EDTC6433 ISTE Standard 4 Digital Citizenship poster

Accomplished Teaching End of Course Reflection

Teacher Leadership Standard 4: Engage in analysis of teaching and collaborative practices

Over the course of this quarter I have learned much about the process of reflective practice as a teacher. I have seen how effective the process can be in collaborative sessions, and I have learned how to practice reflection individually and in progressively larger groups of people. What I missed was my own fault - I misread the date of our second face-to-face meeting in the University Place cohort, so I missed out on an opportunity to reflect with my colleagues about my videotaped lesson and about my students’ work. Through the process of developing and teaching the lesson, however, I learned much about my own practices and was able to apply techniques I learned through the reading of our text, Reflective Practice to Improve Schools: An Action Guide for Educators.

The initial reading assignments introduced me to a formalized reflection. The idea of reflection as a continuous practice appealed to me, partly because I have been reflecting in various forms throughout my career. The book’s authors created a Theory of Action for Reflective Practice, one that starts with a pause, continues with openness, and includes inquiry, thinking, learning, and action. The continuum ends with enhanced student learning (York-Barr, Sommers, Ghere, and Montie, p. 9). I have practiced all of these at points, but the coalescing of these elements into one theory has allowed me to focus my reflection on that final goal, enhanced student learning. Only by taking time and being open to change can I begin asking questions, thinking about the answers, learning new material, and applying it to my practice.

This process helped as I approached the videotaped lesson [lesson plan]. My initial conversations with my colleague Alex at our first face-to-face class led me to think I had a promising grasp on my lesson. His questions, however, led me to stay focused on my objectives and not try to fit too much into my instruction. After the lesson, I remembered why watching yourself teach is awkward, but I had to keep an open mind about what I initially thought was a decent lesson. The biggest question I asked myself was whether my students had actually learned anything. Our discussion was centered on a few students; not everybody had an opportunity to contribute, and upon reflection, I was able to come up with some collaborative strategies, such as think-pair-share, that I have since applied to other classroom discussions. [Synthesizing Elements of Accomplished Teaching]

While I missed out on an opportunity to reflect with my colleagues, I would like to have more such chances to do so within the scope of this program. I found the interaction enlightening and valuable. More opportunities for reflection would further help me meet the course objective to practice the fundamentals of reflection.

References

York-Barr, J., Sommers, W. A., Ghere, G. S., and Montie, J. (2006). Reflective Practice to Improve Schools: An Action Guide for Educators. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.

Teaching with Technology: Reflecting on my Module 5 triggering question

ISTE Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning and exhibit leadership in their school and professional communities by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

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.

How can I best promote technology to my colleagues who might be techno-phobic?

I ask myself why I would want teachers to use more technology in their classrooms. We’re a busy bunch, after all, and one more item on the plate isn’t necessarily going to make us better teachers. I enjoy using technology, and I like to share that enjoyment with my students. If another teacher doesn’t enjoy using technology, then that person isn’t going to be an effective user in the classroom.

Yet many of my techno-phobic colleagues use Facebook. They interact socially with friends, family, and colleagues. They share how their day went, pass along photos of great-looking meals, and even share recipe videos of how those meals were put together. Why not do the same for teaching? Carpenter writes that “social media facilitates participation, challenges hierarchies, and helps build professional networks that support teacher collaboration and autonomy” (2016). He advocates the use of social media as a teacher-directed professional development tool. Sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, and Edmodo offer opportunities for teachers to do for their professional growth what they already do for their personal growth. What’s encouraging is that many teachers are already taking advantage of this, and on their own time. “In an era of intense demands on educators, ... teachers are willing to give up their personal time to participate in this unremunerated professional learning” (Carpenter, 2016).

Using technology to advance one’s professional development makes sense, but technology itself won’t make us better teachers. Good learning comes from good teaching, and the medium used doesn’t necessarily matter. De Bruyckere, Kirschner, and Hulshof dispel the myth that technology is causing a revolution in the classroom in their article “Technology in Education: What Teachers Should Know” (2016). They propose that “the medium seldom influences teaching, learning, and education, nor is it likely that one single medium will ever be the best one for all students” (De Bruyckere, Kirschner, and Hulshof, 2016). Having a SmartBoard in your classroom won’t make you a better teacher if all you do is use it as a projector screen. But employing it to engage students and interact with material can have pedagogical benefits. “Effective instructional methods can improve learning outcomes across different media, whereas using hand-held instructional media may increase students’ willingness to continue to engage in learning” (De Bruyckere, Kirschner, and Hulshof, 2016).

When used appropriately, technology has tremendous benefits for students. An East Los Angeles teacher, Enrique Legaspi, uses Twitter to engage his students in his middle school social studies class. The same type of work students would do in a classroom discussion review of World War I, for example, can be done through Twitter - by all students, not just a few. “A lot of them, what it did help them with was finding their voice, because I do have many students that do not participate in my class discussions or share what’s on their mind,” Legaspi told CNN’s Dan Simon (2011). He uses Twitter to increase participation, but he can also differentiate his instruction based on that participation. That’s the pedagogy at work.

Results like Legaspi’s should be shared, as should the benefits of using social media to improve professional development. As more positive examples of the uses of technology become apparent, my techno-phobic colleagues will come around. As long as they are interested in the future of their profession, they’ll find advantages in adapting technology for their own purposes.

References

De Bruyckere, P., Kirschner, P. A., and Hulshof, C. D. (2016, Spring). Technology in Education: What Teachers Should Know. American Educator, Spring 2016. Retrieved on November 29th from http://www.aft.org/ae/spring2016/debruyckere-kirschner-and-hulshof

Carpenter, J.P. (2016). Teachers at the Wheel. Educational Leadership, 73(8), 30-35. Retrieved on December 4th from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.spu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=ddfb82c3-1236-4a42-9b56-3125c4ec2c56%40sessionmgr106&vid=0&hid=125&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=EJ1100630&db=eric

Simon, D. (Reporter). (June 9, 2011). Twitter has place in classroom. Retrieved on December 4th from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w9CnaeaiAE

Teaching with Technology - reflecting on my triggering question (Module 4)

You’ve found a great website, full of great material on a topic you love to teach your students. Here’s a great opportunity for you to send your students out onto the internet to do some research, because you know they’re going to love this website as much as you do. I mean, it’s got so much good stuff! You book the computer lab, whip out a lesson plan and a set of instructions, and set them to work. At some point, however, the problems show up. They get done too early and start to explore the other areas of the internet you’d rather they not. In the process of doing that fabulous PowerPoint presentation, they pull images off the web with stock photo embedded across the front. What you thought was great information is insufficient, so they go out and get their own research, which leaves much to be desired. That interactive commenting you expected them to do? They’re copying and pasting memes and calling each other every name in the book. What you thought would be a great lesson devolved into a typical internet experience, and now you never want them to use a computer again.

“Like a village, the K-12 professional community must develop common ground that advocates the use of technology in the classroom while preparing the student to make sound choices both for themselves and for others in the digital world” (Hollandsworth, Dowdy, and Donovan, 2011). Sound choices, indeed, and when my students reach me in the 10th and 11th grades and haven’t been instructed in how to make these choices, it makes my job that much tougher. As with everyone before me, I have a packed curriculum and little time to add units on digital citizenship. Still, what I want my students to do requires them to know and use these skills, and rather than wait on others to do the job, it falls upon me to prepare them for digital tasks. Hence my triggering question for Module 4: How can I develop and implement responsible and appropriate guidelines for my students' online class activities, including research, collaboration, and writing?

Hollandsworth, Dowdy, and Donovan state that the opportunities to be proactive in teaching digital practices include “effective digital citizenship curriculum, peer mentor programs, effective role models, educational faculty/staff awareness, enhanced awareness of the risks, and most importantly - a proactive versus reactive approach” (2011). Within my sphere of influence on that list is being an effective role model and faculty awareness, as well as a proactive approach. As an effective role model, for example, I’m doing more to cite my sources when I put together online presentations. No longer do I take a picture from a Google search and paste it into my PowerPoint; now I look at the usage rights of that picture and make sure I have permission to use it in my presentation. I cite my source, and I have established procedures (or will soon) for my students to do likewise. This course has raised my awareness of these issues, to the point that as I developed a blogging assignment for my students, I researched guidelines for having students make comments so they would be able to do so within set parameters, rather than randomly and according to whatever non-school-appropriate social guidelines they have developed for themselves.

My awareness, however, is not enough. Lindsay and Davis write, “Digital citizenship is … about transforming yourself into a professional who can effectively research technology trends, monitor the uses of technology in your school or district, avoid the fear factor that can easily paralyze you, and empower student-centered learning to create vibrant, exciting learning projects” (2010). In other words, I have to stay on top of things. As new technologies emerge, it’s up to me to understand them and understand how my students interact with them. The guidelines I develop this year may change as the technology my students use changes, and if I cannot adapt to those changes, then my students will fall behind ability to safely manage their new digital frontier.

Lindsay and Davis also point out that “testing the waters of digital citizenship can be turbulent” (2010). I’ve embarked on my student blogging experiment as just that - an experiment. I was upfront with the students about how I wasn’t sure how this would work, but we went ahead with it anyway. I’m learning as we go, adapting to the problems they’re encountering and presenting, and making changes to fill the students’ needs. I’ve already learned, for example, that my students write a lot and that I need to factor in the time necessary to provide feedback. My adaptation there is to have students form groups and provide the feedback within the group themselves. This way they’re responsible for the improvement of their fellow writers, but they also get valuable feedback for their own writing. We’ll see how they do with this part of the assignment, and whether it works or not, I’ll continue to adapt the lesson to make it work better.

The common thread in my research is the need to be proactive. Ribble and Miller write, “Educational leaders have a responsibility as protectors of students, and as such can become part of the problem, if they do not take proactive steps to begin finding solutions to cyberbullying and other technological issues” (2013). Whatever guidelines I develop, I cannot wait until they are needed. I have to develop them now, and I have to be willing to adapt them to the needs of my students. I shouldn’t wait until next year, but I should start implementing them immediately so that I’ll have a head start on what I use for next year. It won’t be easy, but my students will benefit tremendously and be that much more prepared when they leave high school for the real world.

References:

Hollandsworth, R., Dowdy, L., & Donovan, J. (2011). Digital citizenship in K-12: it takes a village. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 55:4, 37-47. doi: 10.1007/s11528-011-0510-z

Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. (2010). Navigate the digital rapids. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37:6, 12-15. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ886385

Ribble, M., & Miller, T. N. (2013). Educational leadership in an online world: connecting students to technology responsibly, safely, and ethically. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17:1, 137-145. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ1011379

Teaching with Technology - Reflecting on my triggering question (Module 3)

In my exploration of ISTE Standard 3 these past two weeks I’ve discovered much about how I use technology and how I can better use technology to help my students. Standard 3 asks teachers to “exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society” (ISTE, 2008). I’ve always been excited about using technology in my classroom, from being one of the first at my school in California to use a document camera, to being one of the first at that school to use Remind101, a text messaging application that later dropped the “101” from their name. The fun of getting to use these tools helped me integrate them into my classroom, even if somewhat awkwardly at times.

One of the biggest challenges I have with technology, however, is matching the desire to use all of the technology with the need to have focus in how I use technology. My triggering question for Module 3 was How can I best share knowledge of educational technologies, such as Google Apps and blogs, with my students? Upon reflection, I want to add “colleagues, administrators, and parents” to the end of that question. My research initially took me to an article titled “Supporting 21st Century Learning Through Google Apps,” by Roger Nevin, a teacher librarian in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Nevin writes about some of the benefits of using Google Apps, including the ability to access information wherever you have internet access and collaboration features (Nevin, 2009). Nevin’s article provides a framework for supporting the use of Google Apps in the classroom, and I realize that the best way to share the information is to implement it in my classroom. Previous research had already sold me on Google Apps, and I’ve started to move in that direction, although I’m a long way from full implementation with my students.

By luck, I discovered another article through reddit, an online collection of links to images and information, often of dubious reputation. While browsing the ELATeachers subreddit I came across a blog post titled “Streamlining the Student-Blogging Process.” Shay writes about how he uses Kidblog to have students post their work, and how he requires them to revise their writing until they have A work before they can post it (Shay, 2016). The timeliness was uncanny as I have already planned to have my students set up blogs this week using Blogger, Google’s blogging tool that we already use for the SPU TLP program. Shay’s blog led me to Kidblog, and the privacy tools available through that program are more in line with what my district will likely require. Namely, the ability to control access to the blogs and to set up individual classes will help me manage students’ online behavior, a potential problem with high schoolers that could derail the entire project if it gets out of control. Shay’s comments helped raise my awareness of issues I hadn’t even thought of. Whether he intended to or not, he was modeling Standard 3 by sharing his knowledge with his colleagues.

The Vialogue for this module also helped tremendously. Before the video was even finished I was already using Diigo, an online resource management tool. This may be the first tool I use to share information with my colleagues, although my colleagues’ familiarity with Google Docs may work out better. Either way, I know I have tools at my disposal, and it’s up to me to start using them.

I’m excited about using all of the tools. And I’m losing my anxiety about it not working. I told my students last week that the blogging would be an experiment. If it works, great; if not, we’ll make it work better next time.

Works cited

ISTE Standards: Teachers. (2008). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf

Nevin, R. (2009). Supporting 21st century learning through Google apps. Teacher Librarian, 37, no. 2, 35-38. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eric&AN=EJ869558&site=ehost-live

Shay, J. (2016, November 4). Streamlining the student-blogging process [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://mr-shay.blogspot.com/2016/11/streamlining-student-blogging-process.html

Wicks, D. (2016). EDTC 6433 Fall 2016 Module 3 hangout recording [Vialogue; video recording]. Retrieved from https://vialogues.com/vialogues/play/32833/?ak=e9e0fd1e8991d29280fb95c548c32345

Teaching with Technology - Reflecting on my triggering question (Module 2)

How can I effectively use technology such as computers, tablets, and even cell phones as a formative and summative assessment tool to evaluate students’ ELA skills, including comprehension of reading texts and specific writing abilities?

Getting feedback from and to my students has always been a challenge as an English teacher. When I teach students to write, I have to have them write, and assessing writing takes time. When I can work with a student one-on-one I can immediately see a student’s strengths and challenges, and I can provide feedback to that student that they can use to improve their writing. I have 136 students, however, and I can't give them all individual attention. For the last module I saw the effectiveness of using online collaboration tools as a means of giving students feedback. For this module I looked into the use of blogs and their potential for formative assessment. I believe this ties directly into ISTE Standard 2, which is Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessment.

Formative assessment during the process of writing a paper is limited as I run around the room, going from student asking question to student sitting there looking at her paper. The final paper takes me up to three weeks to grade, so any feedback is outdated and ineffective. A blog, however, would allow students to publish their work online and give me the opportunity to provide them some feedback that they could use to revise their work. Stover, Yearta, and Harris (2016) identify assessing reading comprehension as one of three major benefits of this kind of online interaction. In their case study, their teacher used a rubric with the class that guided her feedback to the students (p. 378). A focused rubric would allow me to concentrate my feedback on one particular skill, rather than grading holistically and overwhelming the student with information.

Another benefit the authors found was the teacher’s ability to differentiate instruction (p. 379). The teacher was able to provide “unique responses to scaffold and guide instruction within blog posts” (p. 379). The advantage here seems obvious. Any individual feedback is tailored to the student. Even with a focused rubric, I can give a student direction on his writing that ties to the skills I'm teaching.

I’m not the only one who can give feedback on a blog. Students now write papers for an audience of one - me. With a blog, their audience can grow. I can assign students to read classmates’ blogs and provide feedback based on the rubric. The idea of having an audience is an advantage noted in Matt Richtel’s New York Times article (2012). Richtel cites research that shows students “feel more impassioned by the new literacy. They love writing for an audience, engaging with it” (Richtel, 2012). As teachers, our job is to engage our students, and if they're engaged with blogging, then why not do it?

My students live in the digital age, and I believe the appropriate use of blogs in their English class would help keep them engaged and see the value of their writing. At the same time, I have the ability to better my use of assessment and shape it to their needs, helping them develop into stronger and more effective writers.

References

Richtel, M. (2012, Jan. 20). Blogs vs. term papers. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Stover, K., Yearta, L., & Harris, C. (2016). Formative assessment in the digital age: blogging with third graders. The Reading Teacher. 69:4, 377-381. doi:10.1002/trtr.1420

Teaching With Technology - Reflection on my triggering question (Module 1)

How can I use Google Docs to provide more timely feedback to my students?

I fell in love with Google Docs last year when I collaborated with a colleague for the AP English Language course we both taught. I sensed early on the possibilities of using online collaboration in teaching, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around the specifics, so this made sense as a triggering question. The question of providing feedback on writing has always vexed me, in part because of the difficulty of reading a full paper for a full class (or multiple classes) of students in a short enough amount of time to make a difference. For example, our school gives English teachers three weeks to finish grading essays and return grades to students. Any feedback is meaningless after that time; why do I even bother writing comments? Yet I need those full three weeks when 120 students turn in two- to three-page papers.

My ultimate goal for using Google Docs is to facilitate student learning, a critical component of ISTE Standard 1. I also feel that when students are given an opportunity to use old tools (word processing) in new ways (online and collaborative) that it will inspire creativity, which is the other key component of Standard 1. My research took me to an article by Denton (2012) in which he outlined several strategies discovered through his research for integrating cloud computing into the classroom. All of these strategies relied on the principles of constructivism and cooperative learning. The idea behind constructivism is that students learn based on their experiences, while cooperative learning involves interaction with other learners (Denton, 2012).

Two of Denton’s strategies that stood out for me were on student-constructed presentations and assisted writing. The idea behind student-constructed presentations is that multiple students would edit the same presentation through Google Slides, with each student being assigned a specific slide (p. 37). Students would receive guidance for content, then demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter by completing the assignment. My students recently completed an assignment that would have been perfect for this model. I had students create posters for the classroom on different rhetorical strategies writers use, with each poster containing the strategy, a definition, its function, and an example. This would have been ideal for Google Slides, as it would have allowed students access to the entire product as it was being produced, and give them a final product they could access outside of the classroom as a study guide. As it is, the posters look nice on my wall, but students can’t take them home.

On assisted writing, Denton (2012) encourages the use of Google Docs, which allows for collaboration necessary for cooperative learning. Students could share documents with other students and the instructor, eliminating the need to exchange papers and allowing all to see changes made over time (p. 38). If I had students use this model, then the feedback I gave them could be used immediately, not three weeks later. I would be grading formative drafts, not summative assignments, and my students would have a strong reason to read my comments, as they could be used in preparing a final draft for submission. My summative grading would then concentrate on the final changes, not the entire content of the paper.

This latter use, assisted writing, makes the most sense for my classroom, but it does raise a few questions, namely in the execution. Not all of my students have Google accounts; can I require them to get one? What about the few students who don’t have internet access at home? I can encourage them to use computers at school, but is that an equitable solution? My colleagues have already written about the need for training in digital citizenship; what will this entail for my students? How much instruction will I need to provide to establish the framework for this to be effective? I know the initial process won’t be easy, but how can I sustain this model once I begin? These questions don’t discourage me at all; rather, I’m excited about the prospect of using technology in this new way. Whatever challenges I face in implementing this model, I can see how effective it will be for both me and my students.

References

Denton, D.W. (2012). Enhancing instruction through constructivism, cooperative learning, and cloud computing. Tech Trends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 56(4), 34-41. doi:10.1007/s11528-012-0585-1

Accomplished Teaching: Initial Reflection

I want to become a better teacher, but focusing on one particular area of growth has always been challenging for me. I collaborate well, but I often struggle at unit planning. I use technological tools in my classroom, but I don’t interact with my students through those tools. I involve myself in school activities, from announcing football games to serving as a PLC leader, but I don’t communicate with parents often enough. Somewhere in those strengths and weaknesses are opportunities for me to grow in my profession.

In California I worked with a program called BTSA - Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment. The system works like ProTeach, as the means for new teachers to clear their credential. Much of my work was as a mentor teacher; I worked with new teachers, observing them teach and facilitating their own reflection about their teaching practices. It was the best professional development I’d had, the ability to see other teachers teach and to talk to them about the craft, all while getting paid. When I left California and got a job in Washington, I intended to continue that work, if only as an informal process. Little discussions with colleagues, PLC meetings, talks at the lunch table all contribute to my collaborative reflection. Individually, I can do more, however. Like all teachers, I look back at the day’s lesson and wonder what went wrong, but the process has generally been informal and sporadic.

One way to do this would be to take advantage the Marzano TPEP framework my district uses for its evaluations. Coming from California I didn’t pay much attention to the evaluation system. I’ve always seen it as a hoop to jump through, and I’ve been able to get proficient ratings without putting too much effort into the process. Having looked in more detail at the framework I can see the advantage of using the rubrics to evaluate my own teaching. Within my grasp is the ability to move from proficient to distinguished in several areas, and a regular system of reviewing the framework will help me achieve that growth.

I’ve always considered myself a dynamic teacher, an effective classroom manager, and a strong presenter of information. I have a great relationship with my students, one built on mutual respect and treating each other as adults with a purpose. I feel I can motivate them to work hard, but I’d like to be more efficient about doing that. My planning skills suffer because I often fail to look at the big picture of what I’m teaching. This year as I’m developing new units for my AP English Language course I’m learning more about establishing objectives and assessments before moving backward to the nitty gritty of each day’s lesson. This is my challenge - seeing the big picture - and that’s the area I would like to grow in the most.

ISTE Standards for Teachers

ISTE Standards for Teachers

1. 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.
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.
2. 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 ISTE Standards•S.
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 and 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.
3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.
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.
4. 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.
a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property and the appropriate documentation of sources.
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.
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning and exhibit leadership in their school and professional communities by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.
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.

ISTE Standards•T © 2008 International Society for Technology in Education.
ISTE® is a registered trademark of the International Society for Technology in Education.If you would like to reproduce this material, please contact permissions@iste.org.

Master of education in teacher leadership program standards

Seattle Pacific University | Master of Education in Teacher Leadership Program Standards

Competencies: The Seattle Pacific University Master of Education in Teacher Leadership will center on the following program competencies aligned with the Washington State teaching criteria but also serve as a foundation for teacher leadership:

1. Continuous improvement of teaching and learning, promoting student growth

2. Commitment to high levels of achievement for all students

3. Development of safe and responsive community schools

4. Commitment to the moral, ethical, and professional practices that characterize leadership in education

	Standard	Course	Product/artifact/portfolio exhibit
		Foundations and Research
	Teacher Leaders…
1	model ethical and moral behavior.	EDU 6085    Moral Issues in Education (3)	A document that articulates the moral piece of a vision as an educational leader that can guide the student as they proceed in their professional career.
2	analyze learning to promote student growth.	EDU 6979   Action Research in School Settings (3) EDU 6528 Accomplished Teaching	Review of educational material for specified group of students.  Analysis of classroom practices/environment for student engagement.
3	improve teaching and learning through the use of educationalresearch at the classroom and school levels.	EDU 6979    Action Research in School Settings (3)	Initial action research project – classroom level
		EDU 6980   Applying Research in School Settings (3)	Article critiques and data analyses connected to both primary and secondary sources
		Teacher Leadership Focus
4	engage in analysis of teaching and collaborative practices.	EDU 6528     Accomplished Teaching (3)	Analysis of teaching and collaborative practices that support improved instruction. Video segments of classroom and coaching strategies.
5	establish a culturally inclusive learning climate that facilitates academic engagement and success for all students.	EDU 6525     Culturally Responsive Teaching (3)	Plans for improving the cultural sensitivity of an educational setting.
6	communicate and collaborates with a variety of stakeholders	EDU 6600     Communication and Collaboration:  Parents, ​Colleagues, Community (3)	Educator Professional Learning Plan connected to SIP
	communicate and collaborates with a variety of stakeholders	EDAD 6589   Engaging Communities (3) EDU 6600   Communication and Collaboration (3)	CEP – Community Engagement Plan Educator Professional Learning Plan connected to SIP
7	utilize instructional frames to improve teaching	EDAD 6580   Leadership in Education (3)	1. LEP – Learning Environment Profile Analysis  2. Introduction to the Professional Growth Plan
8	present professional practice for the review of colleagues	EDU 6990     Teacher Leadership Capstone (3)	Presentation of reflective capstone project – end of program reflections aligned to all TL standard areas.
		Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Focus
9	evaluate and use effective curriculum design	EDU 6524     Curriculum Design (3)	Curriculum maps or analysis of curriculum alignment
10	understand effective use of research based instructional practices	EDU 6526     Survey of Instructional Strategies (3)	Analysis of implementation for several classroom-basedinstructional strategies
11	Utilize formative and summative assessment in a standards based environment	EDU 6613     Standards Based Assessment (3)	Comprehensive formative and summative assessment plan for a classroom-based unit of study.
12	evaluate and use technology for teaching and learning	EDTC 6433   Teaching with Technology (3)	Student and teacher tools, strategies, products demonstrating effective use. (ISTE standards)