Learning is an everyday occurrence in life. When I began my courses this summer, we were assigned a Professional Learning Plan to create. While creating this plan I established a few goals for myself. Through the completion the certificate program at MSU, I have completed a few of those goals but also established a few more.
One goal that I saw myself completing was learning more than just Smart Boards and technology I am currently using in the classroom. I was able to go into the school year with excitement about technology and seeing that it isn't just what I currently have in my room. I will be able to incorporate blogs and Google Docs into my daily lessons that will allow students to create portfolios and long assignments that can be worked on from course to course. This is one thing that I have added into my plan: the idea to carry assignments from year to year. I will be able to achieve this because I will have my students for 4 years.
A second goal that I had was really using Twitter. The Academy Director and my school district both use Twitter but I never saw it as anything more than "this is what I did today". After this course I really see the impact of Twitter. Sending substantial Tweets is beneficial and useful in education and the classroom. I can convey messages to my students and parents without the fear of students having my personal cell phone number. I was always unsure of how to do this without giving my phone number and this course showed me that it was a possibility.
While not 100% sure of how to use it but with a desire to learn about it more, I have created a podcast. This was a beneficial lesson because I learned a great deal about podcasting. The idea I would like to pursue with podcasting is how can I use this to convey thoughts and messages to my students. I think it would be interesting if my AVID students created a podcast where they are each responsible for one cast. This could range from topics to make it more of a AVID/school wide talk show. They could have guests and topics relating to life at the school. I'm not sure how I would convey this idea and actually fulfill it but it is something that was sparked in my mind following the completion of the lesson during this course.
To help accomplish these goals I plan to involve peers as well as continue on into the Master's program at Michigan State. This will help me to learn more about different technologies that I can convey to my students and peers. After completing these CEP courses I have a desire to finish strong and finish as many technology courses as I can .
It's great to hear that you are joining MSU's MAET learning community=8-) You are going to have fun and learn lots! One way I have discovered to keep current is to attend online webinars available by way of my edWeb membership. edWeb hosts professional learning communities (PLCs) that offer free webinars with CE certificates. You can join one of their online communities to get advice from experts, exchange ideas and resources with peers, ask questions/get answers, and discover ways to improve teaching and learning. Right now they have a Blended Learning Boot Camp going on. Best of luck as you continue your MSU journey ~ Susan
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your PLP as I too agree that Twitter is such an amazing tool that is underutilized in schools today. I agree that one of the main benefits is that it offers us a way to communicate information instantly to students without giving away so much personal information.
ReplyDeleteAlso,I loved your comment about learning more than just Smartboards, as I work with a few teachers who think they are "Gold" and there isn't anything else out there that is better. I am happy to hear that more and more teachers are feeling ready to try something new like yourself.
Good luck to you in the Master's Program. Keep in touch on Twitter or Google +
I am glad that you incorporated Twitter into your plan as i could see your passion to really teach students the responsibility of social media and how it can be incorporated into the classroom. I would recommend that you from your lists and start with tweeting weekly goals and expectations to students, then do the same for parents. This will keep parents and students engaged on their progress. I also recommend that you create teams and have them compete against each other on projects. Then you could use Twitter as a communication tool for each group. Hopefully i will see you in other ed tech classes in the future!
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