ISTE Standard 5

ISTE Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

To become more effective educators, it is important for teachers to take responsibility of their own professional development and growth. They must also focus on their performance and involvement as a member in their learning community. Teachers should never get comfortable or content with the educational methods, resources, and digital tools they continue to use in their classrooms. They should always find new ways to implement and integrate current and new technologies that will keep the students engaged and enhance their learning.

a.      Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

It is important to work either formally or informally with other teachers or your grade level team to discuss various ways to improve student learning. As a teacher you want to be an active member in a learning community when wanting to implement new and creative lessons that will benefit the students and keep them engaged. Every time you are able to share and communicate within a group you are adding to the knowledge and resources available to everyone in your school’s learning environment and community.

b.      Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.

Whenever a teacher models how to use a technology tool effectively in the classroom, they are more than likely expanding the vision of a fellow colleague. Most teachers seek advice on how to implement new activities or tools in their classroom. They like to see and hear about what is working in another teacher’s classroom. Any teacher can allow themselves to be a resource to others that are more open to experiment a similar strategy in their own classroom.

c.       Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

As a professional you can share blogs, articles, books, or even journals that you find interesting that deals with new technology in the classroom. You can discuss these findings with a fellow colleague asking them their opinions on the topic. This is opening up a dialogue for teachers to evaluate and reflect how they can expand on improving their students learning.

d.      Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and the school community.

This indicator is easy to master! Anytime a teacher chooses to use technology in their classroom and share their new technique with other teachers, they are contributing to the effectiveness of the school community. They are also helping raise the level of professionalism in the school’s environment.
Technology is constantly changing and teachers need to keep up with these changes. To keep up with these changes they must first take an active interest in wanting to stay updated within their profession and be a positive contributor to their school. I always try my best to remain engaged in professional growth and be an active member of my school’s learning community.

ISTE Standard 4

ISTE Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Age Citizenship and Responsibility

As our global and local world changes it our responsibility as a teacher to understand what is going on around us. We need to be aware of the issues that face our society. It is becoming necessary for everyone despite their socioeconomic status to have access to some type of digital technology. When gaining digital access it is important to portray and model using legal and moral behavior on the internet. This is necessary because of the digital changes happening in and out of schools.

All teachers, parents, and students need to practice good etiquette when communicating and working online. It is important for teachers to be the first role model when teaching students how to be safe online. It is important that teachers show respect online appropriately documenting any resources they may use, including respecting copyrights. This is critical to begin teaching these rules to students at a young age. This is the time to begin laying the foundation for how to practice legal and ethical behaviors online. Many young people act without thinking online because they naively think that the internet can make them anonymous. Sometimes they do not realize that the internet can be harmful to them if they are not careful.

Teachers should begin teaching students that the internet can be used to meaningfully integrate teaching and lessons that go on in the classrooms. Students are going to be introduced to the digital world rather we are ready or not so it is important that we model and teach them how to use online sources as safely and responsible as we can. Students look up to teachers to demonstrate the appropriate behavior we expect from them. We do not want to develop with our students the idea of “Do as I say not as I do.” Students feel betrayed and do not take a teacher serious if we show a lack of judgment when making choices on the internet.

Once we establish the rules and safety precautions of communicating online, we open the door to creating opportunities for other informal teachable moments.  These often involve matters of “ethical and legal behavior,” as the standard specifies, regarding media use and digital etiquette.  When my class did a class video for a project and we used music from YouTube and songs from outside resources, I was able to use it as a teaching lesson. I had to explain to the students how all the students had to have their parents sign a consent giving us permission to use their pictures. I also touched on the facts that the songs we used had copyrights and had to ask for permission to use them. I explained how that is very important because we do not want the owner of the songs to get upset and accuse us of stealing their work.
 As a teacher, I will be communicating with students, parents, school boards, principals, and other teachers all the time. Because of the technology available this day and age, much of my communication will be online. Therefore, I need to know how to write in a way that clearly demonstrates my profession status. Proper technological etiquette lets my receiver know that I am serious about what I am saying, and that I expect equal attitudes from them; it also conveys a sense of trust between correspondences due to the professional manner.

ISTE Standard 3

ISTE Standard 3 Model Digital Age Work and Learning

As a teacher it is my responsibility to be updated and informed on the latest technology out and available as classroom resources. It is important to be knowledgeable on what kind of technology to use and how to use it effectively in the classroom. There are resources outside the school to help teachers learn about various technologies. Teachers should not wait for the district and our schools to offer professional developments on using technology. We are in a digital age society and it easy to fall behind if we do not go beyond our comfort zones to seek the assistance and resources available. Lately, it is evident that sometimes our students are more technology savvy and can assist us more than we can assist them. It is still beneficial for us to remain current so that we are available as a resource for those students who do not have the access to computers at home.

An I Pad in the classroom is a good technology device for keeping students engaged and motivated to learn many subjects. It can be used as a center activity and even used as a resource for researching class projects. I want to continue to inquire and adopt new technologies in my classroom so that I can make my class more engaging and interactive. I have my listening and computer center but would love to invest in leap pads for my classroom. I want my students to be motivated and enjoy reading.

To collaborate with parents I think that blogs on a teacher website is a good idea for teachers to be able to stay in contact with parents. This can be used for parents to feel free to share ideas and resources and make it easier for the teacher to respond back to in a timely matter. I like to collaborate with my grade level and fellow peers when trying to find new interactive resources. I am a huge Pinterest fan and love to share and get ideas from other teachers all around the states.  Pinterest allows me to become so creative in my classroom and find awesome educational material. I also like to use YouTube, Teacher tube, and even United Streaming to find educational resources. Blogs on a teacher website is a good idea for teachers to be able to stay in contact with parents.  I want my students to be successful so I go out my way to find any credible resources that will benefit them.

Standard 2: ISTE Standards

ISTE Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

In this modern world it is important that technology is a part of what is happening in the classroom.  The world is becoming more focused on technology. It is imperative that students are introduced to various types of technology at an early age. Students will be using technology in their future careers so they should begin getting the exposure and given the opportunity to understand how technology works. More technology in the classroom allows teachers and students to work through material and lessons at their own pace. Teachers should provide many opportunities for students to interact with all technology devices. Technology is the innovation to student learning and allows them the opportunity to self-direct their education. It is important and beneficial for teachers to be made aware of the different resources available to help improve their teaching methods and keep their students engaged in their daily lessons.
It is important that as a teacher I am up to date with the new and present ways of teaching. A change in my teaching habits has to happen so that I am able to reach the needs of all my students. This standard wants the focus to be on differentiating so that there is not one type of learning style being focused upon. In my classroom I try to implement this standard with fidelity. Although my supplies of technology are not suffice, I do my best with what I have. My goal as a teacher is to keep my students engaged and connected with what they are learning.
This school year my students were given the opportunity to create their own comic strip and 30 second skit for a superhero. We worked as a class coming up with the superhero character and using our knowledge of technology a way to develop cool powers and designs for our comic strip. The students were very excited and motivated to work on this big project. This was a great teaching tool for the students and me. The students were engaged the entire time and were able to work at their own pace and direct the activities that suit them best. It is also important to develop formal formative and summative assessments that will give teachers direct feedback on how well their students are performing. This helps with analyzing the students progress and rather or not some lessons will need to be re-teach. Using technology resources you can create assessments that can use data presentation to give teachers quick responses on what is being measured. It is not difficult to create rubrics that can be used as summative assessments. These assessments approaches both line up with the Common Core Standards that we are currently transitioning to in Charleston County.
It is safe to say times are changing, and education is growing. It is time for us to make the change and begin implementing the changes in our classrooms.

Standard 1 reflection

The main requirements of standard 1 begins with guiding and inspiring students to expand their learning and creativity. This standard wants us to use prior and new knowledge to make meaningful experiences for each student that will support advancement. We want students to be competent learners who are able to be creative and use their innovative thoughts in various environments. Students have to be motivated to want to discover the wide variety of resources out and available for them to use to problem solve and explore real world issues.

I feel that as I become more confident in my technology skills I am able to inspire my students to be more creative. I want my students to have a conceptual understanding of how to use their creative skills in and out of the classroom. I allow my students to explore and experiment with the smart board in our classroom. It is my goal for them to be competent and not hesitant when faced with new technology tools. My students are always allowed center time to explore the computers and use their technology skills to expand their knowledge. I know that the world is rapidly changing and technology is here and not going away. Business owners are wanting graduates who are able to display their technology skills right out of high school. With the changes in our school standards, we are beginning to merge technology skills into our standards so that students are capable and able to perform at a higher level.