Professional Development Profile

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

After reading the ISTE's Educational Technology Standards for Teachers I realize that despite my current somewhat knowledgeable understanding of technology, I still have a lot to learn and comprehend when it comes to technology in the classroom. So what does it all come down to? What I know and I don't.

Strengths:

-Standard 1: I have recognized the role of a teacher is to be the Facilitator of learning AND creativity and feel confident in saying I will be capable of promoting, inspiring and supporting students to participate in face-to-face and in the virtual world.

-Standard 3: Although I may not be a master at "Standard 2," I know I do fully grasp the concept of this standard in that I will be able to collaborate, communicate and model with and for my students in using technology. Showing students that I, as a teacher, use technology in planning my lessons and also in working with other teachers and educators, I appreciate and value the worth of this great tool.

-Standard 5: I already understand the great importance of continual learning for teachers. How can we be considered teachers of students if we aren't willing to be students as well? We can't just tell students to learn, we must show them that life is all about learning: no matter your age or career.

Weaknesses:

 -Standard 2: I understand that my basic knowledge of various technology resources won't be enough to properly create individual lessons or a learning environment as a whole that is adequately enriched in educational technology. By finishing the education program and then continuing to learn about technology tools for the classroom through Professional Development classes I will someday have this standard mastered.

 - Standard 4: Even though I strive to follow all rules and laws on copyrights and such, I can't say I know exactly what the specifics are. I definitely need to brush up on all legal and ethical rights so I can properly demonstrate and teach that to my students and colleagues. 

Goals

1. Obtain as much technology based knowledge while in the education program from my professors and peers but also seek out additional information on things I don't quite understand and also things I find interesting and want to know more about so I can be prepared to enter the field with as much education enhancing technology possible.

2. Pay more attention to copyrights and ethical practices while on the Internet and gain a full understanding of all laws and rules pertaining to Internet awareness.

LESSONS LEARNED

   -Educating the Net Generation: The mixture of humor and fact in this power point was very enticing and entertaining. It is hard to believe how much time per day the Net generation spends with electronics, and even harder to believe those hours on the computer and wireless gadgets will only increase the I Generation.

  -21st Century: The Life and Careers section really stuck out to me on this site. It seems that lately I have been reading and learning about the role of the teacher to not only teach, but to show students how to teach themselves. Especially in a world where kids spend more time on their own with some hand held electronic in their hand, they need to have instilled inside of them a desire to learn and figure out the whats, hows and whys of their world.

  -Games and Simulations: This website never loaded and said it couldn't be found.

  -Why Integrate? Although the articles corresponding video seemed a little out dated, it offered good insight along with the article itself. I particularly enjoyed the "Why Integrate" article because it agrees with what I believe and also the ISTE's NETS in that technology is to be used along side real world experiences. Sometimes I feel that we think technology is so wonderful that it will soon take over education as a whole. But we need to remember that the real world doesn't exist in a computer or on a screen. Students need to know how to participate in society as human beings but also have the skills and knowledge to operate the new and changing technology that comes with it.  

   -WWW: I liked that this article seemed to really present the positive and negatives of the Internet instead of giving a biased opinion on the pros of technology in the classroom. When the points were made that listening to music, watching a DVD or playing a game don't compare the actually making your own music, directing   a movie or designing your own software. We need to teach kids to create and explore using technology and the Internet as tools not crutches.

  -Did You Know: I have seen a few similar videos in which astounding facts concerning the use of technology in our lives, but this one the most eye catching: I watched two more times and learned more each time! I remember my mom telling me that when she was younger, learning about computers and seeing how one computer took up a whole room and how mind boggling it was to hear that one day every home would have a computer in it. And now, we have them in our pockets starting at incredibly young ages. It is truly overwhelming to realize the huge advancements we have made in such a short amount of time and try to imagine where we will be in a few years or even months. That's where we all need to learn to be flexible and to teach our students to be flexible because we are going to need to be always willing and ready to adjust our lives and education to the latest technology.

BELIEFS

 I have felt a little overwhelmed and anxious lately from learning all about the current and future technologies that are and will be enhancing education, many of which are quite phenomenal! It only makes sense to include such technologies in the education of the students who will grow up in full of such gadgets and one day become the inventors and scientist who discover even more amazing products that haven't even been dreamed about yet. It is truly astonishing. I get very excited when I begin to consider few of the many possibilities when it comes to lesson plans and projects I will be able to have in my classroom by using the newest technology. At the same time I always catch myself and step back to take a second look because I don't think that technology will or should replace our current public education but should merely be used as tools to enhance it. Basically, a complete virtual education isn’t going to cut it. I feel there will be little appreciation for learning if there comes a time when students will simply download their onto their hand-held devices, virtually flip through pages, type up a brief summary of sorts, and then probably switch to some pointless game application on their IPhone. Real life doesn't happen on a screen that you hold in your hand.  We must teach our students using technology is a tool for education, not a replacement. Students need to know how to interact with the real world in order to survive in it.
 I had been struggling to find the words to explain how I was feeling until I read the NETS from ISTE’s website where it stated multiple times that teachers are to instruct students on interacting face-to-face as well as in the virtual environment. For me, a complete education has so much more to it than learning facts and such. With the combination of teachers as facilitators of knowledge and use of new technology that is allowing students to venture beyond text books and math exams and into exploring real word applications, our students will be positive contributions to our future society.

WORKSHOPS

   -Google Sketch Up 

     This looks fun! Not only would learning how to use such software be very entertaining, having this in the classroom could help students learn their geometric shapes and be able get a 360 degree view instead of a drawn picture on paper.

   -Make the Most of Your Mac

      I have NO experience on a Mac and from my observation, the elementary schools in the district I hope to teach in all use Macs. If I am going to be using Macs in my classroom not only for lesson planning but also in lessons where my students will be on their individual Macs, I need to feel more comfortable with these computers. Like all technology, no matter its' capabilities, it is of no good if the user doesn't know how to work it.