I
love teaching! I feel like I am doing to
exact thing that God created me to do.
After ten years in the classroom, the passion is still there, but the
fire and drive is dwindling. I am
starting to rely on things I have done in the past rather than working to
create new lessons and modes to deliver content. I believe that the fire is dwindling because I
am not pushing myself anymore. It is
like I have put my teaching on cruise control.
Cruise control is boring. I need
to create some goals that will cause myself to work, and hopefully through
pushing for these goals I will be able to stoke the fire of my teaching. The two areas that I would like to focus on
come from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National
Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T).
The
first goal is in the area of professional involvement. Standard 5a focuses on getting involved in
local learning communities with the goal of improving student engagement by
using technology (International Society for Technology in Education). Time has always been my excuse. I work a very full work week, I am a father
of two adorable young daughters that I want to spend time with, and I am a full
time graduate student. There is not a
lot of margin in my day. It is hard for me to imagine finding time to get
involved. Luckily, while I have been in
graduate school I have found a great community of colleagues that support and
challenge me. I am more concerned about
what happens in October, when I am finished with graduate school. I need to force myself to get involved in a
learning community. For starters, I
should volunteer to be on the district technology committee. By doing this I will be held accountable for
being involved. It will also force me
into being part of the conversation.
Being involved in a community like this will also provide me with what
Dr. Ertmer (Laureate Education, n.d.) described as a supportive culture. If I am involved in a group with a shared
goal we will be able to support each other.
The
second goal is in the area of modeling digital age technology. Standard 3a alludes to teachers integrating
technological tools into their instruction and the ability to demonstrate a
familiarity with the different learning tools that are available (International
Society for Technology in Education). I
feel like I keep up on the new tools in technology that are available, but I
struggle in finding ways to incorporate the technology into my teaching. My goal is to do a better job planning my
instruction so that I can purposefully incorporate technology into my
teaching. I would also like to do a
better job modeling using technology to my students. If I want my students to create a digital
storybook, I need to show them an example of one first. This goal can be accomplished by dedicating
time to planning out my instruction and by collaborating with my peers in
developing samples and exploring new ways to use technology.
I
feel that these goals will provide the spark that I need to get off the
plateau. I recognize that I cannot do
this alone. I need accountability and
support. Do you have any advice to help
me achieve my goals?
International Society for Technology in Education.
(2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved fromhttp://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.).
Integrating technology across the content areas: Enriching content area
learning experiences with technology, part 1. Baltimore, MD: Author.
David, Great post and very honest. Many teachers put it into cruise control. Knowing that you want to get out of this is great. I think adding new technology and staying current does not allow you to coast. You have to evolve and change for the better.
ReplyDeleteJoining a PLC is a great way to stay involved. In my school I am part of our whole child team. We have come up with many great ideas and tools this year to make our school environment a better place. Getting your voice heard and ideas out there are a great way to feel like a bigger piece of the puzzle.
As far as making yourself accountable joining a team is a great way to do that. You do not seem like the type of guy who does not do his part. Therefore finding a good PLC (after you graduate) will make you be accountable to someone other than yourself. I have also found that modeling new technology although time consuming is also good teaching moments. We were learning about the revolutionary war and Valley Forge. As I built a presentation to use as an example with the class we researched together and that time was well spent. I could have done it before hand, by showing kids how to research and taking that time with them is also good instruction.
Keep up the good work
Bobby Gilmore
David,
ReplyDeleteI can relate very much to your feelings shared in this blog post. I am in a similar position as you with my time being very limited because I coach multiple sports all year round. It is important that we begin to spark our teaching again and take time to improve our instructional methods. I am also anxious to find a Professional Learning Community after we graduate to stay up to date with the latest technological tools available for the classroom. I think it is a great idea to volunteer to be on district technology committee. This will help you find the best practices and tools that you can use to update your current lessons for your students. Have you thought of continuing your education and taking more graduate courses that could specifically provide you with more resources? My plan after graduating is taking at least two graduate courses a year to stay current with the latest strategies and techniques for teaching.
Your second goal is one that will take some time on your part to plan. I think you will save time in the long run if you complete the tasks you are asking your students to do and effectively model how to complete the process. Your knowledge of using the tool will pass on confidence to your students and they will feel motivated to use a tool that they may never have used before. Is there a technology tool that you are thinking of implementing before the end of the school year? Maybe you could make this your goal for the last few weeks and reflect on the process. This will help you plan and prepare for the start of the new school year with new technological tools integrated into your curriculum. Hope these suggestions help! Let me know if you find any strong time management strategies!
Jamie Cresbaugh