My ICT learning and interest over the last month of this course have met new heights. Not only have I been introduced to blogging, Twitter, hashtags, embedding links, and Google+, but I also understand my techie husband much better - bonus! I have really been enjoying Twitter and I find so many interesting articles being tweeted out from educators. Just this past weekend I caught myself saying to Lane (my husband), “There’s this new program you might want to check out, I’ll tweet it to you.” I surprised myself, because never had I thought I’d be using the term “tweet.” Yet here I was in casual conversation, discussing how I could tweet my husband an article about Mind Shift (I think that was courtesy of Nicole W. – thank you, Nicole!). Twitter aside, there are many other ICT avenues I plan to keep up with after my TL work with UBC comes to an end.
I love to learn and I love to teach,
so I certainly don’t fear any lack of desire to stay up-to-date and relevant
with my technology skills as a teacher. I do however suffer from what I believe
many of us as educator's experience: the continuous battle for efficiency and
how best to use the limited time we have. Thus, it has taken considerable
thought coming up with, and searching out, a list of practical ways I can
continue to develop my own skills, pedagogy and professional development on my
own in order to stay in touch with ICT advances.
Social Media:
I have only recently signed up for Twitter, but so far I am really enjoying all the educational articles, ideas, and reflections I am receiving. I know that by subscribing to other teaching professionals and educators on Twitter, I will receive a constant stream of information that is relevant to teaching. Best of all, it comes to me! I don’t need to sit down, sign up, or pay any money for access to this information. By using various forms of social media, I feel that I can stay connected and receive a lot of information on ICT skills and technological programs (Source Link). For me, this will include the social media networks Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogs, watching videos, and perhaps even joining a Personal Learning Network (Source Link).
I have only recently signed up for Twitter, but so far I am really enjoying all the educational articles, ideas, and reflections I am receiving. I know that by subscribing to other teaching professionals and educators on Twitter, I will receive a constant stream of information that is relevant to teaching. Best of all, it comes to me! I don’t need to sit down, sign up, or pay any money for access to this information. By using various forms of social media, I feel that I can stay connected and receive a lot of information on ICT skills and technological programs (Source Link). For me, this will include the social media networks Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogs, watching videos, and perhaps even joining a Personal Learning Network (Source Link).
Time at Work:
Second, I would like to use my time at work to learn (this will be critical soon, as we begin a family of our own and time pressures mount). “Thus, to be constantly learning at work, you should either join new projects from start or apply new technologies in existing projects.” (Source Link)
Second, I would like to use my time at work to learn (this will be critical soon, as we begin a family of our own and time pressures mount). “Thus, to be constantly learning at work, you should either join new projects from start or apply new technologies in existing projects.” (Source Link)
In order to make this achievable, I plan to take
advantage of district opportunities. Currently in my school district, SD22, I
am aware of several options to make this happen. When introducing new
technology programs/skills, our district has Technology Helping Teachers. These helping
teachers, upon request, schedule time to come in and work with teachers and
their students to set up and/or implement new technological programs. I have
done this twice before, and I felt both times were a huge success. It
took away the burden of fear and stress of trying something entirely new, as I
knew that my students’ time would be spent meaningfully, with the expert right
there to guide and teach us. Secondly, I am contemplating the idea of
using one of my two prep blocks per week to read, plan, and collaborate with
other teachers about learning new ICT skills. I believe that once I form this routine
as habit, it would be a nice break from my week and something I would look
forward to. I envision using this time to further my knowledge base and
implement tech skills/programs into my plans. Another way I would like to make the most of my
school day is by working collaboratively with other teachers once a month,
during out school learning community blocks. Last year I worked at an elementary school that spent their
learning community time (about 1 hour/month) engaged in a book club. We read
the agreed upon number of chapters on our own time, tried out concepts in our
classrooms, then got back together to meet each month to discuss our thoughts
and experiences. During this time, our students had an assembly with
administration, freeing us up to meet as a primary cohort. I felt that this was
a fabulous use of my time. We learned a new resource in depth and had the
support/motivation/encouragement/accountability of others to keep us going. I
would love to be a part of a book club (especially one like this, that utilizes
school time so effectively).
District Resources:
Furthermore, there are district programs that I can access to further my ICT skill and knowledge. I plan to continue taking advantage of workshops that are offered through SD22. Occasionally, the district sends out flyers to advertise upcoming workshops. These are usually free and tend to be low commitment – one night, 3 hours and you’re done. I have attended some in the past for programs such as Photo Story and Comic Life. I have another one scheduled this month. Towards the end of February, the district is hosting an evening workshop on how to set up your own class website. Also, just last week, I received an email from the district advertising workshops at our local college. They are being offered to SD22 employees at a discounted rate. None were of interest to me this time round, as they cover just the basics of Word, Excel, digital photography etc., but in the future this is definitely an opportunity I would utilize.
Furthermore, there are district programs that I can access to further my ICT skill and knowledge. I plan to continue taking advantage of workshops that are offered through SD22. Occasionally, the district sends out flyers to advertise upcoming workshops. These are usually free and tend to be low commitment – one night, 3 hours and you’re done. I have attended some in the past for programs such as Photo Story and Comic Life. I have another one scheduled this month. Towards the end of February, the district is hosting an evening workshop on how to set up your own class website. Also, just last week, I received an email from the district advertising workshops at our local college. They are being offered to SD22 employees at a discounted rate. None were of interest to me this time round, as they cover just the basics of Word, Excel, digital photography etc., but in the future this is definitely an opportunity I would utilize.
Podcasts:
Podcasts are a fantastic idea I found suggested on the Internet for furthering your professional knowledge. I am most excited about this idea, as it will be a very efficient use of my long commute each day. Anyone traveling a far distance to work will likely agree this is a fabulous opportunity for to listening to books and podcasts. I hadn’t thought of finding educators podcasts before, but I am now determined! (Source Link)
Podcasts are a fantastic idea I found suggested on the Internet for furthering your professional knowledge. I am most excited about this idea, as it will be a very efficient use of my long commute each day. Anyone traveling a far distance to work will likely agree this is a fabulous opportunity for to listening to books and podcasts. I hadn’t thought of finding educators podcasts before, but I am now determined! (Source Link)
References:
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning (n.d.). Must have life-long learning tools and strategies for teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/must-have-life-long-learning-tools-and.html
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning (n.d.). Top 8 web tools for teacher's professional development. Retrieved from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/07/top-8-web-tools-for-teachers.html
[Life Long Learning]. Retrieved from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/must-have-life-long-learning-tools-and.html
Makabee, H. (2012, September 24). Continuous learning: Keeping up-to-date and acquiring new skills. Retrieved from http://effectivesoftwaredesign.com/2012/09/24/continuous-learning-keeping-up-to-date-and-acquiring-new-skills/
Well done! A good plan for the future to help you stay engaged, current, and also be a leader in your school and district. Teacher-Librarians have a unique role in the school to provide learning opportunities for others and you are well on your way to cultivating a strong network and also increased skills in using and teaching with ICT. Good blog post, lots of good reflection, tags, and multi-media.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you should be able to use time at work to further your IT pro D. I have used our district technology teachers as a resource many times -- you just need to ask the right questions as they need to make good use of their time too! This course has certainly helped me to come up with some new questions of my own.
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