Week 8 reflection

This week I learned about Project-Based Learning. This was such an interesting topic that I will need to revisit once in the classroom teaching. PBL is a teaching method that allows students to gain knowledge and skills by working to research and respond to a real-life question, problem, or challenge. Project-based learning is reshaping the way educators used to teach and how students used to learn. PBL promotes 21st-century skills like digital literacy, problem solving, collaboration, and critical thinking.  

PBL deepens the educational experience for students and learners in such a huge way. For educators, the roles switch from instructor to facilitator. Educators guide students to asking meaningful questions and managing resources rather than just providing content to review. To show how disciplines relate to one another in the real world, PBL encourages teachers to integrate multiple subjects into their projects. Teachers are encouraged to reflect on their approaches and results through project design and assessment, which fosters ongoing professional development. 

Week 7 reflection

In week 7, I learned more about ChatGPT and prompt engineering. I believe ChatGPT can have an enormous impact on teaching and learning. For educators, this tool can be used to personalize lesson plans and help students feel confident when it comes to mastering subjects. Students can benefit from this technology, as they are able to use it to look up things or topics, they are unsure of.  This can also result in students learning how to precisely ask questions and improve their analytical skills. This can give students the confidence to present and discuss subjects comfortably. As for educators, this technology can be used to create different lesson variations for students at different proficiency levels. This technology can also be used to develop creative lesson plans and interactive classroom activities. Most importantly, the use of ChatGPT helps teachers stay at the forefront of upcoming technologies.  

ChatGPT can deepen the education experience for teachers and students by increasing engagement and enabling personalized learning. ChatGPT accommodates varying learning styles, speeds, and levels of knowledge by customizing explanations to each user's needs. Educators can use this technology to pose challenging questions and scenarios to students allowing them to spark interest in exploring and research. This technology can be used by educators to research creative teaching strategies and projects. However, it is extremely important for educators to develop a lesson on how to effectively use AI in the classroom or for educational purposes. If students are taught how to use responsibly, there can be a clear understanding of ethical dilemmas such as plagiarism and misinformation.  

Week 6 reflection

In week six, I learned about Google My Maps. I did not know this free tool existed and I am so excited to have learned how to create one. Now that I learned more about it and even created my own personalized map, I believe an assignment like this can really benefit students. Students learning can be enhanced by using this tool's engaging and personalized approaches to exploring and interpreting geographic data. Students can customize a map, adding lines, shapes, information, videos, or highlight specific areas to better understand geographic concepts. These maps can then be shared amongst classmates to foster collaboration.  They can pinpoint historic or cultural landmarks to learn more about them.  

For educators, this tool can be an excellent assignment as it can be tailored to specific lessons. An assignment like this can foster creativity and curiosity in students promoting critical thinking as they analyze, interpret, and evaluate real context. This tool can be used to teach different topics such as science, history, geography, and economics. This is also an excellent tool to use for a research project, allowing students to gather information on a historic location. Regardless of how this tool is used in the classroom, students will be left with skills that extend beyond the classroom.