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.
a. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
In the Leadership in Technology course I had the opportunity to create a plan on how to better our technology usage.
In this plan I came up with different ways to have the staff learn about the available technology by mini seminars hosted by our own staff members. Throughout the school year we would have these mini seminars during district in-services in order to provide each staff member not just the knowledge on how to use the technology, but also give them time to work on their lessons. These lessons would of course center around how to best use the technology to help us improve student learning.
During the Learning with the Internet course I was introduced to the K-12 Online Conference. This free conference is an amazing way for schools that are on a budget to allow their teachers to go to a conference without the cost and travel. I really enjoyed learning about different tools that I could use in my classroom and sharing what I had learned with my fellow classmates. This online tool allows teachers to view videos of workshops, discuss with other teachers while the conference is live, and to view the videos again and see what other professionals got out of it by viewing their comments. I have gone back several times to view other videos and to see what other new ideas my fellow teachers have come up with.
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
In my grade level I am considered the technology person. Since I have started working at this school, I have helped one of my fellow teachers learn how to create a classroom website using Weebly, I have created several lessons using the SMARTBoard, and our new Student Response System and then taught my colleagues how to create their own.
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
In the Action Research course a partner and I created an Action Research Plan reviewing the usefulness of our Student Response System in reviewing for tests. In our plan we created several different lessons using different techniques with the system and then reflected on whether the system had an impact on student learning. If it did we also were going to look at the most effective techniques.
Throughout the entire program we have been asked to reflect back on our created lessons or other artifacts or what we had learned through the course. This course was no different. After we created this plan we went back to really reflect over our document and see how we feel that we did on the
assignment.
d. Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community
I have looked over my schools usage of technology, in the Leadership in Technology course. By doing this I learned what technology my school has available and what changes really should be made to make our school better. In doing this review of technology I also created a hierarchy of the positions in an ideal school world.
Throughout my program I have reinvented many of my lessons to include more technology, like my factors of production lesson, and created new ones that really demonstrate a project that helps students learn with the internet, like the gods and goddess project.
a. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
In the Leadership in Technology course I had the opportunity to create a plan on how to better our technology usage.
In this plan I came up with different ways to have the staff learn about the available technology by mini seminars hosted by our own staff members. Throughout the school year we would have these mini seminars during district in-services in order to provide each staff member not just the knowledge on how to use the technology, but also give them time to work on their lessons. These lessons would of course center around how to best use the technology to help us improve student learning.
During the Learning with the Internet course I was introduced to the K-12 Online Conference. This free conference is an amazing way for schools that are on a budget to allow their teachers to go to a conference without the cost and travel. I really enjoyed learning about different tools that I could use in my classroom and sharing what I had learned with my fellow classmates. This online tool allows teachers to view videos of workshops, discuss with other teachers while the conference is live, and to view the videos again and see what other professionals got out of it by viewing their comments. I have gone back several times to view other videos and to see what other new ideas my fellow teachers have come up with.
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
In my grade level I am considered the technology person. Since I have started working at this school, I have helped one of my fellow teachers learn how to create a classroom website using Weebly, I have created several lessons using the SMARTBoard, and our new Student Response System and then taught my colleagues how to create their own.
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
In the Action Research course a partner and I created an Action Research Plan reviewing the usefulness of our Student Response System in reviewing for tests. In our plan we created several different lessons using different techniques with the system and then reflected on whether the system had an impact on student learning. If it did we also were going to look at the most effective techniques.
Throughout the entire program we have been asked to reflect back on our created lessons or other artifacts or what we had learned through the course. This course was no different. After we created this plan we went back to really reflect over our document and see how we feel that we did on the
assignment.
d. Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community
I have looked over my schools usage of technology, in the Leadership in Technology course. By doing this I learned what technology my school has available and what changes really should be made to make our school better. In doing this review of technology I also created a hierarchy of the positions in an ideal school world.
Throughout my program I have reinvented many of my lessons to include more technology, like my factors of production lesson, and created new ones that really demonstrate a project that helps students learn with the internet, like the gods and goddess project.