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.
a.Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
Overall, I think participating in this degree program was an important first step in creating an educational technology Personal Learning Network (PLN.) I imagine that as I have more "free" time after graduation I'll be better able to peruse the many eNewsletters, journals, blogs and other sources I've come across. In the meantime I've dabbled in a few.
While I'm rather new to them, I'm beginning to stay abreast of what's new and exciting in EdTech via my infantile Google Circles. I've added quite a few of my fellow students and colleagues to a Circle as well, but it seems they're in the novice stage along with me, based upon the minimal activity I've seen. I have enjoyed following post from the Google for Education and Google Drive groups.
Additionally, I'm following a handful of Educational Technology gurus on my professional Twitter account. I've noticed that one needs to be mindful of who and how many tweeters you follow. When I initially started my Twitter account to build my PLN, I was very overwhelmed by the volume and sometime irrelevance of the tweets I was being alerted about. I've since weeded out several entities and reconfigured my settings so notifications are not as intrusive.
b. 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
As far as promoting the infusion of technology for student use, I've participated regularly in facilitating my building's Tech Tuesday fifteen minute optional professional development sessions. While attendance is usually less than twenty during this early morning venture, I'm pleased to see that once I post the screencasts to my YouTube channel, they are being watched by a handful of others! I'm proud that I helped our Instructional Technology Specialist solve some issues she was having as the overseer of this event. Upon my recommendation, rather than videotaping the sessions, that rendered the content projected on the SMART Board unrecognizable, we all are now screencasting using Screencast-O-Matic. After they ran out of server space on our Atomic Learning PD site, I will be assisting them in creating a building YouTube channel similar to my own.
As a member of our School Improvement Team, my idea to screen cast our break out sessions from our beginning of the year meetings as well as faculty meetings has been well received and will be implemented next year. This will enable support staff, whose hourly contract does not require their attendance, to still view the same information as our certified staff. I've also submitted three proposals for our upcoming district wide TechFest workshop day. They include:
Lastly, I've been the leader in my school to streamline the collection of data on the effectiveness of our academic interventions. After successfully utilizing Google Sheets to track student progress during math interventions, I conducted an independently paced training session for all department chairs and interventionists. Using this sample data sheet, they explored the basics of spreadsheets and how they can be used in our setting. While one pair was already proficient with Excel and easily made the transition to Sheets, the other pairs appreciated the basic introduction.
c.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
Every week my team of six teachers meets to collaborate on student achievement. This past year we agreed as an entire team to pilot two new math series our district was considering to adopt. Because there were only two other piloting third grade teachers, who worked in another building, we independently needed to create the means for evaluating the effectiveness of each program. From this sample of our team meeting minutes you can see that we used the Mastery Connect online data management tool to help. Every topic, we would create an assessment from the enVisions educator access website. One team member would align each question to the Common Core State Standards and input it, along with the answer key, into Mastery Connect. After assessing the students, we'd input their answers by scoring constructed responses and hand entering the scores or scanning the students' answers from their bubble sheets. Here is a sample of how our data, viewable by each assessment and disaggregated into standards, looked as we would bring it to team meetings. Additionally, here is a sample of how I, as department chair, could create a graph that broke down the levels of student mastery. Each bar on the graph can be clicked on an will identified for us the names of the students needing additional support. This particular test was the first time we all pretested our students and, as you can see, we were able to identify 16% of our students who already had attained mastery on the concept of fractions and therefore qualified for enrichment opportunities.
For these students we created assignments for independent practice using Study Island. The Math Challenge assignment allowed students to practice a variety of math concepts in CCSS domains other than fractions, earn blue ribbons when they attained mastery and earn access to learning games to accompany each topic. While ideally Study Island would not be used for enrichment but instead as an additional practice tool, we felt it was appropriate in this scenario. During our second quarter math pilot experience, we were asked to implement a math program that we felt did not adequately lead our students to mastery. In an additional attempt to fill some of the gaps that were left behind, we chose Study Island for the high achieving students to explore and learn on independently. From the reports it generates, I then could dig further into needs even these students may have remaining.
d.Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community
In 2010 I applied for and was awarded the Peabody-Logos Leadership in Education grant. While it's been years since I'd read my application essay, I feel that it explains my dedication to being a life-long learner committed to striving for the best means to help my students achieve success in their own lives and also as contributing members of society.
Additionally, I consistently participate in the University of Missouri-St. Louis studio program. In it, pre-service teachers spend two full days per week in the classrooms of local schools. I've enjoyed the interaction I've had with numerous young professionals and I believe our learning has been mutual.
One of my favorite duties, however, has been my six year stint as Student Council co-sponsor. My colleague and I together have worked to make this student group one that, unfortunately, has to turn students away every year because of its popularity. We earn several thousands of dollars between our two annual fundraisers and collect a busload of canned food and toilet paper that we deliver to local food pantries. Knowing that many of our constituents often struggle to make their own ends meet makes this feat even more meaningful. We enable our members to research and choose their own causes, but always strive to donate every year to one world, one local and one school cause. Hurricane Sandy victims and Angel's Arms are among my favorites and earned us recognition on our District website. In a previous year we connected with a Peace Corps member who was soliciting donations to stock a library for a school in Namibia. We were pleased to host a used book swap and mail the proceeds along with several boxes of gently used books to Africa for them. While my family commitments have regretfully led to my choice to step down from this position, I'm pleased that my principal agrees with our direction is assuring the continuance of our programs with the new sponsors.
a.Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
Overall, I think participating in this degree program was an important first step in creating an educational technology Personal Learning Network (PLN.) I imagine that as I have more "free" time after graduation I'll be better able to peruse the many eNewsletters, journals, blogs and other sources I've come across. In the meantime I've dabbled in a few.
While I'm rather new to them, I'm beginning to stay abreast of what's new and exciting in EdTech via my infantile Google Circles. I've added quite a few of my fellow students and colleagues to a Circle as well, but it seems they're in the novice stage along with me, based upon the minimal activity I've seen. I have enjoyed following post from the Google for Education and Google Drive groups.
Additionally, I'm following a handful of Educational Technology gurus on my professional Twitter account. I've noticed that one needs to be mindful of who and how many tweeters you follow. When I initially started my Twitter account to build my PLN, I was very overwhelmed by the volume and sometime irrelevance of the tweets I was being alerted about. I've since weeded out several entities and reconfigured my settings so notifications are not as intrusive.
b. 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
As far as promoting the infusion of technology for student use, I've participated regularly in facilitating my building's Tech Tuesday fifteen minute optional professional development sessions. While attendance is usually less than twenty during this early morning venture, I'm pleased to see that once I post the screencasts to my YouTube channel, they are being watched by a handful of others! I'm proud that I helped our Instructional Technology Specialist solve some issues she was having as the overseer of this event. Upon my recommendation, rather than videotaping the sessions, that rendered the content projected on the SMART Board unrecognizable, we all are now screencasting using Screencast-O-Matic. After they ran out of server space on our Atomic Learning PD site, I will be assisting them in creating a building YouTube channel similar to my own.
As a member of our School Improvement Team, my idea to screen cast our break out sessions from our beginning of the year meetings as well as faculty meetings has been well received and will be implemented next year. This will enable support staff, whose hourly contract does not require their attendance, to still view the same information as our certified staff. I've also submitted three proposals for our upcoming district wide TechFest workshop day. They include:
- Digital Data Notebooks with Google Sheets and Screencast-O-Matic to Support Student Goal Setting
- Symbaloo and Google Docs to Streamline Student Research Projects
- Kidblog for Student Work Portfolios and to Support Big 5 Research
Lastly, I've been the leader in my school to streamline the collection of data on the effectiveness of our academic interventions. After successfully utilizing Google Sheets to track student progress during math interventions, I conducted an independently paced training session for all department chairs and interventionists. Using this sample data sheet, they explored the basics of spreadsheets and how they can be used in our setting. While one pair was already proficient with Excel and easily made the transition to Sheets, the other pairs appreciated the basic introduction.
c.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
Every week my team of six teachers meets to collaborate on student achievement. This past year we agreed as an entire team to pilot two new math series our district was considering to adopt. Because there were only two other piloting third grade teachers, who worked in another building, we independently needed to create the means for evaluating the effectiveness of each program. From this sample of our team meeting minutes you can see that we used the Mastery Connect online data management tool to help. Every topic, we would create an assessment from the enVisions educator access website. One team member would align each question to the Common Core State Standards and input it, along with the answer key, into Mastery Connect. After assessing the students, we'd input their answers by scoring constructed responses and hand entering the scores or scanning the students' answers from their bubble sheets. Here is a sample of how our data, viewable by each assessment and disaggregated into standards, looked as we would bring it to team meetings. Additionally, here is a sample of how I, as department chair, could create a graph that broke down the levels of student mastery. Each bar on the graph can be clicked on an will identified for us the names of the students needing additional support. This particular test was the first time we all pretested our students and, as you can see, we were able to identify 16% of our students who already had attained mastery on the concept of fractions and therefore qualified for enrichment opportunities.
For these students we created assignments for independent practice using Study Island. The Math Challenge assignment allowed students to practice a variety of math concepts in CCSS domains other than fractions, earn blue ribbons when they attained mastery and earn access to learning games to accompany each topic. While ideally Study Island would not be used for enrichment but instead as an additional practice tool, we felt it was appropriate in this scenario. During our second quarter math pilot experience, we were asked to implement a math program that we felt did not adequately lead our students to mastery. In an additional attempt to fill some of the gaps that were left behind, we chose Study Island for the high achieving students to explore and learn on independently. From the reports it generates, I then could dig further into needs even these students may have remaining.
d.Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community
In 2010 I applied for and was awarded the Peabody-Logos Leadership in Education grant. While it's been years since I'd read my application essay, I feel that it explains my dedication to being a life-long learner committed to striving for the best means to help my students achieve success in their own lives and also as contributing members of society.
Additionally, I consistently participate in the University of Missouri-St. Louis studio program. In it, pre-service teachers spend two full days per week in the classrooms of local schools. I've enjoyed the interaction I've had with numerous young professionals and I believe our learning has been mutual.
One of my favorite duties, however, has been my six year stint as Student Council co-sponsor. My colleague and I together have worked to make this student group one that, unfortunately, has to turn students away every year because of its popularity. We earn several thousands of dollars between our two annual fundraisers and collect a busload of canned food and toilet paper that we deliver to local food pantries. Knowing that many of our constituents often struggle to make their own ends meet makes this feat even more meaningful. We enable our members to research and choose their own causes, but always strive to donate every year to one world, one local and one school cause. Hurricane Sandy victims and Angel's Arms are among my favorites and earned us recognition on our District website. In a previous year we connected with a Peace Corps member who was soliciting donations to stock a library for a school in Namibia. We were pleased to host a used book swap and mail the proceeds along with several boxes of gently used books to Africa for them. While my family commitments have regretfully led to my choice to step down from this position, I'm pleased that my principal agrees with our direction is assuring the continuance of our programs with the new sponsors.