Professional+Development

ISTE NETS-T Standard (found at http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx)

 * Standard 1 - 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.
 * 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.

Current Abilities

 * I believe that my college course work has prepared me with great communication skills - both person-to-person and virtual - to best support my future students learning and creativity. I also am incredibly creative and like to be able to incorporate technology whenever possible. I feel most proficient with a computer when it comes to accessing the internet. I also have skills using basic software (i.e. Microsoft Office). I spend a great deal of my free-time reading on my Kindle Fire, and feel capable of of operating and navigating various tablets. I feel as though growing up in such a technologically-dependent society has made it necessary to be proficient in technology, especially for students and educators alike.

Need - Why is there a need to develop in this area?

 * It is important that this is more broadly developed because technology has become a major part of education in such a short period of time and will undoubtedly become more important as time goes on. It is also important that educators are more informed than their students so that they may be able to answer student questions and integrate technology lessons into coursework.I also believe that educators need to be as knowledgeable and proficient in technology as possible so they may pave the way for their students to be interested in and want to learn about technology. Because technology is an ever changing subject, it is important that students and teachers are aware of the most up-to-date information in order that they have access to the best resources available.

Goal

 * It is my personal goal to be able to utilize many different types of technology in my future classroom. I also want to be able to provide fun and safe programs and activities using technology that my students could take home to further their learning and understanding of information presented during class. I also want to be able to consider myself proficient in the majority, if not all, of the programs on the computer, especially if they will be on my computer in my future classroom. I want to be able to teach my students not only how to use technology but about it (i.e. history, how it works, etc.) I hope to teach my students rather than having them teach me about technology, like I had to teach my teachers when I was a high school student.

Short Term Plan - What will you do during this class?

 * I plan to become as familiar with and knowledgeable about the programs and projects used during this class so I can use them in my classroom in the near future. I also want to start using new and different programs on the computer, rather than sticking to the internet and programs that I feel most comfortable with. I also plan to incorporate technology into the majority of the lesson plans I write in the upcoming years, whether it be doing research in the library or working on a group activity on the SmartBoard.

Long Term Plan - What will you do in the next year?

 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">With a semester long practicum and student teaching ahead of me in the upcoming year, I plan to use some of the information I learn in this class with my students. Having a veteran teacher observe me will allow them to provide feedback and tips so that I can revise and update my integrated technology lessons to be better for the students. I also want to utilize technology in as many of my future lessons as possible. Because hands-on learning is the best type of learning, I believe students should be given access to experiment and use different types of technology whenever appropriate and available. I also plan to become more aware of technological advances and changes that are going on so I can convey the information to my students.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Assessment - How will you know that you did it?

 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> I will know that I have successfully reached my goal if I can teach a lesson either about or with the assistance of technology in a classroom in the upcoming year. It will also become evident if I've completed my goal depending on if I get frustrated or not while using some specific types of technology. I think I will feel successful if I write a lesson plan incorporating technology and, after teaching it to an elementary school class, feel confident that I presented important information that not only covers mandatory standards, but allows the students to have fun at the same time.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Reflection
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 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I definitely think I accomplished my short term goals I planned for in this class. I believe that I now have at least a basic knowledge about all of the different technologies we <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">worked with in this course. I noticed that I started using the internet less and less and would go directly to some of the technologies we had learned about in class. I also am glad that I was able to incorporate these various technologies into lesson plans so I could see some struggles that I might run into with students of different learning styles or students with disabilities.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">After this class, I might rewrite some of my long term goals, particularly the one that mentions veteran teachers. I learned in this class that many veteran teachers don't know how to properly integrate technology into their classrooms so they might shy away from them. I hope that in the upcoming year I will be able to expose some experienced teachers to new technologies and gain hands-on experience with them so I can use them to the best of my ability in my future classroom.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">For my first teaching position, I want to be sure to not let my knowledge about technology slip through the cracks. Although I know I will be unable to stay up to date and informed about each and every technology available for me and my students, I want to be sure to focus on at least minor details each semester. For example, I want to incorporate the SMARTboard into center activities each week for a month. Then, I would be able to add another piece of technology, like Kidspiration, into my classroom. However, I don't want to get distracted by technology and let my curriculum or lesson plans suffer; my main goal is to find the perfect balance and have technology fit in perfectly with my every day routine.

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