In this post, I will reflect on my previous two meetings with my colleague, who generously reviewed my inquiry thus far and offered some guidance as I head into practicum next week.

First Meeting:

My peer reviewer pointed two important areas of my inquiry that are yet to be addressed. The first we discussed was my school’s BYOD policy and the social and academic effects it might have on my students who do not have daily access to technologies like smartphones. Admittedly, this is a valid and grounding rule for me moving forward. Failure to ensure equal access to technologies in the classroom would fly in the face of one of the B.Ed. programs underlying themes – equity. I myself bought my first smartphone when I was 21 years old. All I had in high school was a flip phone. This means that I had to find and implement strategies that would reduce student stress and pressure, as well as promote harmony in the classroom. One strategy that was suggested to me was to ask for volunteers to bring in their devices – one per student group – the day of the activity, where they would then be assigned the role of video editor.

The second area that needed to be addressed was on how I would use the SAMR model in my lesson planning. Before I can do this, I first need to find technologies that either all my students or the school have access to.

Second Meeting:

In this meeting I came to my peer reviewer with two specific technologies I intend to explore in greater detail – video gaming and virtual reality. My peer reviewer advised me to think about how I would keep students engaged, especially those who – for example – disliked video gaming. I plan on incorporating a choose-your-own-adventure video game from the Canadian War Museum website called Over the Top. I plan on polling student interests and emotion by having them fill out a Mood Meter handout as an exit slip. As teachers, we have to be willing to take risks, but these risks are meaningless if students are not adequately prepared to meet them and if teachers do not assess their impact.

Until next time,
Alex M.