Like most teachers, education is something I have always wanted to do. Looking through my old records my mom kept from grade school, every year when asked what I wanted to be, I always said a teacher (to be fair I also wanted to be a firefighter for awhile and a dancer). I was lucky. When I went to school, the teaching strategies used for the most part, fit my learning style. I excelled. I liked school. I want my students, and all students to feel that way about school. Providing personalized learning opportunities and engaging learning tasks have always been my goal, although sometimes my students may disagree with what I consider ‘fun’ learning:)
My best teaching day, was the first day a student looked at me and said, “How can the day be over, we never learned anything?” At first I felt insulted. I felt the students had a tremendously successful day of learning. After talking with the students as a group and reviewing the day with them, I realized he meant that it didn’t feel like learning, he had fun, so it couldn’t be learning! This is why I wanted to be part of the MET program. I wanted to maximize my learning of strong technology enhanced pedagogy. Teaching in new and creative ways that don’t feel like learning but demonstrate evidence of high levels of student achievement. I believe technology is only a tool, but a powerful one that affords incredible potential that cannot be achieved in the same ways without the technology.
For over a decade I have seen the advantages of integrating technology into classrooms in meaningful ways. I have always sought out information and collaboration with individuals that support this end. Technology when used alongside effective teaching strategies can result in authentic, engaging learning. My personal experience has been that technology integration happens in silos in schools. There is often a ‘tech’ expert or a few teachers with a passion for finding ways to use technology to increase student learning. I have also found that many, probably the majority, harbour a fear of technology. This occurs for a variety of reasons but the reality is, that technology in its many forms is here to stay. Teachers have an opportunity to embrace this change or to resist but ICT outcomes have become part of the curriculum and the leaders of the future are suggesting that skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, innovation, collaboration and creativity are going to be what our students will need in order to be successful in the future. These skills can be learned and enhanced by incorporating learning technologies.
I have worked as a classroom teacher but also as a Learning Leader with a focus in technology for a number of years. I would like to set my learning goal from this course around exploring the ISTE Standard 5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. I want to develop ways to engage teachers in technology. Helping them get excited about trying new technologies for themselves as professionals and with their students. I hope to be working in a brand new school that is opening next year. That opportunity will allow us as a staff to set a direction together. The principal wants to use technology platforms such as LMS to inform and interact with her staff. This course can help me determine ways in which we can set this up. The more the staff use technology, the more skills they will learn and the easier it will be for them to transfer these skills to the work with students. If they can see the benefits of using technology for teacher communication, planning, assessment, collaborating, showcasing learning, etc then they will WANT to use it with their students. Teacher buy-in is huge.
On a classroom level, I would like to focus my learning on ISTE Standard 2.d Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards, and use resulting data to inform teaching and learning. Focusing on using technology for developing and enhancing lesson tasks, has always seemed like a natural fit for me. I tend to get a little lean when it comes to using the technology to maximize assessment strategies. I would like to develop a wider range of assessment techniques that use technology to increase the value to students and also to minimize teacher workload. By using technology to provide feedback for students, teachers can be freed up to provide other supports to students.
My last goal is around Social Media. It is my harboured fear of technology. I minimally use it in my personal life. I find Twitter frustrating and I can start reading my Facebook feeds only to look up at the clock 2 hours later and wonder what happened to the time. School boards have also added to this reservation, as many examples of this type of media have been on the not-approved lists for way to long. In this course, I would like to challenge myself to improve my understanding and ability to use these types of programs for learning. My students are certainly familiar with many of these platforms, I think it is time that I become more acquainted as well.