In the Engaging in professional growth and leadership NETS-T standard, is the first standard I would like to improve upon. In the subcategory, “evaluate and reflect 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” my goal is to stay abreast in this area.
To reach this goal, plan on doing a couple of things. First, connecting with other district personnel that specialize in technology and asking them about their current technology practices. Asking them what technology tools help them relay content as well as what are some of the technology tools that their students enjoy using. I would also inquire about what are some new or emerging tools that they have seen being used or things that they would like to use and how it will enhance student learning. Another way that I would try to meet this goal is to attend any conferences or professional development regarding current technologies and/or emerging technologies. After doing these two things, I would like to take a look at how the technologies can benefit my students and my needs. I will keep a journal of any new technology tools that I am able to incorporate into my classroom and reflect on their effectiveness in my classroom. A way in which I can evaluate and extend my learning is to involve my students. I can ask them to blog about the new technologies and what they found beneficial and what they did not like. After using the new technology for a couple of more weeks I can have the students reevaluate the technology to see if their opinions have changed. If so, what factors caused the change and how can I use that information to improve upon the use of that technology.
The second NETS-T standard I would like to improve upon is “Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility.” My second goal would be to help my students be more aware of the world through the “develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using
digital-age communication and collaboration tools” subcategory. One way I would like to reach this goal is by having my students be pen pals with students from another state or country. A way to monitor my progress as well as my students’ progress is to see what kinds of questions they are asking each other about their culture. If I see that students are not asking good questions or questions that are going to help their understanding of the other person’s culture or way of life, I can step in and prompt them with some guiding questions. This will help me to see where I might need to reteach certain skills. I can communicate with the other teacher via email and Skype and keep log of our plans and concerns. I can read through our emails and make note of things that have worked well and things that need to be altered or eliminated. If the teacher decides that he or she would like to do pen pal activity again, we can both discuss the things that worked well, things that we would like to do differently, as well as new things we would like to incorporate into the student sessions. To extend my learning, I would like to ask my fellow classmates about their ideas. Any suggestions as to how I can extend my learning and how it will benefit myself as well as my students?
References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
I love your plan for incorporating student input. Would you have them verbally tell you about their experiences or possibly keep a journal about their experiences? I was interested to see how you would have them complete the evaluation.
ReplyDeleteI too was interested in connecting with another classroom and completing a pen pal type activity. I am interested to see if other colleagues of ours have any suggestions for you as to how to extend your learning. I think I could benefit from their suggestions as well. Your goals seem realistic, tangible and ones that will have positive effects on both you and your students!
Lisa Gonzalez
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI would have them do both a journal and verbally explain to me what it is that they like or do not like. I would like to digitally record the students responses to help me save their thoughts and ideas for the next year. I know that I will easily forget by the time I do the project the next time and keeping all of the notebooks from the students would cause me to search for a place to store 30 notebooks. Many times students want to keep their journals to remember the things that they have done from that school year. I would hate to keep that from them.
Marisa Roberts
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteYour Game Plan details some excellent activities for achieving your goals. Blogging is quite beneficial and integrates cross-curricular skills including writing, keyboarding, collaboration, analyzing, and application.
Incorporating Skyping activites will engage your students in a learning environment condusive to current jobs. Authentic lessons will prepare and ensure that our students are ready for future jobs.
Cathy