Final Self Reflection

The final requirements for ED638 “Teaching with the Internet”

Francis Noel P. Labrador

Dr. Matilda Rivera

January 18, 2014

Introduction

                ED638 has been a tremendously arduous course. It has been a long while that I have to manage my time as an educator, student, and caretaker.  I also neglected the fact that Intercession courses are more difficult, considering shortened class sessions crammed with daily assignments and projects.  Yet, I managed to survive and offer my best work to the professor.  Her perpetual support only deserves the highest quality of work from me.  In this reflection, I will describe how the course made an impact on me in three ways; personal development, professional development, and technological development. 

Personal Development

                During the course, I developed a skill that I often times failed to utilize, which is time management.  I am not very good at time management because I would often acquire new tasks without finishing the first one.  I still cannot shake off my overachieving habits and would always put so much time in one project without thinking that the other one has a shorter deadline.  However, this year I was able to focus on which priorities to do and which deadlines to meet.  However, it was short-lived after an unexpected situation at home rendering myself to emotional upheaval.

 Despite a sense of hopelessness, I began to type out my frustrations in the class blog, which in one case I apologized for the over-share. I also started informing my professor of my situation after missing my first assignment in January.  When I felt like giving up, a small ray of light shined at the corners of my eyes.  Dr. Rivera accepted my apologies and situation and allowed me to continue working on what is required for the course.  The modest spark of kindness from my professor signaled my mind, that someone has faith in my potential and is willing to give me a second opportunity to do better.  Although I am a couple assignments behind, I spent the last days and countless hours completing the final requirements of the course--this reflection is one of them. At this point I need to digress, as my last few reflections did not necessarily describe how I improved on my time management skills.  But, in any case, I am more aware of deadlines and have been frequently using a calendar, as well as an app planner on my phone for the first time.   This habit is definitely what I need to improve my time management skills and this course has introduced it to me. 

Professional Development

                The course has shared a multitude of websites and internet tools that educators can use in their lessons.  In fact, I began utilizing some of them in my classroom.   These resources have allowed me to develop more creative lesson plans for students.  Holding the responsibility as a department chairperson for John F. Kennedy High School, I also decided to share all these wonderful resources to my Fine and Practical Arts Department.  I figured that they would need all the assistance they can get, especially when attempting to implement literacy projects and common core standards into their lesson plans.   After reviewing several websites, I managed to find resources I could use in the classroom.  I have truly grown as a professional educator during the break. 

Technological Development

                I never thought that a “tech-savvy” individual, such as myself, would acquire new skills and knowledge involving the internet.  I was just fortunate that my prior experiences kept me from getting lost or confused when navigating through CMS and other online resource tools.   This is, perhaps, the most valuable experience I ever had in the course; the opportunity to experiment with various internet tools.  Although I am very proficient in graphic editing and other media software, I seldom have time to explore resources online. In the course, I am given a list of tools to explore which makes it easier for me to look for ways to improve my teaching.   Even if the course had ended, I would continue to exploring this list and hopefully, I could be able to use any of them in the near future. 

Conclusion

                Well, what can I say? It has been an enlightening experience being in this course.  I was just simply walking through a garden of mango trees and was fortunate to discover the most fruitful one filled with delicious wonders.   All I could do is just pluck away on all the delicious mangoes and enjoy every moment of it under a cool, refreshing shade.  And maybe, after eating so many mangoes, I would try it in different ways. Maybe pickled or juiced? Frozen or cooked?  Whichever method I use, I know it will be a mouth-watering experience.  I hope my metaphor was on point. I am not used to writing in this manner, but wouldn’t hurt to try it out once in a while.  Thank you, Dr. Matilda Rivera for everything!