IDC Placement: How did it go?

The Placement that I got was to handle Grade 9 workshops. For the workshops, what we were told to do was this: Do research and find an app that assists students for education purposes. The app that our group decided on was Google Keep. It’s an app that assists all students in terms of school organization.

• Did you enjoy the experience? Why or why not?

So far the experience has been quite interesting, I’ve gotten the chance to work with my friends and other students in the class that I have not spoken to. I liked working with them because we got to think of so many good ideas on how we were going to show the cool features the app and how students will be able to navigate through the forum. Overall, I feel that the I had a good time working on this placement but there were times I was really stressed in regards to the set up for this. We feared that we would have major technical issues. We were constantly under stress when it came to getting ideas approved. That is because our group wanted to think everything through well enough so we avoid any issues what so ever. We spoke with each other to see if we had any suggestions for our fellow group members. The main reason as to why we were all stressed out is because all of us had multiple tests and assignments in the past weeks that maybe the stress from the those courses brought itself over to the IDC Placement.

• What went well with your placement?

I think a lot of things in our placement went well. Some of the things would have to be the the level of communication. We were all able to talk with each other in regards to any issues or concerns. We thought of a solid plan as to how our presentation will go and decided on what out portfolio piece would look like. Overall I would say that whenever it came to a group decision and future step, we were able to work well with one another.

• What difficulties did you have with your placement?

Some difficulties were the presentation and the struggle of coming up with something new, very fast. We faced technical issues and ended up distracting us. It resulted in us stuttering and speeding up the presentation. We received a lot of criticism but it was all good ideas that we can incorporate into out project . Unfortunately the timing of the presentation feedback was a little too close to our presentation date but when a lot of thinking and communication, I think our group can get our ideals and plans organized so that we are ready for Monday.

• Do you consider your placement a success?

As of now, I cannot talk about the success of our placement. However, I can say that I really hope our hard work pays off, we have a lot of things to work on but with the suggestions and our ability to work well with one another, we can showcase everything we’ve got to offer as a group.

• Do you think the project is useful/has value for IDC students/teachers/students of placement teachers?

In all honesty, I think this project is perfect when it comes to helping both students and teachers. It helps placement teachers relax from a long day of teaching and analyze the students’ presentation and creativity. This placement gives a lot for the IDC teacher but since the due dates for all assignments are at difference times, the workload for him/her won’t be as bad as it would’ve been if they all had one due date.

• How could the project be improved for future IDC classes?

One way that that it can be improved for are to have more assignments in this course such as a paragraph at the end of each week, highlighting the things that the group had gotten done during that time. Along with that, samples of work can be showed so that quick and simple feedback can be given back. That way students’ stress levels can be lowered and more problems will not pop up to cause students. All students want to do is make sure they cause their teacher and themselves no stress. Resulting in a beautiful product.

I really like this placement because I love to present and teach others. Teaching grade 9’s is a great opportunity for me because I was once a student in grade 9. Throughout the presentation I will be able to relate to the students and make sure they do not struggle as much as I did. Hopefully, with the help of Google Keep, the students will be at ease and lead a somewhat less stressful high school career.