is factually descriptive, with little or no reflection on
experience.
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E Content (Fail)

Does not fulfill minimum task requirements. Very little narrative of experience, and little or no
reflection on experience