ISLT 7378
Electronic portfolio development
I completed this course with "only" three and a half courses left before my anticipated graduation. During the process of drafting my portfolio, the greatest take away is the fact that I have a LONG way to go and have come a very LONG way already!
While I was somewhat familiar with the ISTE-T standards, the curriculum this semester forced me to closely examine every one and carefully reflect on my practice to date. I was pleased to find that several projects that I began implementing with students as many as seven years ago still pass the test of time and technology. Conversely, I noticed that I have some areas that I'd significantly neglected. As far-fetched as some of the latter seemed to apply to a third grade classroom setting, the opportunity to share in my classmates' creation process allowed me to see how they'd managed proficiency where I'd failed. This collaborative process left me both in awe with the caliber of classmates I had the pleasure of being enrolled with while also opening my eyes to the chasm that many of my workplace colleagues face if they are to lead our digitally proficient students successfully through this age of technology.
The examination of these standards has made me realize how broad the field of "Technology in Education" truly is and also how passionate I am to become proficient at implementing it effectively. In my district many schools have lost their computer labs due to overcrowding and have been replaced with travelling Chromebook carts that many are fearful or too inexperienced to use. Many classrooms have no technology for student use aside from the SMART Board. There are no expectations for teachers or students to utilize technology and no mandated professional development or standards to meet. During the course of this class I attended a meeting with our central office administrators and one representative from each of our ten elementary schools. The purpose was to revise our current report card to include the Common Core State Standards that we've adopted for our curriculum K-5. I came with the ISTE-S in hand, ready to push the envelope and start requiring the inclusion of some of them in our assessment practices. I, however, was not even given the opportunity to plead my case. I knew it was a lost cause when I was unanimously overruled when I advocated to NOT eliminate the CCSS Speaking and Listening standard that students should:
Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
I felt that a simple audio recording was the very least we could expect even the most technology challenged teachers to implement. I touted that we cannot simply ignore this standard because it hints at rudimentary technology use but that including it would (in a sense) force teachers to do it. Did I mention....I was unanimously overruled?
My passion to become a leader within my district or elsewhere in the realm of technology was reignited. No longer am I content with being a "go to" person for teachers when their printer won't print of they need help inserting a picture in a PowerPoint. I've submitted three proposals to present at our upcoming TechFest and plan to do the same for next year's Midwest Educational Technology Conference. I've begun to push the envelope with our EdTech Specialist at the elementary level as well as our building Informational Technology Specialist. While many teachers are having students more regularly publish their writings digitally, I'm afraid that they're no more than glorified posters. I will utilize the standards I critically examined for this class to refine my own practice and assist others in broadening their own concept of "using" technology. It may be a long uphill battle, indeed, but one that I'm ready for!
While I was somewhat familiar with the ISTE-T standards, the curriculum this semester forced me to closely examine every one and carefully reflect on my practice to date. I was pleased to find that several projects that I began implementing with students as many as seven years ago still pass the test of time and technology. Conversely, I noticed that I have some areas that I'd significantly neglected. As far-fetched as some of the latter seemed to apply to a third grade classroom setting, the opportunity to share in my classmates' creation process allowed me to see how they'd managed proficiency where I'd failed. This collaborative process left me both in awe with the caliber of classmates I had the pleasure of being enrolled with while also opening my eyes to the chasm that many of my workplace colleagues face if they are to lead our digitally proficient students successfully through this age of technology.
The examination of these standards has made me realize how broad the field of "Technology in Education" truly is and also how passionate I am to become proficient at implementing it effectively. In my district many schools have lost their computer labs due to overcrowding and have been replaced with travelling Chromebook carts that many are fearful or too inexperienced to use. Many classrooms have no technology for student use aside from the SMART Board. There are no expectations for teachers or students to utilize technology and no mandated professional development or standards to meet. During the course of this class I attended a meeting with our central office administrators and one representative from each of our ten elementary schools. The purpose was to revise our current report card to include the Common Core State Standards that we've adopted for our curriculum K-5. I came with the ISTE-S in hand, ready to push the envelope and start requiring the inclusion of some of them in our assessment practices. I, however, was not even given the opportunity to plead my case. I knew it was a lost cause when I was unanimously overruled when I advocated to NOT eliminate the CCSS Speaking and Listening standard that students should:
Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
I felt that a simple audio recording was the very least we could expect even the most technology challenged teachers to implement. I touted that we cannot simply ignore this standard because it hints at rudimentary technology use but that including it would (in a sense) force teachers to do it. Did I mention....I was unanimously overruled?
My passion to become a leader within my district or elsewhere in the realm of technology was reignited. No longer am I content with being a "go to" person for teachers when their printer won't print of they need help inserting a picture in a PowerPoint. I've submitted three proposals to present at our upcoming TechFest and plan to do the same for next year's Midwest Educational Technology Conference. I've begun to push the envelope with our EdTech Specialist at the elementary level as well as our building Informational Technology Specialist. While many teachers are having students more regularly publish their writings digitally, I'm afraid that they're no more than glorified posters. I will utilize the standards I critically examined for this class to refine my own practice and assist others in broadening their own concept of "using" technology. It may be a long uphill battle, indeed, but one that I'm ready for!