ISTE NETS-T.5.c. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership by evaluating and reflecting on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.
There are many opportunities and methods to stay current, such as online resources, district provided professional development, and collaboration with others. I have learned that in order to participate in professional development to enhance my teaching practice, I will need be a self-directed and motivated learner and pursue new ways to implement new technologies to enhance student learning. It will also be advantageous to develop a learning and collaborative environment with my colleagues so that we can help each other expand our understanding of new technologies and their effective applications in the classroom. It is beneficial for an educator to expand their teaching practice with the help of others and share thoughts and ideas, and resources and knowledge. This remains an ongoing and ever expanding process. It is my hope to continue to pursue new understanding over the course of my teaching career.
I am interested in ISTE NET-T.5.a. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership by participating in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of
ISTE NETS-T.3.c. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students and parents using a variety of digital-age media and formats.
Over my teaching career so far, I have communicated with parents face to face, through monthly classroom newsletters, group emails, and this year I developed a classroom webpage that provides links to monthly newsletters and a variety of resources to enhance student learning. It is my intent to provide parents with the tools and knowledge to help their child be successful through their kindergarten experience. Unfortunately, I have discovered that many of my students’ parents are not using the webpage. It is my hope to help parents understand the value of the classroom webpage and recognize how it can help their child. I plan on modeling for my parents how to access and use the many resources on the webpage. I can do a series of screencasts for each subject and guide the parents or even consider having an afterschool “training” session for both parents and students. If the students are involved they may be the catalyst that I need to get the parents involved.
I am still interested in maintaining a professional development e-portfolio to help me keep track of my experiences. This way I can build from my prior experiences and always have access to what I have done. In the past, I have kept my lesson plans on file in a binder for reference, but now I think that it would be better to build an e-portfolio to house my lessons. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer point out that a professional development portfolio can be used “to identify areas for future learning and then document your progress toward those learning goals” (Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, 2009, p.13). In addition, the portfolio can help direct my next goal.
Reference:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Hello Delores,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned collaboration with other teachers as one of your goals. I have put some thought into this because I also identified it as an area to expand on. My feeling is that it is not enough for students to experiences the advantages of successful technology integration during part of the school day. The goal should be teachers working with each other to use technology and combine subjects such as math and science, history and art. You mentioned establishing an e-Pals connection for your classroom to explore different weather conditions around the world. Have you considered trying to involve other teachers in the process? For example if the students have a technology teacher perhaps they could take the data from your class and make a graph in technology class. It’s Just a suggestion that I have found works well.
My experience has been that teachers who usually resist change, especially involving technology they are not familiar with are much more willing to modify their lesson plan if they know the plan or prep work is already in place. I hope this information is of some use to you.
John M
Hi Delores,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if you have some great ideas to work with in order to accomplish your GAME plan. Collaborating with other teachers is an excellent way to discover new ideas and expand upon your teaching strategies. It can be a slow process, especially if your co-workers are unwilling to change or adapt their teaching styles. I wish that I could give you some advice on how to remedy this type of situation, however I am experiencing this myself. Good luck with your plan.
Mike
In my research for my project, I discovered 2 sites that may benefit you. Collaboration is the key to successful teaching. It is truly a profession that needs the village to prosper.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.uen.org/weather/
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=34.4797&lon=-82.6782&z=10&l=0&m=b
I am having similar issues with having my students and parents using the class website. It has come in handy when a parent e-mails and says they need information because I simply copy and paste the website into the response. The parents are then educated on what they needed to know. I love the idea that you had on having training for parents. This is the hands on learning that many need.
ReplyDelete