Saying Goodbye...

 One Last Reflection

     Hello everyone, or should I say goodbye? As you can guess from the title, this is my final post, and it is time to say farewell. With the fall term coming to an end, we are preparing for final exams and wrapping everything up. In this post, I would like to share my final reflections on the course and its assignments.

     I believe that in the 21st century, every teacher candidate should be familiar with current technologies and advancements. That's why, Current Issues in Teaching course was highly beneficial, as it helped us become familiar with emerging technologies and gain firsthand experience using them. One small challenge about the course was that group work required a fixed number of students, and a more flexible grouping system could have been more efficient.

     Working with my peers was generally easy since we are now quite experienced with group work. Additionally, last year’s Instructional Technologies and Materials Design course helped me adapt to the similar procedures used in this class. However, generating creative ideas was sometimes challenging for me.

     My favorite task was the AI-Integrated Teaching Material, as the process was smooth and I believe that our idea was both fun and creative. On the other hand, my least favorite task was creating a Flipped Teaching Video, since I was not familiar with producing educational videos, which made the process more challenging.

     To future students, I would recommend being open to trying new technologies and adapting to advancements, as these skills are essential in today’s educational context and necessary for this course.

     Overall, this course contributed greatly to my personal and professional development. Frequent group work strengthened my teamwork skills, and learning approaches such as flipped teaching enriched my instructional knowledge. I believe these experiences will be valuable in my future teaching career.

Thank you, take care, and goodbye! 😊

Final Reflection Blog Post

 

Goodbye!

      Hello, and welcome one last time, everybody! I have reached the end of my second year and fourth semester, which means this is my final post for the “Instructional Technologies and Material Design in English Language” class. Let’s take a moment to look back and reflect on what I have learned throughout the semester.

     Before taking this course, I never realized how broad technology integration in English language teaching could be. I was not aware that creating blogs, podcasts, videos, engaging in online collaborative writing, and more could all be a part of an English class. This course truly broadened my perspective.

     I believe that one of the best ways to learn is by doing something firsthand. We started by learning the basics, and then we applied what we learned through firsthand tasks. I find this approach very valuable, especially because one day we’ll be teaching English ourselves to our students. Having firsthand experience is essential for giving effective lessons. By creating a blog and updating it regularly, with tasks ranging from making infographics to chatting with an AI bot, I developed creativity, responsibility, teamwork skills, and familiarity with various digital tools and platforms. I also learned how to apply them effectively in English language teaching.

     When I look back, I still remember the first tasks I completed. One of the most challenging for me was creating an infographic. It was something I had never done before, and starting from scratch was difficult. Planning and learning the tools took time, but it was a valuable experience. On the other hand, I genuinely enjoyed most of the assignments. Most of them involved creativity, which I loved. One of my favorites was the digital storytelling task. Making a video related to art was especially meaningful for me, since I already had experience with drawing, filming, and editing. It felt both familiar and enjoyable.

     Overall, I found this course to be highly effective in teaching new skills through hands-on experience. I do not have any suggestions for improvement. I think it succeeded in its goals.

Goodbye! 😊