Blog Phase III: Accomplishing Standards

• Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Based on my assignments this semester in teaching, assessing, and reflecting, I have learned a great deal. I gained practical experience in creating, planning, implementing, and improving lesson plans. Actually writing and blogging during each step of the lessons I created in this class, pushed me to think deeply about what went well, what didn’t, and how I can improve the learning experience in the future. All of the previously mentioned experiences allowed me to build effective teaching habits that will positively impact my future teaching. In my future classroom I intend to consistently improve the learning experience. I will do so by continuing to practice in depth reflection, generating improvement ideas during each stage of my lesson planning.       

• Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessment

During the semester, I gained experience in developing lesson plans that support digital-age learning experiences. Each lesson I created included appropriate technology integration during the procedure and assessment portions. Before this class, I felt comfortable finding ways to add technology to lessons but I did not feel like technology enhanced the learning experience. In creating these lessons I learned how to incorporate technology in meaningful ways that improve the learning experience. As a future teacher, I am now motivated to effectively and appropriately utilize technology integrations in the classroom.  

• Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

During this class, I practiced modeling digital-age work and learning, throughout my lesson implementations. I also gained a better understanding of modeling this as I played the student in others’ lesson implementations. During these experiences, I had the opportunity to participate in appropriate digital-age work and learning that was modeled by other teachers. I feel that acting in different roles, as the teacher and as the student in support of digital-age work and learning, helped me understand how to set a better example in my future classroom. I learned that technology is best incorporated into the learning experience as a teacher models proper use of that particular technology and gives students the opportunity to use it for themselves in a meaningful way. As a future teacher, I will not be the only one using technology in my classroom. I understand that teacher created slide presentations are often not effective technology integrations. I want my students to utilize technology in the classroom for themselves, in ways that strongly support their academic progress and success in today’s digital world.       

• Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

I learned how to model digital citizenship in the same way I learned to model appropriate digital-age work (listed above in standard three). In this course I learned that certain preparation and review must accompany lessons with technology integrations. This means that as a future educator, I need to include lessons that teach my students how to use technology in a safe and responsible manner. In my future classroom, I plan to use the information I learned this semester to define digital citizenship and responsibility to my students. I want to help each of my students understand what digital citizenship means and recognize how it applies to them specifically.