Reflection

They say hindsight is 20/20 and this certainly was the case reflecting upon this unit.  While I am very pleased with the students’ response, enthusiasm, and outcome, there were a few things I would do differently when implementing this lesson in the future.  One of the most significant lessons I have learned as a student teacher is the importance of time management.  No where could this be more evident than our use of the computer lab.  Because there were two teachers in the classroom, we had the ability to take some students down to the lab to work in Hyperstudio while others worked in the room.  I know this would be unrealistic in a real classroom.  To utilize time most efficiently in the computer lab, I would take all students down at the same time.  While some worked on math, english, or other educational software programs, a few students would work on the Hyperstudio project with the teacher.  With any new project, things will run more smoothly with time and practice. 

It is a wonderful feeling to take an idea, put things together, and watch students bring it to life.  No matter how much time you spend preparing a project or unit, the outcome is still somewhat of a mystery.  How will the students react?  Will they be challenged and excited about the unit?  Will the student’s writings’ reflect the creativity that I know they are capable of achieving?  Indeed this unit has done that.  The students creativity and enthusiasm made this an extremely rewarding experience.  It helped to re-affirm my faith that this is why I became a teacher!