Blog Post 1

Blog Post 1: Technology Strengths and Weakness

According to the National Educational Technology Standards for teachers (NETS) published by ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) in 2008, there are five standards for teachers. As an elementary teacher, these five standards guide my teaching so that I may help prepare my students to utilize these 21^st century skills to become productive users of technology. Below are the five standards and how I use them in my teaching.

1.  Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

My students participate in Web Quests and create projects using interactivity and collaboration found in Web 2.0 sites. I work with my students so that they do not only learn the technology, but learn how to use the technology to create projects, artifacts, and learning experiences.

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

I assign and develop authentic learning experiences using project based learning. I differentiate instruction and evaluate through checks for understanding, demonstrations of learning, and assessments.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

I collaborate with peers, parents, and the community in the form of Google Docs, Outlook calendar, school website, and Google Hangouts. I communicate relevant information through parent and community newsletters and family math, science and technology nights at my school. One of the areas I would like to enhance is video production and video conferencing.

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Digital citizenship is a focus in my class in the form of online safety, information fluency, cyber bullying, and intellectual property. Although I teach my students about internet safety, one of the areas I struggle with is trying to stay current in digital safety. With the online environment constantly evolving and predators always finding and creating new ways to endanger children, I struggle with remaining current with digital-age communication.

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

This in an area in which I am always looking to improve. Because of budget constraints, my school district has little to no formal technology instruction on the elementary level. There are computer labs in the schools, but very few have certified teachers to teach students how to properly use technology for learning.

As an educator, I use technology to empower my students. My mission is to prepare students to become lifelong learners and to be able to participate in today’s interactive global society. Students are motivated to use technology. It engages them on a level that is difficult to attain with simply lectures and worksheets. Today’s students have access to information 24 hours a day. It is my job, as the teacher, to meet the diverse learning needs of our 21^st century learners so they will not only be able to find pertinent information, but to evaluate it for usefulness and be able to use it appropriately in their lessons and projects.

The field of educational technology is continuously changing and evolving, therefore I feel as though very few people could be considered to be experts. There is a learning curve for people new to educational technology, and veterans to the field must remain current and up to date with newer technologies and trends. One of the ways to increase educational technology familiarity is with professional development opportunities and professional journals. Another way to increase expertise is by attending professional conferences. The TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) state conference is held in Austin each February. The ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference is held each summer at different locations across the United States. Attending professional conferences provides the opportunity to see what is currently available and what is on the horizon in educational technology.

As all students come from various backgrounds with differing educational needs, it is the job of their teachers to meet those students where they are and transform them into information literate students. Some students, due to their economic level, cultural background, lack of opportunities, educational need, or handicapping condition, simply need more time, encouragement, and access to information materials to be successful. Because I serve all student in the school, I must be attentive to the special education population as well. In keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I need to be able to differentiate instruction for all handicapping conditions including: vision and hearing impaired students and students with various learning disabilities. According to Smaldino, Lowther, Mims, and Russell (2015), “Children with disabilities in particular need special instructional interventions” (p.3). I would like to learn more about autism and how to better serve my students on the autism spectrum.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National educational technology standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-teachers

Smaldino, S., Lowther, D., Mims, C., & Russell, J. (2015). Instructional technology and media for learning. (11^th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.