I was very excited as we headed into our first in-situ at Lindsay Park Elementary School. The experience was overall enjoyable and interactive. Assisting in the library with Mrs. Rice, as well as in Ana’s room, provided two very different experiences.Working with the kids in the library was straightforward. They were already familiar with the EPIC app, and using iPads made navigation much easier for them. I think this was much easier as they had had experience using touch screens before. Although they were a bit rowdy, they quickly settled down as Mrs. Rice used a clap to regain their attention. After they had understood how to login to their apps the students became focused, and enjoyed listening to and reading their new books.Transitioning to Ana’s classroom presented a different atmosphere. The kids were once again very excited, but they encountered a bit more difficulty using the computers compared to the iPads. They faced some challenges but were enthusiastic in demonstrating how to use the EPIC program on their computers as well. However, I noticed that the classroom’s internet connection was significantly slower, and there were issues with the volume, which only worked half of the time. I overall felt that after switching classrooms, navigating the technology for both classrooms became much easier for the kids to explain.
Gibbs Reflection Cycle
Description: We headed into our first in-situ at Lindsay Park Elementary School. During this time student teachers assisted students in the library with Mrs. Rice, as well as in Ana’s room. In the library student teachers faced the task of helping students log into EPIC! on the school ipads. Working with the kids in the library was straightforward. They were already familiar with the EPIC app, and using iPads made navigation much easier for them. Working with students in Ana’s classroom students were quite handy with using the EPIC! Website, but struggled with the internet connection as well as navigating the mouse.
Feeling: The experience was overall enjoyable and interactive. Students were excited to work with all the student teachers and eager to help us understand the online platforms. I felt excited to be in the school working with the kids, and was happy they felt the same way.
Evaluation: Looking back, this teaching experience taught me some valuable lessons. I discovered the read-along feature on EPIC, and I believe it’s a fantastic way for children to read along while listening to the book. This can be highly beneficial for their English language development. Students were happy to show new teachers and able to demonstrate. I was also taught that students are eager to help you as a teacher as well as other surrounding students. By these students being put into desk groups they were able to help their group mates.
Analysis: This experience taught me the significance of listening to students and how helpful they can truly be, especially in how I would treat my future students. These students exemplified kindness, were respectful, and there were few students that were troublesome. This experience also taught me the importance of integrating technology into our classrooms and how technology can become beneficial to their long-term learning.
Conclusion: Overall, I personally believe that EPIC! is something I could see myself using in future classrooms as having an accessible platform like this can help struggling students. This platform can not only be used for younger students but all students of the elementary ages. Therefore, by integrating this into new classrooms we can improve our learning of the English language.
Action Plan: My action plan is to integrate this into my own personal classrooms. Students are able to work on their English learning skills as well and technology skills which are two important skills in our growing society.