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Looking Forward: Life-Long Learner

LOOKING FORWARD: LIFE-LONG LEARNER

Future Learning Goals

Every day, I am learning how much technology impacts education. I want to be on the “front lines” of advocating the need to using technology appropriately in schools. In doing so, I am setting three long-term goals which I hope to explore in the future. I have organized these goals based on the various roles I take on at the present time. In the future I plan to develop/integrate digital writing portfolios created by students, as well as implement a LEGO® Education tool into my technology curriculum. Additionally, I would love to take the time to become a Google Educator (and eventually a trainer), in order to become a better leader for my building. Although I have many other goals in mind, these are the three I intend to focus on and develop as I continue understanding the use of technology in education.

Goals as a Technology Teacher

As the fourth-grade technology teacher, my current curriculum consists of five short lessons for teaching digital citizenship via Common Sense Media. These lessons are invaluable, but the curriculum needs more rigor in order to prepare students to be 21st-Century learners. In addition to Digital Citizenship I have developed various projects to integrate complex concepts from science and social studies. In order to improve upon my technology curriculum I plan to implement the use of LEGO®  Education, as well as Digital Writing Portfolios.

Digital Portfolios

As the technology teacher I would like to help my students create digital portfolios to organize and save their work. Fortunately, all students in my district have their own Google account, and have access to the Google apps. My hope is to teach students how to build a platform showcasing their growth and achievement. This is a skill they can use in both their personal, and professional development as they continue in their education career. Currently, it is a district mandate to send writing portfolios with only one writing piece to the next grade level teacher. In my opinion, it does not give an accurate portrayal of a student/writer. With the use of digital portfolios, all of my student’s work can be displayed and accessed for others to see.  If I allow and model how to use a website to display their work, students will hopefully take ownership for their learning and learn how to collaborate at the same time. To help me better implement the idea of a digital writing portfolio I will especially heavily rely on two members of my Personal Learning Network, as well as a website called gettingsmart.com. Getting Smart is a website full of education based articles, with a wide range of authors and topics to help me better understand the importance of this technology integration.

Goal 1
Goal 2

In October 2017, I was awarded  a grant I wrote for a LEGO® Education program called LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0. I am so excited to start on this transformative adventure in Education Technology, and am determined to make the use of this technology an immediate goal. In order to better integrate 21st-Century technology skills to support the Next Generation Science Standards NGSS, I would like to transform part of my technology class to allow to students to go on a journey of project-based activities using LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0. With this tool, students’ skills will be enhanced across science, engineering, technology, and coding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that my grant has been funded, I really need to focus my attention on learning how to use this tool appropriately. To do so, I will explore all of the lessons from LEGO® Education website, and plan to align my teaching with our current science curriculum.

Goals as a Technology Resource Teacher

As the Instruction Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT), I have the pleasure of helping teachers in my school implement technology into their classrooms. I collaborate with a group of technology teachers, one from each school in the district, and we represent our building’s focus on education technology. We meet to discuss how to use technology appropriately, and collaborate to build the foundation of education technology consistently throughout the district.

Google Educator

Goal 3

As the Instruction Technology Resource Teacher at my school, my role is to assist teachers to the best of my ability. In order to become a better leader for my building, I would love to take the time to become a Google Educator (and eventually a trainer). I have set it as a long-term goal because I want to continue to grow as a technology educator, even after completing the Master of Arts in Education Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University. With technology changing every moment, I wish to model the “learn and relearn” philosophy, of which we all need in order to make progress as effective technology educators. I want to be able to share my knowledge with others, and use it to enhance education today. Google for Education has a training site, which will allow me to work through these skills at my own pace. I plan to use the content in the training center, and my own teaching experience to best prepare for the performance-based exams to become a Google Educator. I will definitely rely on Google forums, and members of my Personal Learning Network to collaborate with me as I take on this new adventure.

Conclusion: Future Learning Goals

Looking into my future as a teacher is quite scary. The world of education is constantly threatened, and I am determined to continue to advocate for its importance. Especially since children are our nation’s future. I intent to model for my students a way to  display their work digitally, which will better prepare them for college and beyond. Their 21st-Century skills will be challenged using LEGO® WeDo 2.0, and through both goals students will learn how to portray themselves in an online world. As a personal goal, becoming a Google Certified Educator will help me become a better leader in the field of technology, especially for fellow teachers. I want to continue to push myself to use technology effectively as a teacher for my students and coworkers.

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