POST 8: PLACEMENT PORTFOLIO

PROMPT:

On your blog, write a post summarizing and evaluating your placement.  Consider the following questions:

• Did you enjoy the experience? Why or why not?
• What went well with your placement?
• What difficulties did you have with your placement?
• Do you consider your placement a success?
• Do you think the project is useful/has value for IDC students/teachers/students of placement teachers?
• How could the project be improved for future IDC classes?

Everyone must complete the blog entry.  You only have to do one blog entry for the entire placement so if you worked with more than one teacher you can combine the response in one blog post.

MY THOUGHTS:

THIS IS NOT THE FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR. IT'S NOT. Okay maybe a little.

I love the idea of the IDC Placement project. In fact, it's the main reason why I took the course. I was so excited for this project to begin. I've been helping people with technology for as long as I can remember. So long as someone is willing to step a little outside their comfort zone and try new things, I'm there.

This is where we come in.

While I really love the concept of the assignment, it didn't work out as well as I would have liked. It was often difficult to meet with a teacher, or to actually accomplish much in our meetings. Every teacher has a different vision for what they want to achieve in the placement, and often these visions change.

One of our placements began with a tour of the Google Docs suite. We demonstrated all the uses Docs could have in this teacher's class. We suggested assignment submission and peer editing/brainstorming workshops. We were asked really specific questions that showed us the teacher had tried Google Docs before unsuccessfully. The main problem seemed to be that the previous class had been distracted by the flashiness of the technology, and as far as the content, the old way was just as good if not better for the teacher.

Boring, but effective.

We tried to prepare our teacher with all the necessary support and materials. We walked through various exercises, and created instructional materials for the students. When we finished, we were essentially told "thanks but no thanks". The teacher was not interested in implementing our ideas into the class routine. We spent the next few weeks serving as a "tech clinic" for the teacher. Each week we showed up to answer any questions the teacher had. We also helped a little bit with Weebly image banners. Looking back, I honestly feel unused, like our time could have been spent doing a lot more. I know I would have been willing to participate in lesson planning and execution. It seems like the teacher either wasn't interested or didn't fully understand the assignment. I'm disappointed.  I was really looking forward to giving back to Mackenzie teachers, who have given so much to me.

Barring the fact that we used Chrome, this was our placement.

Our other placement had its own set of challenges. Our teacher was really interested in the services we had to offer, and genuinely appreciated the input we gave. Unfortunately, scheduling was a big problem. Unlike our first teacher, who allowed us to set up a weekly meeting time, our second teacher had a much more hectic schedule. It was very difficult to arrange a meeting, and for a long time we weren't doing anything.

One day I'm going to post this on every Department Office in the school.

The other problem we had in this placement was that we had bit off more than we could chew (Oh now the picture makes sense, huh?). We planned a complex interactive website, with a Smartboard lesson, and a completely redeveloped ISP. Had we more time I would have been glad to do all this. But we only had time to introduce our teacher to Weebly and  its features, and set up a skeleton of a site. Unfortunately teachers are very busy people, and there wasn't a lot of time for "homework" between placement meetings. This would have sped up the process greatly, as nothing is retained when something is shown to you. You have to do it on your own (insert teacher babble about homework here). 

Another problem we had with the placement is that we tended to emphasize teaching skills over resource creation. I was tired of seeing teachers who hadn't used their Google Sites since their last placement meeting. For both placement teachers, I refused to move on to a new task until I was sure they were comfortable with the skill we had learned. It was important to me that they would continue with these skills after the placement ended. Because of this, we have a lot less to show for it. Many students go off and create whatever the teacher asks of them. I couldn't do that. When it comes to teaching teachers, I'm a teacher first and website designer second.

I'll do it.

I still plan to meet with this teacher because I really believe in the idea behind the placement. I honestly believe the placement is one of the most valuable assignments in all of high school. We learn customer service skills, interpersonal skills, ICT skills, and how to deal with deadlines. Most importantly, we learn to see teachers as people. The teachers learn some basic skills, and are able to see students in a different light. The only question I have is how the students of IDC Placement teachers are affected. It really depends on the placement. If teaching was emphasized, it gets passed on to the students. No student, however, is affected by an empty Google Site.

This doesn't do a whole lot.

If I were to assign this project, I would emphasize to students and teachers the various types of placements available.  Some teachers might want "Tech support" students. Others might have more of a "Web Designer" in mind. Some might even want a "Classroom tech expert" kind of placement. As a student, I would only sign up to work with a teacher who wanted a "teacher teacher", if that makes sense. Furthermore, I would require students and teachers to agree on a weekly meeting time before beginning the project. I would also tell students in advance if a resource is required for the portfolio, and have them decide on it before the start of the placement. Lastly, I would change the log into a passport to be signed by the placement teacher after each meeting. Similar to the Community Involvement passport, this sheet would remind students to log their time, as opposed to the Google Doc Log, which is easy to forget about.

These four items (type of placement, time of meeting, resource, and passport) would be included and addressed in a contract, which both students and teacher would have to sign before beginning the placement. I strongly recommend all these modifications. I could have used them well this semester.

All in all, I enjoyed my time working on the placement. Sure, some parts didn't go as planned. Nevertheless, I still liked the respect one gets when they're teaching teachers. I wouldn't consider my placements successes, but not all experiences are successful. I still learned from the process and will continue to work with my second placement teacher. Even if I don't have to, I want to see this placement to the end.

Finally, two random funny photos.