Wow! I can't believe this amazing journey has come to an end. This course has been not only an eye opening experience, but also a time for reassurance and growth as a teacher. I have learned so much during this time. It was a pleasure hearing other teacher's experiences and seeing an Inquiry Lesson in action through a video. Before this class my only experience with Inquiry Based Learning was a training program that my school paid for several teachers to go through that was not that great. I ended the course not understanding the purpose, never seeing a lesson in action, and with a lot of weight on my shoulders to perform often and in excess. The students were unprepared and left in the dark with their learning. The lessons wound up being more of a waste of time than anything. Through this course, I was able to slowly break down the importance of inquiry, its different styles, and stages of learning.
Being a Technology Education teacher, I barely ever do not use technology in my lessons. After going through this course though, I have gotten the time and experience to reflect upon my practices enough to realize that yes I may have been using technology, but not as efficiently as I could have been for the sake of my student's learning. Understanding how and when to use different Web 2.0 tools to effectively allow my students to master concepts at each stage of the 5E's is key to their learning process.
In the near future, I foresee myself using inquiry often and in excess, but in an effective manner. Knowing when to use and mix up the different styles of inquiry will help aid me in this process. I will alter my current lessons and teaching practices to take less of the learning off of my shoulders and respectfully place the responsibility of learning in the students hands by providing them the opportunity to explore the content either guided, in groups, or on their own.
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