Technology survey

Saturday, September 18, 2010

My Game Plan

New technology is constantly being developed and it is my job as a teacher to learn what is out there and how I can incorporate it into my classroom. In the National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers there are some specific goals which I would like to concentrate on in order to use technology as an efficient teaching tool (National Education Standards for Teachers, 2008). Two goals I have established for myself is to promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness and engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems (National Education Standards for Teachers).
One way I will achieve these goals is by exploring different issues which pertain to my students on a local or national level. There are different websites locally which I could obtain information from such as local politicians and environmental scientists in our area. I also need to be up to date with the environmental issues which are occurring today. This can be done by monitoring news websites as well and what is being communicated on television. I want my students to know about their community and nation and develop ways in which they could become affective caretakers of it.
I will monitor myself by keeping a log of what websites I have visited and if they are reliable resources of information. If they are not then I need to keep navigating the internet for more sites. I need to question myself to see if these websites would be user friendly for my students. If they are not then they would not be a beneficial teaching tool for me to use. I need to constantly be aware if I am meeting my learning goals. If not then I must modify them and decide what I should do differently (Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P., 2009). I feel one way of keeping track of myself is by either blogging or keeping a journal of my goals and research. This way I can go back and evaluate myself in order to become a better teacher and researcher.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful
Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) located at
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

5 comments:

  1. Hello Laura,

    I think your plan is very good. It is very brief and to the point. I like the idea that you will be keeping websites that you view in a log. Will you keep this log on paper or via electronically. I think electronically would be great, because this would give the students a chance to see you using technology first hand. Lastly, I like the way you mentioned that you are going to have to constantly monitor your progress to make sure you are reaching you goals. That is one thing that I am definitely going to have to do. We have a lot going on around us and we have to make sure we are going to meet these goals.

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  2. Hi Laura,

    It is my belief that self-directed learning is geared towards the improvement of not only self, but also of the community and humanity. I therefore like the idea of your plan, especially the part that deals with accessing the local resources available to you in your area to address issues that are relevant to both you and your students. Have you decided on any specific class project and the types of technology that you would use to deepen engagement and student creativity?

    KayH

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  3. Laura,

    I like your plan! The thing that first stood out to me was your plan for tracking progress. I have found through this program that blogging can be a very useful tool in education. I had not blogged much before the program, but the more I use it the more I see how useful it can be for educators and students.

    The internet is a valuable resource that virtually every educator has access to. We need to use what is available to us. You have a clear goal of what you want to achieve. Good luck with your implementation of technology!

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  4. Amy,

    I will most likely develop an electronic journal. Besides having my own classes I am also and inclusion teacher so it would be smarter to have an electronic one which I can take with me on a flash drive.

    Laura

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  5. Dear Kay,

    I have not thought of a specific plan yet. I have been watching our newspaper to see if any learning opportunities are occuring.

    Laura

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