Professional Development
Introduction
The Professional Twitter account was extremely effective in many areas of my personal and professional development in the Teaching Technology course. Throughout the course I was engaged and interested in each week of tweets and the content that was incorporated within them. I believe that I grew personally by connecting and engaging with fellow teachers as well as professional educators and leaders. These connections were made through the mutual following and re-tweeting done between my classmates and other twitter handles. I grew professionally by learning about a variety of new theories, strategies and skills that I can incorporate in my classroom. Each week I learned several unique strategies and skills that I will take with me throughout the rest of my educational development. |
Standard One: Throughout the assignment I facilitated innovative and digital-age work by learning how to use current and emerging tools to discuss global issues in relation to educational development. I was used twitter as a base profile to post my own ideas and feed off of the ideas of others. I searched the data base each week based on the content at hand and then turned that information into a wide band of comments and discussions through my personal twitter profile page. In week one I discovered handles and tweeters who focus directly on school diversity. I read a lot of tweets from ASCD and learned about new ways to celebrate and appreciate diversity in the classroom, school and community. Students should feel celebrated and know how to appreciate diversity. In week two, the Alabama Educators code of ethics was not only interesting to revisit, but very informational on codes that I had forgotten about. I found a very informational Prezi and re- tweeted it so that my followers could read and remind themselves of the code of ethics. It is important for Educators to remember and check the codes! The Prezi can be found at Alabamacodeofethics.com. |
Standard Two:
Throughout the assignment I also addressed and assessed advantages and limitations in relation to technology. As a student, I addressed these limitations through a series of tweets that discussed the problem with technology in the education system. This discussion focused on the problematic issues that arise if students are unable to access technology. These situations are extremely common in low income/ rural school systems. If students are unable to access technology then they are unable to participate in the assignments and activities that are given through a technological device. |
Standard Three:
Throughout the assignment I found that I was introduced to a multitude of professional development opportunities.
In week six, seven and eight, I found a variety of conferences and upcoming professional development opportunities that I took full advantage of. In week six I found a course related to effective lesson planning that I intended on taking with my team at my school. The meetings fell through but I still discussed with my team the opportunities of the development. I attended a conference in Auburn Alabama later during that month that I found through the twitter assignment. In week eight I came across the AACTE which provided new strategies and insights on educator preparation. The AACTE twitter handle is: AACTE. I found them most helpful because they provided twitter members with articles and editorials directly related with educational development.
Throughout the assignment I found that I was introduced to a multitude of professional development opportunities.
In week six, seven and eight, I found a variety of conferences and upcoming professional development opportunities that I took full advantage of. In week six I found a course related to effective lesson planning that I intended on taking with my team at my school. The meetings fell through but I still discussed with my team the opportunities of the development. I attended a conference in Auburn Alabama later during that month that I found through the twitter assignment. In week eight I came across the AACTE which provided new strategies and insights on educator preparation. The AACTE twitter handle is: AACTE. I found them most helpful because they provided twitter members with articles and editorials directly related with educational development.
Conclusion
The twitter assignment was an effective and unique way to get involved in technology. The involvement created a large amount of professional and personal connections that I will continue to grow throughout the rest of my educational development. I am excited to see the relationships I have made grow and prosper and I am thankful for my experience within the assignment.
The twitter assignment was an effective and unique way to get involved in technology. The involvement created a large amount of professional and personal connections that I will continue to grow throughout the rest of my educational development. I am excited to see the relationships I have made grow and prosper and I am thankful for my experience within the assignment.
Standards
- Ability to model and facilitate innovative digital-age work and learning experiences through the effective use of current and emerging tools to ensure success in a global and digital world whereby the teacher and learner locate, analyze, evaluate, manage, and report information as well as communicate and collaborate online fluently using a variety of technology-based media formats.
- Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity by providing a variety of learning environments that foster collaboration and innovative
thinking to solve real world issues and authentic problems using digital tools and resources. - Ability to facilitate students' individual and collaborative use of technology, including classroom resources as well as distance and online learning opportunities when available and appropriate.
- Ability to design, implement, and assess learner-centered lessons and units that incorporate technology and use appropriate and effective practices in teaching and learning with technology.
- Ability to use technology tools for instruction, student assessment, management, reporting purposes and communication with parents/guardians of students including, but not limited to, spreadsheets, web page development, digital video, the Internet, and email.
- Ability to facilitate students' individual and collaborative use of technologies (including but not limited to spreadsheets, web page development, digital video, the Internet, and email) to locate, collect, create, produce, communicate, and present information.
- Ability to design, manage, and facilitate learning experiences incorporating technologies that are responsive to the diverse needs of learners, learning styles and the special needs of all students (e.g., assistive technologies for students with special needs).
- Ability to evaluate students' technology proficiency and students' technology-based products within curricular areas.
- Ability to design, develop, use, manage, and assess authentic digital-age learning experiences that are aligned with subject-area content and the Alabama Course of Study: Technology Education to maximize content learning and address diverse learning styles, incorporating the use of formative and summative measurement tools to better inform learning.