I am currently in my 5th
year of teaching and my 4th year in the fourth grade. Throughout
these 5 years there has been constant change. I have switched grades, changed
math curriculum, adopted new math and language art’s standards, and have
changed teaching partners each year. Amongst all of this change one thing has
remained constant, the standards to which I am held.
As teachers, we are continually expected to meet the
highest standards. We have taken on the task of meeting the educational needs
of all of our students to help prepare them for the world outside of the
classroom. That means providing quality experiences that are relevant to the
real world.
The
world that this generation is growing up in is one that is fully dependent on
the use of technology. In order to prepare this generation there needs to be a
change in the way that teachers educate their students. There needs to be a
focus not only on introducing students to technologies, but also on providing
appropriate modeling for how to use the technologies.
As
I continue through my career I need to make sure that as the changes continue
to come I remain focused on providing the highest possible educational quality
I can. I need to meet the needs of each of my students to help prepare them for
the world that they will encounter. In order to due this I plan on continuing
to develop my knowledge base for how to best do this. There are many different
methods for how to best provide a quality education, but in order to find where
I fit best I need to experience the variety of methods.
One
method in which to do this is through the Master’s of Educational Technology
program that I am currently enrolled. Through this program I will be introduced
not only to methods and practices for using technology in the classroom, but
will also work on building an understanding for how to incorporate the new
information I gain in a meaningful way into my classroom.
Learning
to incorporate into the classroom is the area in which I will need to make sure
to focus. Many times I have been introduced to programs or techniques for
education and have gone back into the classroom and attempted to use the new
information, but have failed to use it in a way that is meaningful for my
students education. The classes I will be taking are designed to help in this
area.
Another
method in which I plan to continue to use to improve technology incorporation
and teaching is through the use of professional learning networks. Since my
fist class at Grand Valley has started I have been introduced to a variety of
to participate in professional learning environment. One of the ways that I
have begun to take more advantage of is the PLE within my school building and
district. I have realized that we are all working toward the same ultimate goal
and I should not be afraid of asking for assistance from those with more
experience in certain areas. Also, I have learned that there are many of PLN
out there; especially online. One that I have been introduced to recently is
part on Edmodo. We have used Edmodo in may class, but because I am not real
familiar with it I have not used it to its fullest capability. This learning
network can help me with those needs, but it also can be used to gain knowledge
from a wide network of teachers.
The
world is always changing and along with it the students who enter my class are
changing as well. In order to meet the needs of these students I need to be
willing to change along with them. It does not mean that I have to give up what
I know best and the traditional methods of teaching, but I need to adapt them
to fit the needs of my students. I will need to continue to push myself toward
a new understating of how to teach and continue to use the resources that are
available to me.
