Rediscovering the Student in the Teacher
As an earnest undergraduate Special Education candidate, I fully expected to teach in a local elementary school. Upon graduation, though, I found myself on a divergent path and have spent my career thus far serving students in a small, private boarding high school. This shift from initial expectation to my reality has taught me that to be an educator means to be adaptable, open minded, and flexible to the demands of surprising opportunities. One thing, however, has remained steadfast in my stance of being a prepared educator: I want to be the quality of teacher my students deserve.
Therefore, my continued education has been of the utmost importance for me and I am invigorated to make a plan for my ongoing learning. There are aspects of my position as an educator and a participant in academic leadership that lend themselves to the vision for my goals.
Therefore, my continued education has been of the utmost importance for me and I am invigorated to make a plan for my ongoing learning. There are aspects of my position as an educator and a participant in academic leadership that lend themselves to the vision for my goals.
- First, I want establish a practice of digital student portfolios to provide students with greater ownership and awareness of their learning and growth.
- My second learning goal, to pursue certification as a Google Educator, will allow me to continue to develop technology integration skills in my classroom, as well as to support my colleagues.
- Finally, I will continue to learn about best practices in flipped education and develop web based resources for my students.
Digital Student Portfolios
As described in this blog post, digital student portfolios are online collections of student work compiled by students. There many benefits related to the use of digital student portfolios as assessment tools, to facilitate communication with families, to showcase student growth over time, and to highlight the process of learning. This last characteristic, highlighting the process of learning, is the foundation of my work as the Department Chair of the Learning Commons for the past few years. To more fully attend to the mission of The Leelanau School, I will implement student developed digital portfolios into our curriculum.
As described in this blog post, digital student portfolios are online collections of student work compiled by students. There many benefits related to the use of digital student portfolios as assessment tools, to facilitate communication with families, to showcase student growth over time, and to highlight the process of learning. This last characteristic, highlighting the process of learning, is the foundation of my work as the Department Chair of the Learning Commons for the past few years. To more fully attend to the mission of The Leelanau School, I will implement student developed digital portfolios into our curriculum.
Google Educator Certification
One of my favorite instructors at Eastern Michigan University warned us, as new teachers, against being “know it alls” and explained that if our work was effective, other teachers would come to us. I took this advice to heart and have been empowered when my competence is acknowledged by my respected colleagues. I really value opportunities to help my colleagues; they allow me to catch glimpses of their inspiring teaching ideas that I might otherwise have missed. It also provides great opportunities for sharing ideas and connecting.
To continue to develop my competence and knowledge of the Google applications, I will begin work with the Google Teacher Center training toward certification as a Google Educator. Much of what I know, I have learned on my own. These courses will prepare me to better help my colleagues with thorough and comprehensive training of the Google applications.
One of my favorite instructors at Eastern Michigan University warned us, as new teachers, against being “know it alls” and explained that if our work was effective, other teachers would come to us. I took this advice to heart and have been empowered when my competence is acknowledged by my respected colleagues. I really value opportunities to help my colleagues; they allow me to catch glimpses of their inspiring teaching ideas that I might otherwise have missed. It also provides great opportunities for sharing ideas and connecting.
To continue to develop my competence and knowledge of the Google applications, I will begin work with the Google Teacher Center training toward certification as a Google Educator. Much of what I know, I have learned on my own. These courses will prepare me to better help my colleagues with thorough and comprehensive training of the Google applications.
Flipped Learning Resources
Having completed the Master of Arts in Education degree completely online, I have developed an appreciation for the affordances of web based learning. I have also come to understand the importance of such learning being easy to navigate, simple to use, and consistently representative of the teacher’s presence, including his or her personality, expertise, and availability. I have also come to appreciate how important it is for students to have meaningful exposure to and practice with digital media.
To promote both my students’ access to online learning tools and provide related practice, I will begin to flip my teaching by making content available online that is accessible outside of the classroom. First, I will determine how best to use my face-to-face time. Then, I will decide those aspects of my curriculum that can be delivered online. Finally, I will determine the best digital tools to represent that information in an online format. I will use resources such as this website from the Flipped Learning Network. Best practice suggests flipping one lesson or unit of study at a time. Over time, I will develop a library of learning resources that can be used by my students (current and past) as well as my colleagues.
Having completed the Master of Arts in Education degree completely online, I have developed an appreciation for the affordances of web based learning. I have also come to understand the importance of such learning being easy to navigate, simple to use, and consistently representative of the teacher’s presence, including his or her personality, expertise, and availability. I have also come to appreciate how important it is for students to have meaningful exposure to and practice with digital media.
To promote both my students’ access to online learning tools and provide related practice, I will begin to flip my teaching by making content available online that is accessible outside of the classroom. First, I will determine how best to use my face-to-face time. Then, I will decide those aspects of my curriculum that can be delivered online. Finally, I will determine the best digital tools to represent that information in an online format. I will use resources such as this website from the Flipped Learning Network. Best practice suggests flipping one lesson or unit of study at a time. Over time, I will develop a library of learning resources that can be used by my students (current and past) as well as my colleagues.
With a learning plan in focus, I am excited to continue developing competent technology integration for my students, who deserve instruction that is relevant and grounded in 21st Century Skills. In building my skills related to technology integration, I will have the knowledge to model such competence while supporting the development of meaningful portfolios and flipped web based content. With an intentional plan for my professional learning, I hope to further my students’ development as adaptable, flexible, open minded learners.