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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:
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5a. participate in local and global learning communities to
explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.
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Participating in this degree program has certainly allowed me to
collaborate globally with other learners. We have explored all sorts of creative technology tools. I've learned about Wikis
and Moodles and even how to use HTML. I've used my new skills and collaborated with my fellow students as we've worked together to develop
our electronic portfolios. The peer review process helped me see my portfolio through other eyes, and helped me clarify my portfolio presentation.
I am also a member of our E2T2 (Enhancing Education Through Technology) technology team. We have been involved in more than 150 hours of technology
training for the past two years, and as part of this training we have received 7 student computers, a teacher work station
computer, Smart Board, a laptop computer, scanner, printer, ELMO, student response system (clickers), digital and video cameras
and support materials. We have worked together as a team to learn how to utilize these resources for the benefit of our students.
During my Technology Action Research class, I learned how to identify a need in my classroom or district, conduct research, and then use the results of that research
to meet the identified need. My Action Research Project (linked in the box below) was to see if using student and teacher
made timelines in my lessons would help students see connections between events and the time periods in which the events occurred.
My preliminary results have shown improvement in student scores when timelines are part of the lesson.
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5b. 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.
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I am a member of our district technology committee. Along with other
teachers, administrators, board members, parents, and community members, I help assess our technology needs and plan for the
future. As part of my classes, I developed a technology plan for our district. Working with our technology director to review
our existing technology plan helped me understand the numerous issues that must be considered when developing a technology
plan. We looked at everything from wiring to willingness of classroom teachers to learn new teaching methods. I also learned
that a technology director must be able to introduce new technology and associated training in a manner that encourages
the teachers to "buy in" to the idea. If the teachers feel they are being forced into making changes, the changes probably
won't happen. Having the technology doesn't mean anything if it is not being used.
Since we recently adopted a new district online grade program, I created a staff development
plan to help staff members learn how to use the new program. Our district technology director is only part time and is often
overwhelmed with requests for help, so I have become a local technology "trouble shooter" when problems arise with
our technology. I have been using various online grade programs longer than most teachers at my district, so I am more comfortable
with the process. I was asked to help with the training on the new program, so I developed this workshop.
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5c. 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.
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I stay informed on new developments in technology by reading journals
such as Edutopia and eSchool News. I also stay up-to-date on technology issues by participating in
conferences and being a member of Illinois Computing Educators. Last year I attended NECC and learned an incredible amount about new technologies and how to implement them in the school setting. I also network with
other teachers through online classes, and we share ways to integrate technology in our classrooms.
I learned how to conduct action research by completing my Action Research project during the
Technology Action Research class. I now know how to identity a need and conduct action research to meet that need.
As a member of our local E2T2 grant technology team, I participated in many hours of training
and team planning as we worked together to integrate technology into our curriculum.
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5d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal
of the teaching profession and of their school and community.
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I am involved in developing professional development activities for
our district as illustrated by my Professional Development Plan. I also helped evaluate our current technology plan and the
distribution of technology in our district, and I conducted an equity evaluation to identify areas of need in our district.
Since our district has recently adopted a new online grade program, I created a workshop to help introduce our
district teachers to the program.
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Comments or questions: glister@westerncusd12.org
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