Well, that was a learning experience!! Not the kind I was hoping for, but valuable nonetheless. First of all, I need to own the part I played in this experience. Had I checked Mattermost on Sunday, I would have been more familiar with the lesson’s plan and familiarized myself with the software. I didn’t do this and as a consequence, suffered. I think it’s always important, in any negative situation, to recognize the part you play. I believe there is always something you could have done differently to improve your outcome. Anyway, I digress, this presentation was definitely an example of a MAC being a far superior product than Windows. I navigate an iphone daily and love the device, but am still a PC user when it comes to my laptop. However, in this instance, imovie was clearly better. Openshot was cumbersome and I’m pleased to say it wasn’t just my age that was the deterrent, many of my classmates that have Windows were struggling too.
The lesson learned though – as I looked around the room and saw classmates showing their recently edited videos with added graphics and sound while I’m just trying to download the software – was the frustration and despondency I felt at not being able to do the lesson and feeling alone and stupid. I must never forget this feeling because that is how many students feel daily. Whether it is a gap in their reading ability, too many missed classes or a simple processing error, kids feel like giving up too. If you can spot that student and jump in with support, be it yourself or asking another student who understands to help can make the world of difference in their participation. If I can do so discretely, I will let them know that I’ve been in their shoes when I was in university. My other cohort members soared ahead and I was stuck asking for help repeatedly. The difference is, I know how to advocate for myself, not all students do and it’s those little beans I need to not let slip through the cracks.
morgans
October 9, 2021 — 9:19 pm
Hey Christie! I really appreciate what you wrote in this blog. I think accountability with learning is such an important thing to remember. I admire your humility and honesty about your learning experience, and how you talked about your actions made an impact with your ability to follow along in class. This is a great example for students to look at and understand why it is important that they take action for their own learning. I also really appreciate how you mentioned your own frustrations, and connected that to teaching. That understanding and empathy is so important when it comes to teaching children. Thanks for Sharing!