My Microteaching was an interesting experience, I have found that I struggle to teach when I can't see if my learners (peers) are understanding or not or see their faces for some feedback, it certainly is easier in the sense where I could ramble on but remembering to keep asking for feedback can sometimes be tricky.
knowing this, and reflecting on my last microteaching experience I wanted to use a tool where I was forced to remember to ask for feedback and to see if everyone was on the same page. therefore I used a platform called NearPod where I was able to design lessons that had multiple interactive tools such as polls, quizzes and writing boards, I found that this really helped everyone stay engaged as well as interacting with the content.
I think my lesson went really well and I enjoyed teaching the content, after looking at my peers feedback I found that maybe I need to find a better way of getting my learners onto the application because it did take some time and some struggled to get on. It also took time for the lesson to load so I think I need to log in ahead of time and ask learners to do the same before we even start our lesson.
I struggled with time management as the application sometimes stalled on my end, to fix this in the future I may have to find a more stable internet connection or reboot the application.
this was a lovely learning experience and I enjoyed both the content and the teaching of it. It was lovely to have such interactive peers.
It was really fun using a new tool to teach content and I know that if I ever work in a school that learners have access to laptops/tablets I will definitely use it again!
Doing my online microteaching for the second time I have learnt new and interesting skills, I have never been very good at using technology so this has aided me in not only learning new and innovative ways in which to use technology but also to the numerous benefits. I challenged myself with using a site I had not only not heard of but also one that I knew would be difficult for me to use, all to improve my teaching practices. I have learnt that learners respond really well to technology and through platforms that they can interact with. This is one of many platforms I look forward to implementing into my future classroom.
Things that I have taken away from using different platforms are:
- You can be so much more creative using online platforms, there literally is no limit!
- Learners love change (even when I don't), having a change in their immediate environment allows for them to not only engage with new platforms but helps them retain information differently. For example when I chatted to my peers about my microteaching they couldn't remember what I taught and when I mentioned that it had the quizzes, polls and questions they immediately mentioned not only my topic but the information I taught, so that taught me that people learn not only through content but also through experiences.
- Technology doesn't need to be scary, but it needs to be effective. I still believe that using technology isn't always necessary, learners are always interacting with technology at home so I do believe that there is time in the classroom for chalk-and-talk (learner-centered) - unlike during the pandemic or other national disasters; however it can be a very fun and effective when used correctly, I believe that my use of technology in my microteaching was simple but effective where learners were not just bombarded with slides of information but rather given the opportunity to interact with their content in a meaningful and memorable way.
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