Final Reflection EDU 777

 Final Reflection

Learning Specialist/Instructional Specialist Proposal

Source: Boom Cards Website

Overview:

For the past 7 weeks we put together a proposal to fix a problem or need in our classrooms using technology.  After we identified our need we hypothesized a solution utilizing technology and implemented that solution.  The problem I identified was the lack of time teachers have to plan and grade.  I proposed implementing a technology tool, Boom Cards.  Boom Cards is a user friendly platform that allows teachers to assign pre-made or created cards that are formative assessments.  The platform self-grades so that alleviates time planning and grading. We implemented our tech tool and then held a peer review or reflection on the implementation.  I thought the implementation of Boom Cards in my classroom was successful and will move forward with utilizing my purchased license of Boom Cards on a weekly basis. 

 

How has the process been?

The process of creating and implementing this proposal was pretty simple and fun.  I enjoyed trying something new and learning about different tech tools that I can implement within the classroom.  This is definitely something that I can repeat year to year if need be. 

Have there been challenges? 

Yes, there have been challenges with creating and implementing this proposal but that was expected as this is a new process to me.  One challenge was reaching out to see if Boom Cards could be paid for by my district, the answer was no.  Our district puts out a lot of money on tech and they want the teachers to use the tech that has been purchased.  That being said, I did get the green light to purchase and implement Boom Cards on my own with my own money.  An additional challenge was setting up the peer review of the implementation process.  My original problem was the fact that teachers lack time, so getting some of my peers to help me out was a challenge as everyone is very busy during the school day. 

Are you still excited about your topic and believe in its potential? 

Yes! I'm still excited about Boom Cards.  I think it is an awesome tool for teachers to use and it is easy to use for both teachers and students.  The format of the actual Boom Cards activities is very engaging and much better than worksheets which Boom Cards has replaced. 

 What has been the most positive aspect of your journey? 

The most positive aspect of this journey is finding out the ease of implementing new tech and trying out new things in the classroom.  I've been teaching 18 years and found myself sticking to my comfort zone.  It was nice to try new things out and I feel revived on the ease of assigning a formative assessment through Boom Cards, gone are the days of me creating a worksheet, all I have to do is purchase an activity for a reasonable price and assign it to my class. 

The most negative (if any!)?  

There were no negatives while taking this class or working through the steps of this proposal. I really liked how the the proposal used scaffolding and broke down the assignment into manageable steps.  Knowing how I am, if the assignment wasn't created like this, I would have probably waited to the last minute to get it done and would have been overwhelmed. 

What do you think of the Technology Specialist roles of Learning Specialist and Instructional Designer now?

I believe the technology piece of being a Learning Specialist and Instructional Designer is key to engaging our new generation of students.  Society is using more and more tech and students are being exposed to tech at younger ages.  Also, employers are also demanding that students be more prepared to use tech in the workforce.