EDUC 6713

I have reviewed the National Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. I realize that there is always room for improvement as a teacher, and I feel that with technology applying more creativity is imperative to keeping the attention of students of all ages. I feel like it is a truly valuable lesson for a teacher to recognize that they aren't perfect and sometimes slack in adequately learning technology. We need to model to our students how important technology is and use it ourselves. That is one of the NETS goals. This Walden class has lent itself to me realizing how much more I could be doing with my students and technology.

GOALS
Teachers must set goals in order to achieve what they have set out to do, take actions to meet those goals, monitor progress and evaluate the achievement level of the students (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).
1. Indicator 1; Standard 1a: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity - Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face virtual environments. Teachers:
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
2. Indicator 2; Standard 2a: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in teh NETS*S. Teachers:
a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

Actions:
1. I would like for my students to embark with me on a journey with writing. I have a passion for writing and want to incorporate it with each subject area. I have always wanted to do a writing project that uses a blog and then publishing it at the end of the year for the upcoming grade level. Their blogging will happen a minimum of 4-6 times a month; those times must be spread out. Ideally I would like to have them "blog" each Friday so as to close up their past week.
2. Using their journey in journal writing, the students would be incorporating their digital tool with blogging at least once a week. They will be using their experiences inside and outside the classroom when writing/blogging.

Monitoring:
1. I will be looking at the students journals that they will use first to jot down ideas. This will be their writing workshop piece, and it will be ongoing. This is similar to a diary of a "their name". Which will and could be modeled after the book that so many children are reading, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."
2. The teacher will be monitoring their blogging experience set as a reader to her own blog page. The teacher will be doing her own blogging experience with the children; which shows her modeling what needs to be done. The children will be commenting on at least 2-3 classmates each week, and the teacher will be picking 4 students a week also to post comments on their blog.

Evaluating:
1. This assignment will be an ongoing evaluation. They will be blogging for the whole year. However, there will be times that I give them a topic and they have to use life experiences to answer the questions. They will be graded on these 1. on their journal they are writing in, and 2. with their blog they are keeping.
2. to promote digital tools, I would like for the students (who have computer/internet at home) to have their parents reply to them also on their blogs. This would be tying the experience of home to school and vice versa. At some point with the more advanced students, or those from other countries, I would like to incorporate relatives from other countries. How cool would that be to have the student's blogs have posts from people not in the United States.

References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed). Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

ISTE (2008). The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for teachers Retrieved May 15th, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf