STANDARD+5

** Performance Indicators: Teachers **

 * 1) use technology resources to engage in on-going professional development and lifelong learning.
 * 2) continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning.
 * 3) technology to increase productivity.
 * 4) use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture student learning

My artifacts demonstrating this standard (What?)


**__Module 1: Reflection__** Module one had a wealth of information on and showing examples of 21st century learning skills. To become a 21st century teacher, you must think outside the box and focus on the complex thinking skills; critical thinking, problem solving,, synthesizing, designing and developing (LOTS to HOTS). The classroom environment need to allow to explore, not direct instruction all the time. Provide students with ownership of projects, allow them to be a part of developing the criteria for the projects. Incorporating technology, not just for the sake of using it, but to enrich and enhance learning. Collaboration with other classrooms provides positive learning communities where students can share and show case their hard work.

 I viewed "Rolling on the River." This project is a global collaboration and an interdisciplinary unit of study. Through reading and rereading all of the information on the project, I first would locate this as constructivist for the //Instructional Approach to Learning.// I based my opinion on this from the information I read in the Constructivist article, "A Collaborative Class Investigation into Telecommunications in Education." The article provided a comparison of a traditional classroom to a constructivist classroom and the project aligns with the constructivist. The students work primarily in groups, teacher guides the students, and students are encouraged and motivated to create, generate, and discover their knowledge base. Next, for Authenticity of Learning, I would locate this at, Real-World Context. Students are learning by doing. They are actively engaged in experimentation, solving real world problems. The use of the technological devices. I based this on the information read in the article, "Authentic Learning for the 21st Century: An Overview, written by Marilyn M. Lombardi (2007) - EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative." They work collaboratively with other classrooms to see comparisons in their research. One was an international study of "water issues comparing the human impact in the US and Peru." For the Complexity of Learning, I would locate this near the top. I am basing this on the new "Blooms Revised Taxonomy" LOTS (lower order thinking skills) to HOTS (higher order thinking skills) from the article 21st Century Pedagogy from the website Educational Origami. The project is interdisciplinary so I decided to focus on one content area to support my argument for placing it toward the top of the chart. The science activities/unit, students are conducting water tests using probeware and other technology instruments to gather and record data. Once the data is collected the students analyze the effects of actions can have on rivers. During the activities the students investigate to determine the health of the river, then they analyze the data to determine any existing environmental hazards and solutions to these problems. Overtime, the students monitor and observe to compare data. Along the way students create projects (iphoto & movies) to share their findings with other students. The students are analysing (comparing, organizing & finding), evaluating (experimenting, testing, detecting, monitoring), and creating (designing, planning, & producing) throughout the activities and that is why I located it at the top for Complexity of Learning. As for any changes, the only thing I would do is to add some other activities. Like for the history activities, I think I would add in a debate. Overall, I thought this project was very educational and geared around the 21st Century learning skills.
 * __Module 1: R​eview of Unit__**

I thought the Wiki's were great educational tools to expand classroom content while using 21st century skills. I am in the beginning stages of using a classroom wiki for my students, not all of them have had a chance to use it. I have one Wiki for all of my students, but will most likely change that for next year especially after seeing these examples. I like how the wiki's were set up. The "Code Blue" Wiki had a wealth of information and it was fun to review. The "Book Leads" wiki is one that I thought I could reference to improve my wiki (authors who skype, ebook portals, book related podcasts ) since majority of my students love to read and enjoy sharing what they have read. In addition some of my students have started reading books online. Overall, great examples and they have given me ideas on how to improve my wiki(s) for next year. http://codeblue.wikispaces.com/ http://bookleads.wikispaces.com/
 * __Module 2--Wiki's in Education__**

The use of Google Docs is a great collaboration tool. It allows you to have access to docs at anytime you may need them as long as you have internet connection. It is a tool that can be used to collect data, work on group projects, and share with others. My students do many self-directed units and I plan to incorporate the use of google docs to allow students to collaborate with others on projects and share their work with other classes.
 * __Module 2--Google Doc. Reflection__**

My co-worker and I currently build project-based learning units each year for our students. As I have indicated before, we do not have any textbooks or guided curriculums so we have to be creative and think outside the box. Project-based learning units engage students from beginning to end. Just as the author indicated in the article, Why Teach with Project Learning?: Providing Students With a Well-Rounded Classroom Experience, it gives students an outlet to explore, investigate, spark their interest which in turn leads to an enriching educational experience. One of the downsides that we face is the limitation on time, sometimes we need to rush through to move onto the next project because students are scheduled to meet with us one day a week. With the use of technology tools this problem can be easily overcome. Next year, our students may not be in our class everyday but they will have the ability to communicate with us every day and work on their projects through the use of our Wiki space(s). In addition our students will have the opportunity to use a variety of technology tools to display their work.
 * __Module 3: Reflection on Project-Based Learning.__**

Social bookmarking is a benefical tool that allows you to bookmark many valuble websites that you utilize in the classroom. It allows for them to be organized, instead of how many people just continually add websites to their favorites and they become overwhelming and too many even if you put them in folders. In addition to that, you are able to access them from any computer has long as you have an internet connection so you don't have to worry about making sure you are on the right computer where you bookmarked it or trying to remember the web address. []
 * __Module 4: Social Bookmarking__**

__**Module 7** - Discussion on being a part of an online community.__

There are so many endless possibilities and it is very exciting along with somewhat overwhelming as to how much is available. This class has exposed me to a great amount of resources and tools that will allow me to meet goals I have set as a professional and for my students/classrooms. I have gotten insight and ideas from our discussions that will also help me as I start using these great tools. I am very excited and I hope as I continue with my technology classes I will learn more to find the best balance. There are so many tools that I want to use in my classroom, but I am going to focus on a few at a time, pick the ones that will have the most benefit for my students. One of the most important things in addition to using all of these great tools is for me to focus on "netiquette" and digital citizenship. Some of the tools I will be using at first are epals, prezi, wikis, and Diigo, along with the ones I use currently.

My Reflection on meeting this standard (So What?) //What I See doc. represents the goal of continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding technology in support of student learning. This document represents this indicator because it provides an in-depth review on a collaboration project that supports challenges for students through project-based learning.

Reflection on Problem Based Learning represents the goal of continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding technology in support of student learning. This document represents this indicator because it shows how I currently use Project-Based Learning in the classroom and how I am able to reflect and evaluate to make decisions on how to improve the Project-Based Learning units to provide a more enriching experience for the students.//

//Discussion on being a part of an online community represents use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture student learning because it shows what I have learned on communicating as an online community and my plans to expand in this area to enhance student learning. //

My Future Learning Goals related to this standard (Now What?)
// Continue to take graduate courses/professional development in technology to keep up with the changes. Continue to use technology tools to increase classroom productivity, e.g. the use of sociall bookmarking. Improve communications with peers and parents to further enrich student learning.//