Miss K
ISTE Standards Reflection
The ISTE Standards• T and Performance Indicators for Teachers
Effective teachers model and apply ISTE Standards for students (Standards•S) as they design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students and improve learning; enrich professional practice; and provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community. All teachers should meet the following standards and performance indicators. As a preservice teacher I have begun to:
I. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
Reflection:
Before this course, I felt that I could use technology in my classroom effectively and I thought I knew some tools that could make learning fun for my students. That being said, I worried that students could misuse the technology or not learn from it in the same way they might with a more guided lesson. Through this class, I have been introduced to tools that can truly engage my students and that can really enhance their learning.
The project that really helped my understanding of this idea was the creation of my WebQuest. This assignment pushed me to think about how I could make a study of the different decades a fun and creative lesson for my students. This was difficult for me and provided opportunities for growth as I had to restructure my thinking about how students can research and demonstrate their understanding using technology. Additionally, it helped me think about how I can create situations for my students to collaboratively use technology and share their knowledge.
- WebQuest
II. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the Standards S. Teachers:
a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
b. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress
c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools resources
d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching
Reflection:
Creating a podcast about Billie Jean King helped me to think about how students could use technology to develop their own assignments and experience the content in their own way. We were tasked with choosing a social activist and creating a podcast that tells about their lives and contributions to society. Because the assignment itself was open ended, we were given the opportunity to develop a podcast that discussed the aspects of of Billie Jean King's life that we found most important. Additionally, due to the nature of podcasts themselves, we could organize our podcast in a way we found most engaging and that could best demonstrate the important parts of her life. By doing such an open ended project, my partner and I were really able to own the information and experience her story in a way that we could understand the best.
For my additional research project, I looked at Orca Live, a student produced news show at my placement. The show is completely run by the 6th grade students as they write the script, control the cameras and sound, and decide what stories they will cover each week. The students occasionally use Orca Live as a platform to teach others about the topics they are currently studying. For example, as we studied ecology, the students decided it would be good to write a segment teaching the school what they learned about how they can help the planet. This was a way for the students to demonstrate their understanding of a topic in a way that was meaningful and authentic for them.
- Podcast
III. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:
a.demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations
b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation
c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats
d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning
Reflection:
My involvement with Orca Live has given me the opportunity to learn about a whole new aspect of technology that I previously had no experience with. Prior to being in my placement, I had no experience with using a sound board, professional cameras, or the editing program we use for the show. By being involved in Orca Live, I have had a chance to collaborate with the students in other classes as well as other teachers who have more technology experience than I do. While I might not be able to use these tools at quite the same scope as Orenco does, I have learned a lot about how I can use a student produced television show to enhance student learning.
Additionally, creating my professional website has given me a platform where I am able to reflect on my technology projects and have my work in one area. By creating my website, I was able to spend time thinking about how my website and projects demonstrate who I am as a teacher. Prior to this, I had some experience making websites but never spent this much time finding new ways to develop the site and introducing myself to new tools. I would like to find a way to use this in my classroom by creating a class website that can be a collaborative place to communicate and view student work.
- Website
IV. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:
a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual, property, and the appropriate digital tools and resources
b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources
c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information
d.develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools
Reflection:
Creating my WebQuest provided me an opportunity to think about what a reliable website is and what information I would like to give to my students. As I searched for websites and sources, I found myself overwhelmed with the amount of silly or unreliable information I encountered. Before this, I had no idea how hard it was just to find information that I was comfortable presenting to my students. This gave me a chance to really think about how I will go about letting my students use technology for research and the value of teaching about reliable resources.
- WebQuest
V. 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. Teachers:
a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning
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
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
d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community
Reflection:
Due to my own original misunderstanding and carelessness, I found myself reflecting on and redoing a variety of technology projects. The one I struggled with the most was the creation of my WebQuest. My first draft was not satisfactory and I had to sit down and think about how I can grow as a teacher and learner by revising my work. This reflection gave me a chance to better myself as a teacher and think about what aspects of my work I need to improve on the most.
Prior to this class, I felt that I had a very good understanding of technology and what tools I could use in the classroom. When I started at Orenco, one of the first things I noticed was how they used technology for Orca Live in a way that I had no experience with. I asked to be a part of it immediately so that I could continue to grow in my technological literacy. I have learned a lot about the creation of a news show but even more valuable, I have realized how much I can continue to grow as a teacher and a life long learner by immersing myself in these new experiences as often as I can.
- WebQuest
Final Reflection:
The school I went to from K-12th grade was a technology based school where every student had a laptop and access to many different technological tools. From a young age, a large amount of my school work was done on the computer and I had been exposed to, what I believed was, a large variety of programs and tools. I felt very confident in my abilities and believed there was very little I would learn in this class that I had never experienced before. However, I have learned how many tools there are out there that I had never even heard of before, much less thought about how I could use them in my classroom.
This class has shown me more than almost any other the value of being a life long learner and constantly exploring new tools and tricks in the field. Additionally, I have learned so many new ways that technology can be used in almost every subject I could teach. Computers are not simply for researching and typing papers but are a great tool for students to explore the world and come to their own, authentic understanding of a topic. I want my students to have the opportunity to be creative in a way that is modern and useful to their everyday life. I will continue to expose myself to new tools and discovering ways to implement the use of technology into my own classroom.