Blog Post #10: Wrapping it all up!

Hello Everyone! 

    Hi everyone, and welcome back to my final blog post, where I will finally wrap up this crazy project. I first want to wish everyone a happy almost end of the semester, and I hope everyone has the energy and strength to power through these last few weeks. For this post, I will be stepping back and taking on the role of a learning facilitator. At the same time, I reflect upon my experience completing a genius hour project. 

   I first want to start with the topic of inquiry-based learning and if I would incorporate a project like that into my future classroom. Overall I would say I enjoyed my experience with inquiry-based learning. Having the option to choose my topic and the direction of my project allowed me to become more invested in the process. It motivated me to try my best every week. I will say, however, that this process was not an easy one, and it required maturity and accountability. Every week, it was on me to make sure that I was putting in my 60 minutes and actively pursuing my goal every week. I could see how easy it could be to fall behind on a project like this. I would not advise pursuing a project like this with anyone other than senior level students. Looking forward to incorporating this into my classroom, I could see myself assigning a project like this to my senior drama class. In this class, I would ask students to group up and select a topic they wish to explore further (ex., rising gas prices, the war in Ukraine etc.). I would structure the course similar to this one, where students have half of the class to work on their project/performance. The other half would be the instructional time, where I would cover various performance styles that the students could use in their performance. Drama would be an excellent subject for an inquiry-based project. It is open enough for students to explore their ideas freely and offers an ideal environment for collaborative learning. 

  Moving on to the technological aspect of this project and this course, I can say that I genuinely enjoyed learning and implementing new forms of technology throughout my project. This course has taught me so much. The main takeaway for me is that technology is something that I should embrace and actively seek out rather than mindlessly adding it to a lesson. There were so many great websites and resources that this course showed me and plenty of little tricks that I've added to my technology repertoire. I think technology can be valuable for a class and add so much excitement and curiosity to any given subject when used correctly. I say used correctly as this course has also taught me that when technology is not organized and thought out, it can deter student learning. When online activities are difficult to understand, this could make the students unmotivated. Still, it can also easily frustrate an entire class as the communication lines aren't clear. I'm taking away from this whole experience a newfound love for technology and a drive to master the resources I know and strive to find new platforms and sites to improve my repertoire. 

  Lastly, I want to address some implications for my teaching style. After this class, I see myself effectively using and implementing a google suite classroom. I feel confident in my technological abilities. I believe that I can be that cool teacher who breaks out a mind-blowing PowerPoint or finds a new way to review subject material other than a simple Kahoot. Most importantly, though, I feel comfortable asking for help when I am confused about technology. I know that I can turn to any of the resources given in this class, my fellow teachers or even the internet to find the answer I need. With all of these thoughts in mind, I can confidently say that I am ready to use technology in my classroom. I'm excited to implement everything I've learned so far! 

  Thank you so much for reading my last blog and accompanying me on this journey! I wish you all the best, and I hope that there are many smooth lesson plans in your future! 

Signing off for now :)  

Luca D'Amico