Final reflection

What did I know about what we have done this course?

When we started this course I knew that some of the things that we were going to see I was going to know them because I really like technology and I like to discover new resources on my own and keep up to date with the new websites that come out. But even so I have learned new tools and apps and also how to do new things in the ones that I already knew.

The tools that they already knew were Excel, Kahoot, Blogger, Powtoon, Audacity and Genially. Most of them I have used them during the degree and in the case of Excel and Audacity I was taught how to use them in high school.

What have I learned?

However, I learned that in Kahoot you can combine two quizzes, how to do the interactive images in Genially and how to use the condition that if a grade is lower than "x" it will automatically turn red in Excel. I also learned a lot of new resources such as Mysimpleshow, Interactive White Board, Story Jumper, Hot Potatoes, Educaplay, Quizlet, Quizziz, etc. 

What is going to be the most useful for me? And the least? Why?

I believe that the most useful tool for me as a future teacher will be the interactive white board. I think that somehow you can live without knowing how to use the other tools or if you don't know how to use one, find a similar one, but the IWB is indispensable nowadays. Learning to do exercises on it this makes me feel more prepared and confident in the future since it will not be something completely new for me but I will know how to use it in a more intuitive way.

I would say that the least useful tool is hot potatoes. I think it is very time consuming to get a result that other websites do online and in a simpler and faster way. Also the activities you can do are nothing new or original so I think it is not worth downloading it to do something simple that can be done online.

What have I liked the most?

My favorite tool is Storyjumper, I never thought creating online books would be possible and easy to do. It was something I really enjoyed doing and I think it has a lot of potential to implement it in class, as it is very engaging and attractive for students.

What were you able to do with technology when the course started and what are you able to do now?

I think I can more or less do the same things I used to do, but now I definitely have more alternatives to do the same type of activity, for example if I had to do a quiz I would have used Kahoot, however, now, I know that there are different options like Quizziz or Socrative. Same thing with presentations, I only knew Powerpoint and now I could also use Genially.

What do you think teachers in general and language teachers in particular should know about technology?

I believe that all teachers should have basic technology skills. There is no need on being a professional, but knowing basic things and different resources is essential. For language teachers it is really important to know about the different online dictionaries like Cambridge or Collins that provide reliable information and also other types of dictionaries like the collocation dictionary like Online Oxford Collocation Dictionary. As language teachers we will be working in English constantly and it is normal that doubts arise because we are not native speakers. For this reason, knowing these reliable websites is essential since many times tools such as google translate do not give us the correct answer. In addition, in online dictionaries we can consult something instantly, unlike with a conventional dictionary that takes some time to find what we want.

How do you think this course has helped you to become a more effective teacher?

I think that now that I know so many websites I can compare them and know which ones are more effective and if I find a new one I will know if it is useful or not. I also believe that I can create more diverse activities that help me develop the content I want to work on and better adapt to the interests and abilities of students.