Introduction

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.” – Napoleon Hill

I have been teaching for 6 years, in various schools and grade levels.  Most of my experience has been in teaching English and Humanities in grades 4-6. However, I also taught Drama for 6 months in Trinidad and ESL for 10 months in Turkey. Last year I was teaching High School History.  Between immigrating to Canada ( I am U.S. Citizen) and moving from school to school, and at times country to country, I have yet to feel that I have really carved out the teacher I want to be. The MET program could not have started at a better time, at the point where I am finally in a stable position I can begin to “ Hone my Craft” so to speak and really begin to achieve the goals I have set for myself.

Above all, the most important thing in my classroom is that my students know that they are safe and respected.  Students are unwilling to take risks if these two factors are not in place. When students TRY, especially the older they get and he lower their ability, they are taking a risk, stepping out of their comfort zone and away from what is easy. This is when I have seen students amaze themselves at what they have accomplished. At the start of each year, no matter where I have been, I spend several classes just doing activities and lessons that allow students to trust me as a teacher, trust each other as classmates and most importantly trust them selves as learners. I discuss this here, because I know I need to remind myself that I will not accomplish any of my goals unless I take risks. I need to trust in my imagination, my ideas and see them through to reality.

Being accepted to the MET is my technology history. Technology and its uses have always been very overwhelming. In the last year I have changed much of my life to support a more digital way of living- new camera, phone and computer. As a result, my personal life has become easier to manage, more connected, more organized, more informed and far less time has been wasted. I am more than ready to continue these changes into my professional life and see the same results in my classroom.

I want the learning in my classroom to be more exciting, engaging and relevant. Its that simple.

Flight Plan

Getting to this point, where I am ready where to put pixel to screen, has been a real struggle. This was the case for two main reasons.

1)    I want to know everything.

2)    I feel like I do not have a very strong grasp of even the basics, so finding a starting point has been tough.

That being said, this is what I have decided for my flight Plan. ETEC 565 is my first MET course, so it is my launching point, and these are the three main goals I will use for fuel.

Goal #1- Focus on Good Teaching that is SUPPORTED by good technology.

In the book, Bold New World By William Knoke, he discusses the danger of instructors thinking that Technology will teach the material for them. When really, technology has the highest yield and the most beneficial outcome when it is not the focus of the lesson, but the instrument instead.  Knoke focused on the importance of quick and efficient implantation of new technologies:  “Cutting-edge technology is as perishable as a truckload of ripe bananas: it’s worth a fortune today, but if not used quickly, it becomes worthless” (p.166).

To me these ideas translate into, Choose a few great technologies at the start that I know I can master and use effectively to deliver material and create more opportunities for student interaction, assessment and individualized learning.

In order to accomplish goal number one, I need to learn how to differentiate between long lasting technology and media  and what is just a trend. Being able to screen through the ocean of media options will enable me to teach using technology rather than the technology driving the focus for what I teach.

 

Goal #2-  Be able to use Social Media for educational  needs

When classroom use of Internet first started, it’s primary focus was for research. Today, the possibilities are endless and I feel that utilizing social networking systems is an important component.  This is something that I have been interested in for a while.  It is incredible to me the educational possibilities that a social networking site, like Facebook, has but just are not being used ( at least by me).  I had a colleague last year that refused to acknowledge Facebook, and spent a lot of time trying to convince her students that it was a bad past time and would never help them with anything. What she did not realize was that students were using the platform to ask classmates questions, using the chat function to study with friends and even scan and load worksheets for friends who had lost theirs

Communication, quick feedback, real life examples, simulations and sharing are some of the main reasons why teachers use technology in the classroom today. All of this exists in many social media sites already. The transition of getting students from posting and commenting on party pictures to posting and commenting on the poem they wrote in class can’t be as large of a bridge as it seems. Students are already participating in simulations, like Farmville, so it cannot be that far off that simulations will be created that support what they are learning in school.

In order to accomplish goal number two, I need to develop a better understanding of what options exist for education that can be used through social media.  Some key questions I have are: How do teachers and students operate using Facebook and Twitter? What else is being used? How do teachers and students use social media in an educational context without the social part bleeding over into it?

 

Goal #3 Create original platforms to facilitate learning

This by far, is my most important goal. I do not want to flush green with envy when I hear about class blogs, wikispaces, podcast and websites.  I want to be able to use moodle and /or other platforms to share podcasts, create student forums and enrich what is occurring in and out of my class.  At this point, words like Moodle and Digital Story Telling seem more like abstract concepts; I cannot really envision how they would be most effectively used.  I want to be able to create spaces for units as well as spaces that can be used and built on throughout the entire year.  Most importantly, I do not want these to be things that are loaded on top of the curriculum, but I want to integrate them so that they support the curriculum.

I see ETEC 565 being the catalyst for this goal being accomplished.  All the components that are expected of our final portfolio are all parts of accomplishing goal number three.

I think what I want to accomplish is a large list, but realistic. In the first week, between reading the articles and others reflections on them, I feel like I already have a better idea of what it is I need to do to become not only comfortable using technology, but also be aware of what is possible.

References

This is just the start of what I plan on using, I am still looking to add references that deal more with using technology in my subject content , English.

1) Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.

2) Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1987).  Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.  American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7), p. 3-7.

3) Knoke, W. (1996). Bold new world. New York, NY: Kodansha.

4) “Social Networking Tips for Teachers.” Joe Sullivan. “ Education World.”  September 2010.

5) “Taking Technology to the Classroom: Pedagogy-Based Training for Educators. David Diaz. ” The Technology Source.” November/December 2001.

6) “There is a Place for Tech in Every Classroom.” Cylvie Dwyer. “ Edutopia.”  2010