Plan for Professional Growth and Development
As an undergraduate preparing for my Honor’s Senior Project, I wasn’t sure what area of education I wanted to specialize in. While young teachers already have so much to learn about content and pedagogy, it also seemed that I needed to start planning for my continued development and growth beyond the everyday classroom. That is when a professor really inspired me and presented the path of educational technology. Three years later, I have learned that there is always so much more to learn, and I am excited and dedicated to continue to grow and learn professionally, especially in the area of educational technology.
As a new teacher and somewhat of a digital native myself, I already possess a strong focus and direction for technology integration in my classroom. So while most of my plans for improvement are focused more on participating and teaching professional development, there are still a few specific goals for my own classroom. First, my main goal for this coming school year is to re-create the way we think about and teach the research process ( a major element of 7th grade ELA). I have made this goal the focus of my projects for both 811 and 812 and am also working with our media specialist to create a cohesive unit for seventh grade students that will really take advantage of the features of 21st century research, as well as supporting the changing face of the required skills and abilities. Some of the tools I will be integrating into my classroom for the first time include social bookmarking (Diigo) and RSS feed readers (Google Reader). In addition, students will complete a WebQuest on the Research Process and create a Powerpoint presentation on digital citizenship, an issue very central to properly crediting research sources. This unit will cover 1/3 of the school year and has been a massive planning element of my summer.
The other large change this year in my district is the inclusion of student Google accounts. Beginning this year, students will be provided with e-mail accounts and certain Google features (still unknown). Since this year will be the introductory period for students and staff in determining what new opportunities exist, I hope to spend next summer planning how to take further advantage of these tools and applications. Our district is currently in the process of moving towards a more digital-focused library, including the limiting of future textbook purchases in favor of access to our online resources. I personally see this move as not only cost effective but also moving in the direction of a paperless classroom. My goal is to use applications such as Google Document to lead my classroom in this same direction, as both an eco-friendly and efficient alternative to the traditional English classroom. Therefore, my goal for next summer is to review the new tools available to students and consider how I can recreate my plans in collaboration with our move towards digital libraries in order to develop new steps towards a paperless classroom.
Finally, the majority of my goals for educational technology lie at the heart of my personal path for professional development. At this point in my career, I have presented at MCTE and NCTE on using technology in the English classroom. I am also a member of my district’s MACUL team and district technology planning team. At the end of this summer, I will have completed my first 9 credits consisting of the Technology Certification at MSU, which I will be applying towards the Master’s degree in Educational Technology. My short-term goal in my current district (3-5 year plan) is to establish myself as a technology resource for faculty and students. This year I will begin teaching staff professional development classes for creating web pages on Schoolwires, and I hope to also use my personal experiences in collaboration with the resources and pedagogical concerns presented in these courses to create professional development classes on blogging, podcasting, and using wikis in the classroom. As I work towards completing my degree at MSU, I am also interested in pursuing the concept of the flat classroom. This interest has emerged from the concepts of Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat" and Vicki Davis' presentation at this year's MACUL Conference. I am currently considering the process of writing a multi-year grant (through my district's Education Foundation) for funding the Overseas version of the Master's program through MSU, in order to increase my own potential for international collaboration and networking. As this grant draft is progressing, so far it appears to be focused on first piloting a collaborative working space (wiki, blog, etc) between my classroom and an international one, before eventually developing either a more extensive connection of classrooms or working to set up more one-on-one classroom connections in other classrooms throughout my district. This grant is still in the beginning stages, but it is my other major interest for future development at this time. Long term (5-10 years), I see myself serving in an administrative position (possibly as district technology coordinator) and then moving towards a PhD in this field and eventually towards a collegiate teaching position. It is clear that educational technology will be the field that leads my professional development and will continue to challenge my evolvement as an educator today and in the future.
As a new teacher and somewhat of a digital native myself, I already possess a strong focus and direction for technology integration in my classroom. So while most of my plans for improvement are focused more on participating and teaching professional development, there are still a few specific goals for my own classroom. First, my main goal for this coming school year is to re-create the way we think about and teach the research process ( a major element of 7th grade ELA). I have made this goal the focus of my projects for both 811 and 812 and am also working with our media specialist to create a cohesive unit for seventh grade students that will really take advantage of the features of 21st century research, as well as supporting the changing face of the required skills and abilities. Some of the tools I will be integrating into my classroom for the first time include social bookmarking (Diigo) and RSS feed readers (Google Reader). In addition, students will complete a WebQuest on the Research Process and create a Powerpoint presentation on digital citizenship, an issue very central to properly crediting research sources. This unit will cover 1/3 of the school year and has been a massive planning element of my summer.
The other large change this year in my district is the inclusion of student Google accounts. Beginning this year, students will be provided with e-mail accounts and certain Google features (still unknown). Since this year will be the introductory period for students and staff in determining what new opportunities exist, I hope to spend next summer planning how to take further advantage of these tools and applications. Our district is currently in the process of moving towards a more digital-focused library, including the limiting of future textbook purchases in favor of access to our online resources. I personally see this move as not only cost effective but also moving in the direction of a paperless classroom. My goal is to use applications such as Google Document to lead my classroom in this same direction, as both an eco-friendly and efficient alternative to the traditional English classroom. Therefore, my goal for next summer is to review the new tools available to students and consider how I can recreate my plans in collaboration with our move towards digital libraries in order to develop new steps towards a paperless classroom.
Finally, the majority of my goals for educational technology lie at the heart of my personal path for professional development. At this point in my career, I have presented at MCTE and NCTE on using technology in the English classroom. I am also a member of my district’s MACUL team and district technology planning team. At the end of this summer, I will have completed my first 9 credits consisting of the Technology Certification at MSU, which I will be applying towards the Master’s degree in Educational Technology. My short-term goal in my current district (3-5 year plan) is to establish myself as a technology resource for faculty and students. This year I will begin teaching staff professional development classes for creating web pages on Schoolwires, and I hope to also use my personal experiences in collaboration with the resources and pedagogical concerns presented in these courses to create professional development classes on blogging, podcasting, and using wikis in the classroom. As I work towards completing my degree at MSU, I am also interested in pursuing the concept of the flat classroom. This interest has emerged from the concepts of Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat" and Vicki Davis' presentation at this year's MACUL Conference. I am currently considering the process of writing a multi-year grant (through my district's Education Foundation) for funding the Overseas version of the Master's program through MSU, in order to increase my own potential for international collaboration and networking. As this grant draft is progressing, so far it appears to be focused on first piloting a collaborative working space (wiki, blog, etc) between my classroom and an international one, before eventually developing either a more extensive connection of classrooms or working to set up more one-on-one classroom connections in other classrooms throughout my district. This grant is still in the beginning stages, but it is my other major interest for future development at this time. Long term (5-10 years), I see myself serving in an administrative position (possibly as district technology coordinator) and then moving towards a PhD in this field and eventually towards a collegiate teaching position. It is clear that educational technology will be the field that leads my professional development and will continue to challenge my evolvement as an educator today and in the future.
