Blog Post #12: Learning Specialist Proposal Reflection #1

 



Learning Specialist Proposal Reflection 


image source: pgnitem.com

Technology Proposal

Over the course of the last few weeks, I have been assessing my school district's needs in the area of technology. After brainstorming and speaking to administration, I decided to implement professional development on how to use the technology that we already have. Our school is a fast-paced environment and collaboration among teachers can rare during busy days and weeks. My idea was to present short, engaging lessons once a month at our Monday teacher meetings, as well as one presentation during our Wednesday staff meeting. 

The Process

The process so far has been pretty smooth. My administration encourages teachers and staff to give professional development whenever possible. My idea was welcome and administration made time for me to discuss the idea with them. So far, I have discovered that there is support for my idea and that I would like to present professional development to the staff. The only challenge I have faced so far is deciding on the content of the professional development sessions. I still need to decide what topics to cover, but I plan on crating a survey this week to distribute to staff in order to determine that information. Some of the topics I have considered for teacher meetings is assistive technology, how to build professional learning networks on social media, and reviewing technology standards and how to implement the into lessons. For our overall staff meeting, I was thinking about focusing on technology standards and assistive technology (how to use the technology we already have to meet student needs and IEP accommodations).

I am still excited to work on this project for my school district. I think it is much needed, so the project is authentic and will hopefully help staff and other teachers. The most positive aspect of the journey has been to collaborate with administration and staff members. As stated before, we have limited time to meet together and discuss our needs and tips. This professional development will provide some more space and time for us to learn something new. 

I am excited to become a technology leader. It is important for schools to not only have access to technology, but the knowledge on how to use it. With what we have learned so far, I am excited to present this learning in a way that will encourage active learning and research from staff members. I want to make sure that the information I present can be discusses and used at our school. I also want to make sure to include the ideas of others and to truly promote conversation among teachers and staff. Learning more about the technology we have and how to use it will increase accessibility of the curriculum for students, as well as make it more engaging and creative.

Next Steps

My next steps are to create a survey to distribute to staff to determine needs and topics that should be addressed. I am hoping to send this survey out later this week and get some results back after the Thanksgiving break. After that, I will break down the comments of staff and determine what should be covered in the one longer session (Wednesday staff meeting) and the monthly Monday mini-sessions (teacher meetings). I will show these results to my administration in order to discuss any other needs or next steps. I'm excited to keep working on this project and see where it leads me and my school district. It is a unique opportunity to step into a leadership role, and I'm appreciating the experience it is providing me.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Post #1: Welcome to My Blog!

Image
         Welcome to my blog!        Image Source: Personal Photo              About Me My name is Kate (she/her) and I am in my 7th year as a special education teacher. Before teaching special education, I taught a technology class in a general education classroom for 4 years. I currently teach 6th and 7th grade at a therapeutic day school. I received my BA in Secondary English Education and a minor in Community Service Studies at DePaul University . The Community Service studies minor allowed me to work with a variety of non-profit organizations around Chicago. I earned my MS in Special Education LBS1 at Dominican University . I'm finally feeling ready to go back to school and excited to return to Dominican to work on my Education Technology Specialist Endorsement.     Image source: personal photo                     ...
Read more

Blog Post #2: Technology Frameworks

Image
Technology Frameworks, TPACK, and Self-Evaluation image source:  pgnkey.com   Learning About Technology Frameworks This week, I spent time learning about different technology frameworks. This was an interesting topic for me, considering the first teaching position I had was at a school that had 1:1 computers (before this was common). At the time, I wasn't sure how to implement all this great technology in the classroom. I felt as if I used technology "just to use it" and had no idea why I was using it. After learning about some of these frameworks, I continue to evaluate the tools I use in class and how they deliver the content to students through my chosen teaching strategy. I chose to learn more about TPACK and evaluate myself using this framework. What is TPACK? TPACK , or Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge, is a framework that analyzes how these 3 different areas work together to successfully use technology and deliver content in the classroom. It is im...
Read more

Blog Post #5: Active Learning: QR Codes

Image
  Active Learning: QR Codes image source: remark.com What is active learning?    It's no secret that the way students learn has changed over the years. Every generation is slightly different than the last, and it is important for educators to make content relevant to students. This week, I explored how active learning is beneficial in the classroom. Active learning is student-centered, interactive, and allows students to take ownership of their learning. According to the University of Minnesota Center for Educational Innovation, "Active learning is any approach to instruction in which all students are asked to engage in the learning process."  Active learning promotes 21st century skills, keeps students engaged in their work, and encourages problem solving and critical thinking skills. Some strategies for successfully implementing active learning include reciprocal questioning, group discussions, self-assessment, and peer-teaching activities ( Prodigy ). ...
Read more