Throughout this semester, I have been able to work on technology projects that address the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) standards for teachers. I believe all effective teachers should practice these standards on a regular basis as they design, implement and assess student learning experiences to engage students and improve learning; enrich professional practice; and provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community. As a pre-service teacher, I have begun to: 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
I. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers: a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
My Narrative: Throughout out this technology course, I have been able to explore different modes of technology that has increased my knowledge. Technology can grow student’s creative and innovative thinking. I understand a pre-service teacher it is important for me to keep up with the latest trends and technology tools, so I can implement them in my classroom for the benefit of my students. My webquest and podcast are examples of my aspiration to encourage, support and model the use of technology for my students.
My webquest is designed to promote students use of laptops and the Internet as a resource. My webquest lesson requires students to research continents and oceans using the links provided. This is a great opportunity for students to learn how to use the biggest resource open to them-the Internet. It will be great to see students discover the wealth of knowledge they can find at the touch of their fingertips.
In creating my podcast about Billie Jean King, I learned about her as a person, and researched her life and the impact she has on the people of today, but I also got a chance to learn about Garageband and podcast making. This was a new experience for me, and definitely a great learning opportunity. Throughout this project, I was challenged to use the resources I had, and to create something that a representation of Billie Jean King’s influential life thus far, and a demonstration of my technology tool use.
Evidence: Webquest Podcast II. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the Standards. Teachers: a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity b. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching
My Narrative: Throughout this course, I have been able to work with technology that I was both familiar and unfamiliar with. As I learned how many different technology tools are out there, it made me become more aware of how important it is for my students to have these experiences too. As important technology is in student’s lives, it is equally important to provide assignments that genuinely interest them.
In creating my own personal website, I was challenged to use new editing tools, and programs I have not worked with before. As well as creating a website that represented my work and me. At challenging points, I utilized all my resources throughout this process. This process forced me to use my creativity, and editing skills to create a product I can be proud of.
As I created my podcast on Billie Jean King, I was able to choose someone who interested me and that make learning so much more valuable and richer because it was something I was motivated to do. For my students to have this experience of having a choice in their learning is important. Through the creation of this podcast, I have learned how to use new technology tools I was not familiar with prior to creating this podcast, and I also learned about someone new, whom I was not aware of.
III. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers: a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats 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
My Narrative: Before this course, I was not technology literate. Throughout this course, we used programs and different technology tools to demonstrate our learning of those tools, and I found that really useful to have a lot of practice. I understand what it would be like for my students who are not familiar with the tools. I feel that I have gained a stronger understanding of these tools and how to utilize them to communicate with my peers, students and parents.
Through the creation of my podcast, my partner and I were able to create something that represented the life of Billie Jean King and us, respectively. We worked collaboratively together and used Garageband to communicate Billie Jean King’s influential life.
Project TEAM (Technology, Expressive Arts, Methods) was a collaborative video project. I worked with my mentor teacher to create an expressive arts lesson, which I then taught and video taped myself and my interactions with the students, which was then reflected upon with collaboration of my mentor teacher. I was able to receive thoughtful and relevant feedback from my mentor teacher and then able to reflect on my own teaching, all while using technology. Project TEAM was beneficial as a pre-service teacher to reflect on my teaching especially when I am still learning classroom and teaching strategies it was useful to see myself on video. Evidence: Podcast Project TEAM
IV. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers: a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information d. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools
My Narrative: It is my responsibility as a teacher to make sure the safety of my students is my number one priority. This includes the safety of the choices we make on the Internet. It is important that students understand the consequences to our social interactions on the Internet. As a teacher I need to model what I would like my students to do, and what is right.
In the creation of my webquest, personal website, and chrome books, I cited the resources I used or borrowed from and gave the creators credit for their information. I acknowledged that I can create my own piece of work with another person’s information, if I give them the credit for it. I did not know any of the information presented on my chrome books page, but I gave credit to my sources who were able to give me the information to create my page. My website is a model of a representation of me that is acceptable and presented responsibly.
V. 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 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 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 d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community
My Narrative: Prior to this course, my technology skills were limited. I was use to using Microsoft Word, and navigating on the Internet to search things, but nothing more. Over this course, I have become familiar with many more technology tools that I plan to implement and promote in my classroom. Teachers should model what they would like to see from their students. In my own learning, I researched chrome books because I had no idea what they are capable of, and participated in project TEAM.
In creating a webpage about chrome books, this helped my own learning as a pre-service teacher to learn about a new technology tool that has been implemented in schools around the nation. I have had no experience with a chrome book, but now after doing research and creating a webpage, I feel a little more knowledgeable about chrome books and what they capable of. This project is a demonstration of my own learning initiative to educate myself on something I was not really informed about.
Project TEAM was a good project to learn about myself, who I am as a teacher, and what I can do to improve. In collaboration with my mentor teacher, I was able to successfully teach and reflect on an expressive arts lesson taught in Kindergarten. This was a useful and really valid experience to go through the entire process of planning, teaching and then reflecting; a process I will be doing for the rest of my career.
Final Thoughts: Entering this course on the first day, I had no idea what to expect or what we were going to be doing all semester. I did not think it was useful to have a technology course for an entire semester. I did not know what else I could have learned, but I was completely wrong. I have gained so much from working with all of the technology tools we worked with throughout this course. Every project has been beneficial to meeting all of the ISTE standards for teachers, and this was a good practice so I know as a pre-service teacher what it takes to meet all of these standards. Each project we did was purposeful, useful and authentic. Each project required me to learn how to use a new tool, and this expanded my knowledge and abilities way more than what I first started with. As a pre-service teacher, I feel confident with my knowledge, enough to teach my students about these tools, and to implement them in my classroom. I can’t wait to make a website blog for my classroom!