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