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V. Productivity and Professional Practice.


Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice.



Teachers:


 

A. use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.

 

Technology workshops such as Web Design in the Classroom that was implemented as part of the 2007-2008 DoDDS Pacific Far East Technology Conference can be a way for teachers to grow professionally and try new ways to present student learning and assess student achievement. Since this was offered as part of the conference, participants could sign up for graduate credits with San Diego State University.

 

As part of my Professional Growth Plan, I worked on creating a classroom website to explain what students will learn in my class, and student expectations. The first draft of my classroom website was made during my first web development course. After taking Intermediate Web Development I was able to create a new classroom website in which I used updated CSS techniques for layout, Java Scripts, and created a student art gallery to display and share some of the projects that the students engaged in that year.




B. continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning.

 

After trying out using blogs to present multimedia information and supplement class discussions, I would like to continue working with blogs to promote collaboration with experts, and to allow students to reflect upon their learning experiences. As discussed in my blog paper, I do not feel that my current teaching situation is conducive to taking on such an ambitious project because of the age of my current students (K-5) and the time I get to spend with them in class (once a week for 50 minutes). However, if I were ever teaching again in a middle or high school, I would love to use blogs, wikis and message boards to generate class discussions and point students toward material and resources on the web. Blog discussions and message boards also enable students to carefully compose their reflections and ideas, something that they may not be able to do during a regular classroom discussion.

 

After learning more about the use of SMART Boards, I feel that they may be an interesting next step in the presentation of subjects in the classroom. Although many functions that are done on a SMART Board can be done with more conventional materials (for example, sorting exercises can be done with paper cut outs or actual objects such as books), the SMART Board does offer the teacher a level of convenience and cuts down on set up time. However, taking the initial time out to prepare lessons on the SMART Board would probably take some time. But once they are completed, a teacher can easily modify them and keep them updated. As the technology is perfected and schools begin converting classrooms, I expect to see more SMART Board usage and would like to add some of its interactive elements to my lessons.




C. apply technology to increase productivity.

 

Technology aids teachers in accomplishing daily tasks. Grades can be calculated using spread sheet programs such as MS Excel or grading programs can be used such as Chancery SMS. I have used a combination of both to keep electronic grade books. When there were difficulties with the implementation of the new grading program, I turned to using an Excel work book with Macros to help me calculate grade point averages. This Excel work book was given to me by one of our ETs a number of years ago and has proven to be a reliable back up resource for tracking student progress. Allowing spreadsheets and grading programs to help calculate student averages helps save time and organize information. When you have 550 students like I do, you really need to make use of time saving materials such as these.

 

In addition to using spread sheets and grading programs to track student progress, I have begun using an InFocus projector regularly in my art room. The InFocus projector allows me to take advantage of resources on the internet and share them with the entire class. When I interviewed the other art teacher at my school and discussed her use of the InFocus in her classroom she explained that by using an InFocus projector to make presentations and share pictures with the class she can take money that she would have normally spent on art prints and use it for more consumable art supplies. The other art teacher and I also collaborate on art lessons, often sharing ideas and resources such as this Power Point Presentation that we use to teach 1pt Perspective. By using the InFocus to project images to teach lessons and inspire the children, we can pool our resources and share any Power Point Presentations or image archives that we have been collecting. The InFocus has really helped us grow together professionally and allowed us to team up on the development of new lessons each year.




D. use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.

 

At my school we regularly use Microsoft Outlook to communicate with other teachers, send school wide messages, plan meetings and keep parents informed of what is happening at the school. Newsletters are often sent via e-mail to parents and teachers. Daily Bulletins are sent to all faculty members outlining upcoming field trips, teacher absences, outgoing and incoming students as well as important events and dates. Using these communication resources really helps keep teachers and community members in touch.

 

When planning lessons for students, students can team up and work cooperatively on the internet through discussion boards and blogs, wikis, and utilize programs such as Web Blender to create websites. By using online resources such as these, students can upload the results of their studies and allow parents, teachers, professionals and other visitors to see what they have accomplished. Online art galleries such as the one that I keep on my own classroom website, allow students to share their art work with their parents as well as other students in the school. Online communications also allow students to self-publish and share their ideas with the world.



NETS I. | NETS II. | NETS III. | NETS IV. | NETS V. | NETS VI.




Standards quoted from ISTE NETS - NETS for Teachers.