National Educational Technology
NETS 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:
a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.
As a teacher in an ever changing technological world, I have made a concerted effort to be an active participant in my own continuing education. I have an avid interest in change as a result of new and improved technology tools. Through this TIS program I have participated in numerous discussion boards in most all of my courses. Through these discussion boards I have learned about so many new tools, techniques, concepts, and resources, to name just a few. In this particular discussion board from 7377 Introduction to Technology in Schools, fellow classmates discuss what educational technology means. The back and forth in these types of discussions were sometimes more "educational" than the content of the curriculum for that course. Through my digital media program, I am fortunate to be able to work with three other teachers who are constantly developing and updating our curriculum as a team. Our Digital Media advisory committee provides annual feedback about our program. Working with others, whether it be fellow classmates, fellow teachers or members of the digital media community, has improved my knowledge of technology and has reinforced my enthusiasm for the content I teach.
b. exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.
I have been fortunate to serve in many leadership roles as a teacher at Hickman High School and the Columbia Area Career Center but there are two that come to mind when I think about technology infusion. For the past six years I have been one of four "super users" at Hickman for the district's online grade book. When eSchool was first implemented six years ago, I was one of four Hickman teachers selected to receive training on the use of the gradebook, with the charge to then return to my school to train the entire Hickman staff. Since that time I have continued in a support role, assisting teachers when problems were encountered, training new teachers on use of the grade book, and serving as a liaison with the instructional technology staff. This past year I was a member of the secondary reorganization sub-committee for career, vocational and practical arts. Our school district is building a new high school to open in August 2013 and this reorganization sub-committee was charged with identifying practical arts and Career Center course offerings for all high schools and determining allocation of materials and equipment for equity across all schools.
c. 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.
As technology changes, dramatically and drastically, it is imperative to keep up-to-date on new and improved software, hardware, technology resources and news in order to provide the same up-to-date instruction and to keep our students as close to the cutting edge as possible. Again, I am fortunate to work for a school district that supports technology and have taught Career Center classes where enhancement grant funding has provided for computer upgrades every three years and Adobe software upgrades when they become available, sometimes as often as annually. With the upgrade of this software, I would spend summers watching videos from Adobe TV or lynda.com (online software training) about the changes made to the software and modifying my curriculum to include the upgrades. The district also purchased iPads for all secondary teachers this year and in my new position I have done a lot of investigation into educational apps. I worked with one of the new teachers in using the SimpleMinds+ concept map app to create this concept map. The teacher plans to project the concept using Apple TV and then having students add additional "bubbles" to the map. I have also learned so much through working on my Education Specialist Degree through the Technology in Schools program. This program has provided me with a wealth of knowledge and information about technology, some of which hasn't always been relevant with my teaching position but will be so valuable to me in my new position providing teacher support. I also get RSS feeds from technology websites such as CNet and TechNewsWorld where I read about the latest in software, gadgets, new apps, etc. I just recently downloaded the Flipboard application on my iPad and am anxious to get it set up so that I can easily read education and technology articles via that application. I have always been interested in technology and know the importance of keeping current with new trends, software, hardware, gadgets, smart phones, etc.
d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.
I truly believe in serving in leadership positions within my school district and in life-long learning, not only to improve my teaching but to support others in their teaching practices as well. From July of 2008 to June of 2012 I served as the department chair of the Business Education Department at Hickman High School. One of the responsibilities of that position was to mentor new teachers and provide curriculum support for all teachers in the department. From 2007 through 2010, I served on my school district's Assessment for Learning (AFL) training team, responsible for learning the AFL model, then returning to my school to train my fellow teachers. This presentation was first presented to the department chairs at Hickman High School. As mentioned in 5b above, I served as a trainer and teacher support for the district's grade book program. On July 1, 2012 I started a new position at the Columbia Area Career Center providing support for teachers in the classroom. In this position I work with teachers in a variety of ways to plan, implement and evaluate classroom management strategies, backward design of curriculum, and grading practices. I am also responsible for professional development activities within the building. I am really excited to be able to share the knowledge I have gained through this program, encouraging teachers to incorporate technology in their classroom, whether it be through training in Angel (LMS), eSchool (grade book), or other relevant Web 2.0 tools such as Google docs, Pinterest.com, Skype, the many wikis and blogs available, etc. I am also a member of the district's Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Project Leadership Team. For the next three years, Columbia Public Schools will be participating in the Heart of Missouri's Regional Professional Development Center's PLC Project and I will participate on that team as one of seven members from the Columbia Area Career Center. With the continued education I have received through the TIS program I have complete confidence that I am well prepared to be successful in my new position and all the opportunities this position will provide.