3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.
a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations
When I first started teaching I had not used the SMART Software very much. I had used it slightly in one of my undergraduate classes, but not much farther than that. In my second year of teaching, my school obtained SMARTBoards for each of the classroom teachers. In that year I was given the opportunity to start changing my lessons from only using the overhead to putting it on the interactive board. The basics of the SMART Notebook reminded me a lot of a Power Point presentation. The main difference being that both the students and I could interact with the new format. This change from overhead projector to SMARTBoard was a one of the best changes I have done. Then just last year we purchased Activ Inspire Student Response Systems for the fifth and sixth grades. I then went into another change that took my lessons from just putting the information on the SMARTBoard to allowing my students to interact with my lessons like submitting their examples of adjectives using their clickers instead of just a few raising their hands and sharing.
b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
In addition to teaching I coach junior high volleyball. In order to give parents access to our schedule, important announcements, and our win loss record, I have created a website so they do not have to call us or rely on their players to relay every message. This website is available through our main schools website and is open to anyone who wants the information about our program.
I also have a classroom website that I post information about what is going on in the classroom, upcoming events, and contact information.
c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats
My best example of this strand is my classroom website. Every Monday I update my website to include what we will be going over in my classroom each day of that week. On my homepage I have upcoming events as well as
information about me as a teacher. I have the sub-pages divided into subjects, so parents can go specifically to one certain subject. My final page is a way to contact me. It has my school’s phone number and my school email address. It also includes my plan time so that parents can know the best time to try and contact me.
In addition to being able to communicate with each other using Google Apps, I can now easily comment on their assignments as they create them online. All my students have to do is share their document, presentation (please click on the comments section), or drawing with me as well as their group members, and I will be able to give them feedback before they have to turn it in. This method will be easier for me if I did not get to see a groups project before the end of class, because I will be able to view it online anywhere. It will also be easier for the students to ask me questions about their project even when we are not in class.
d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning
Our technology director has informed the staff at my school that we will not be updating our version of Microsoft Office Suite. It will still be available for a while, but he wants us to get away from using it and go toward using Google Apps. In my Learning with the Internet course my group used Google Documents to communicate about our project. This has helped me guide my fellow teachers in the use of Google Documents as well as the advantages over regular Microsoft Word. This will also help later on down the road when our students begin using it to create word documents as well as Power Point presentations.
a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations
When I first started teaching I had not used the SMART Software very much. I had used it slightly in one of my undergraduate classes, but not much farther than that. In my second year of teaching, my school obtained SMARTBoards for each of the classroom teachers. In that year I was given the opportunity to start changing my lessons from only using the overhead to putting it on the interactive board. The basics of the SMART Notebook reminded me a lot of a Power Point presentation. The main difference being that both the students and I could interact with the new format. This change from overhead projector to SMARTBoard was a one of the best changes I have done. Then just last year we purchased Activ Inspire Student Response Systems for the fifth and sixth grades. I then went into another change that took my lessons from just putting the information on the SMARTBoard to allowing my students to interact with my lessons like submitting their examples of adjectives using their clickers instead of just a few raising their hands and sharing.
b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
In addition to teaching I coach junior high volleyball. In order to give parents access to our schedule, important announcements, and our win loss record, I have created a website so they do not have to call us or rely on their players to relay every message. This website is available through our main schools website and is open to anyone who wants the information about our program.
I also have a classroom website that I post information about what is going on in the classroom, upcoming events, and contact information.
c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats
My best example of this strand is my classroom website. Every Monday I update my website to include what we will be going over in my classroom each day of that week. On my homepage I have upcoming events as well as
information about me as a teacher. I have the sub-pages divided into subjects, so parents can go specifically to one certain subject. My final page is a way to contact me. It has my school’s phone number and my school email address. It also includes my plan time so that parents can know the best time to try and contact me.
In addition to being able to communicate with each other using Google Apps, I can now easily comment on their assignments as they create them online. All my students have to do is share their document, presentation (please click on the comments section), or drawing with me as well as their group members, and I will be able to give them feedback before they have to turn it in. This method will be easier for me if I did not get to see a groups project before the end of class, because I will be able to view it online anywhere. It will also be easier for the students to ask me questions about their project even when we are not in class.
d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning
Our technology director has informed the staff at my school that we will not be updating our version of Microsoft Office Suite. It will still be available for a while, but he wants us to get away from using it and go toward using Google Apps. In my Learning with the Internet course my group used Google Documents to communicate about our project. This has helped me guide my fellow teachers in the use of Google Documents as well as the advantages over regular Microsoft Word. This will also help later on down the road when our students begin using it to create word documents as well as Power Point presentations.