ITSE5 EDTC6433 Resolution
Reflection Module 5
ISTE Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and
Leadership
Teachers continuously improve
their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in
their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the
effective use of digital tools and resources.
The following standards are most
relevant to my triggering question:
Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology
infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and
developing the leadership and technology skills of others.
Evaluate
and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to
make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in
support of student learning.
Triggering Event Question:
As the PLC leader of my grade
level, it is important for me to model how to creatively effectively use
technology in my instruction. How can I use PLC time to best support the use of
technology in our third grade instruction and content and inspire my colleagues
to use technology as well?
Through
this course, my experience infusing technology into my daily lessons has grown
immensely. Through my own research, and the research of my colleagues I have
found so many incredible ways to use technology to supplement student learning
and to increase engagement. My confidence using technology as an educational
tool has grown, and it is time that I use this background to model how to
effectively use technology to our grade level team. Above all, I sought to
research more ways to inspire my colleagues to use technology in their
classroom. The ISTE standard is most relevant to my
triggering event question covers demonstrating technology use, and “developing
the leadership and technology skills of others.” I lead the third grade PLC team and believe that we need to
allow our students more opportunities to use technology to supplement and
enrich their learning experiences. Through this program, the frequency in which
I use technology with my students has increased significantly, and I would like
to inspire my teammates to provide these experiences for their students as
well. I believe that my teammates will be happy to provide these experiences
once they are comfortable using technology effectively.
My first step was researching to find a resource
that helps my team understand how to effectively integrate technology in the
classroom. I found an article entitled What is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge? This article explains a framework for teacher
understanding of technology integration called technological, pedagogical,
content knowledge (TPACK). This paper explains that the effective development
of TPACK is necessary for technology integration (Koeler & Mishra 2009).
This framework focuses largely on three types of knowledge and the interaction
of them. They are content, pedagogy and technology. This article explains how
the interaction of content, pedagogy and technology produce the background
required to effectively integrate technology. This article answers my
triggering question in that it elucidates how to most effectively integrate
technology in the classroom. The TPACK framework is a good resource to bring to
PLC to spark a discussion on how best to integrate technology in our classrooms
effectively. The article also touches on some of the challenges of technology
implementation in the classroom. The one that resonated with me the most is
that often teachers to not have adequate training and background experience
“with using digital technologies for teaching and learning.” ( Koeler &
Mishra 2009) I would like to be the teammate who advocates for more training
opportunities for primary teachers to gain confidence when using technology in
our classroom, and also take baby steps with my team and dedicate fifteen
minutes of PLC time weekly to exploring an approved tablet resource with my
teammates. The TPACK framework is a great resource when considering how to
integrate technology effectively.
Next, I sought to research
specific professional development opportunities regarding technology and
resources that would help support this skillset for my colleagues. A member of my
learning circle, Sarah Watkins led me straight to an answer. She provided me with a source from the
Northwest Council for Computer education. This organization has a multitude of
professional development opportunities. NCCE leads regional conferences and
even provides opportunities to work specifically with schools to support the
needs of their staff. I am particularly interested in the peer coaching
training that is offered to provide me with the skill necessary to support
teachers. I have also just joined the technology committee in my district and the main
objective of this committee is to pilot new applications and resources and
eventually train my grade level on how to utilize the applications we decide
upon. I am looking forward to using this opportunity to grow as a leader and
develop my technology skillset. I believe that the most important component of
being a tech leader is having a strong explorative, growth mindset. As
technology is an ever-changing field, it is incredibly important to change with
it as an educator, and constantly striving to be as effective as possible when
integrating technology in the classroom.
ITSE 5 reveals the importance of teachers
reflecting on technology practice regularly and exploring and utilizing
technological tools that support student learning. Through my research I have
found how to exhibit leadership on my team to inspire my colleagues to infuse
technology in their classroom.
References
Koeler, M., Mishra, P., (2009)
What is
Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge?
Retrieved from https://canvas.spu.edu/courses/10314/files/271967?module_item_id=101834.
NCCE (2016) NCCE: Leadership, Innovation, Learning. Northwest Council for Computer Education. retrieved from http://www.ncce.org
Artifacts:
Video- Integrating Technology in the
Classroom:
NCCE
Link:
Edutopia Community:
Cleo,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your reflection. The TPACK model is a great way to integrate technology. I think that this model can help teachers feel comfortable about using technology. However, this can be challenging because some teachers are not comfortable using technology in their classroom. I like how you said that providing baby steps will be helpful when learning new technology.
Hi, Cleo. Thanks for your thoughtful reflection. It was helpful for me to revisit the TPACK model. The resources you shared are incredibly helpful and I look forward to researching professional development opportunities through NCCE. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Cleo. I enjoyed reading about your continued progress toward integrating technology in your classroom. I like how ISTE 5 has inspired you to lead your teammates into following suit by advocating for relevant PD opportunities. I'm sure your awesome example will help in their journey toward integrating technology into their curriculum.
ReplyDelete