6.2 Reflection
Candidates regularly evaluate and reflect on their professional practice and dispositions to improve and strengthen their ability to effectively model and facilitate technology-enhanced learning experiences.
Artifact:
Reflection:
In our Professional Learning and Technology Innovation ITEC 7460 class, we were invited to develop an experience in coaching another teacher. We were supposed to have a minimum of three sessions with that teacher, and we were supposed to reflect on our experiences in doing so with what we referred to as “coaching journals.”
This artifact demonstrates the mastery of Standard 6.2, Reflection, because throughout the coaching journals I was able to evaluate and reflect on my professional practice and related dispositions to improving and strengthening my ability to effectively model and facilitate technology-enhanced learning experiences. Being able to reflect on my own practices as a technology coach gives me the opportunity to review what my strengths and weaknesses are and what kinds of things I can try the next time to improve my practices.
For this particular artifact, I spent a month and a half planning a week long technology project with one of our Social Studies teachers. I learned that technology theory and technology reality are two different things!! I also learned that when you really want technology to work like a charm, it will not!! I learned that I am GREAT at trouble-shooting, for sure. When something goes wrong, I can generally figure out how to tackle the issue and find an answer. This built my confidence as a leader in the building, because we created some amazing, differentiated, authentic learning activities for the students to do. Once they got things going, their end products were phenomenal! I also felt this experience related to my knowledge and skills because I had to be able to understand and execute the technology options we offered to teach the students. As technology gets more complex, there are a lot of things someone with technology savvy must know and be able to do. One has to think critically and problem-solve. I am also finding I need to maintain positive beliefs, attitudes, and enthusiasm so as not to intimidate or freak out budding technology teachers, who may still be somewhat unsteady on his/her feet. The more confident I am, the less daunting the task will be. What I would do differently if I had all this to do over again, is give myself more time all the way around: More planning time and reflection time with the teacher, and more research and technology time with the students.
As for the impact of this artifact, I have already had teachers approach me to discuss ways I could do the same kind of technology program in their classrooms. They are enthused and less afraid of technology than they were this time last year. When teachers teach exciting content, students will engage. When students are engaged, they are learning. When students are learning school improvement takes over and suddenly, we are a successful school. The more word gets out that “Tracy Efaw does cool things with technology in teacher’s rooms”…the busier I am going to become.
This artifact demonstrates the mastery of Standard 6.2, Reflection, because throughout the coaching journals I was able to evaluate and reflect on my professional practice and related dispositions to improving and strengthening my ability to effectively model and facilitate technology-enhanced learning experiences. Being able to reflect on my own practices as a technology coach gives me the opportunity to review what my strengths and weaknesses are and what kinds of things I can try the next time to improve my practices.
For this particular artifact, I spent a month and a half planning a week long technology project with one of our Social Studies teachers. I learned that technology theory and technology reality are two different things!! I also learned that when you really want technology to work like a charm, it will not!! I learned that I am GREAT at trouble-shooting, for sure. When something goes wrong, I can generally figure out how to tackle the issue and find an answer. This built my confidence as a leader in the building, because we created some amazing, differentiated, authentic learning activities for the students to do. Once they got things going, their end products were phenomenal! I also felt this experience related to my knowledge and skills because I had to be able to understand and execute the technology options we offered to teach the students. As technology gets more complex, there are a lot of things someone with technology savvy must know and be able to do. One has to think critically and problem-solve. I am also finding I need to maintain positive beliefs, attitudes, and enthusiasm so as not to intimidate or freak out budding technology teachers, who may still be somewhat unsteady on his/her feet. The more confident I am, the less daunting the task will be. What I would do differently if I had all this to do over again, is give myself more time all the way around: More planning time and reflection time with the teacher, and more research and technology time with the students.
As for the impact of this artifact, I have already had teachers approach me to discuss ways I could do the same kind of technology program in their classrooms. They are enthused and less afraid of technology than they were this time last year. When teachers teach exciting content, students will engage. When students are engaged, they are learning. When students are learning school improvement takes over and suddenly, we are a successful school. The more word gets out that “Tracy Efaw does cool things with technology in teacher’s rooms”…the busier I am going to become.