Personal+Growth

=How will I grow with the tools and learning I've gained?= My introduction to technology began when I started using a computer in my first teaching job, around 1992. I had a fairly steep learning curve as I learned to navigate the little Apple computers we had. At about the same time, my husband and I purchased our first family PC. I didn’t have any formal instruction in the use of either of the computers, but learned what I needed to know in order to accomplish the tasks I needed to complete; my main use being word processing. In time, I began to see the relevance for computers in the classroom. Students who enjoyed writing used them to word process, they became a tool for math and word games, and we were able to install software to help struggling readers. One year, I was able to loan one of the Apples to a student for the summer. She was a passionate writer and wanted to spend the summer journaling. From that very basic level of word processing, the way I use computers has morphed, just as the available technologies have soared. I currently use a Smartboard in my daily instruction. The Smartboard has changed the way I plan instruction, communicate to students, demonstrate lessons and curriculum, and access available media. My lesson planning book pretty much now resides on the computer, and I’m able to save the files I’ve created for use in subsequent years. I have also been able to learn how to upload the daily Smartboard plans to my page on the school’s website. This allows students and parents to access homework assignments, calendar items, lesson notes, and technology links. Of course, the current technology also allows students to access multitudes of resources. Teaching students to access, evaluate and give credit to resources is a major part of my current technology instruction. I am lucky to have three student computers in my classroom. These allow me to expand and deepen the curriculum particularly for the gifted students I work with. In fact, we’ve developed an entire program for curricular acceleration which is mainly possible because of the available technology. In the coming year, I will be teaching a 6th grade nine week exploratory for gifted students entitled: //Accelerated Learning Opportunities//. I plan to model this class after our LPS 2.0 class. This class will include: · Study skills · Organizational skills and tools · Inter and Intrapersonal skill evaluations · Technology tools that will include wikis, blogs, google docs, and research and citing expectations · Personal Learning Environment I expect each student to come away from this exploratory with a “toolbox” of resources they can call upon during their three years of middle school and beyond. In addition to the 6th grade exploratory, I would like to train teachers in my building to access and assimilate technologies I’ve learned and found useful into their practice also. I will work with our building’s Instructional Coach and Technology Coach to plan, develop and instruct technology lessons and experiences for the teachers. I am grateful for the extensive support offered by Littleton Public Schools and Euclid Middle School for learning and growing in technology knowledge and skills. I know that I’ve learned so much since 1992, but that I also have much to continue to learn.