Module 10 Reflection

• What did you already know, what did you learn, and what will you put into your own practice as an educator to strengthen them?

 

As an educator I knew that professional development is very important, but I did not realize all the planning that should go into it. Having to not only outline goals, but create all of the milestones in this class helped me to see the big picture of how professional development should be developed.

 

I had also been introduced to TPACK before by coworkers of mine, but they only touched the surface, so it was great to be able to explore that more fully. I have to admit that at one time I would do what Seymour Papert calls "technocentric" in that I would pick a piece of technology to incorporate into my class first and then think about what I could use it for (as cited by Harris and Hofer, 2009, para. 23). Harris and Hofer (2009) state that techno centric refers to teaching that is "focused upon the technologies being used, more than the students who are trying to use them to learn" (para. 23). Reading about TPACK I have developed a better understanding of the knowledge I need in order to incorporate technology into my lessons to enrich them.

 

It was also interesting to me that their are different approaches to TPACK such as "activity types" and "learning by design" (Koehler et al., 2013, p. 5). Both are equally good approaches; however, I am partial to the "activity types" method because it asks that teachers first create goals for student learning, then choose an activity type to meet those goals, and then finally to choose the specific technology to meet the needs of the activity type (Koehler et al., 2013, p. 5). I plan on using the "activity type" method with a unit I am going to be creating.

 

Something else I was more fully introduced to because of this course is the ISTE standards. I was not super familiar with them and now I feel like I know them well. Learning these standards helped me to see how they relate to the Common Core which I am already implementing in my classroom. The ISTE standards help me to meet the Common Core 21st century standards and the English Language Arts standards. According to the ISTE site, "They also further the development of many of the skills addressed in state standards — including problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration — while helping students build the digital skills they need to succeed in the workplace" (2015, para. 5).

 

The last item that was really interesting to me was reading about the different perspectives on the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. I had heard about BYOD, but thought that this type of policy could cause an educational gap between those who can afford good technology and those that cannot. I quickly learned that there are many different views, but I now have to side with those who believe in this type of policy. It is very important, though, that when a school decides to implement a BYOD policy that they create "clear definitions of how to use a device in and educational setting" (Marcoux, 2014, para. 6). A school cannot just jump into BYOD and must weigh the pros and cons along with brainstorm the possible issues that could arise with a such a policy.

 

 

• Why is it so important to continue to perfect the technology integration craft and develop professional development to support this?

 

Jacobs (2010) states, "As educators, our challenge is to match the needs of our learners to a world that is changing with great rapidity. To meet this challenge, we need to become strategic learners ourselves by deliberately expanding our perspectives and updating our approaches" (p. 7). In order to update our approaches and expand our perspectives, we have to seek out constant education on the best practices; otherwise, our perspectives become stagnant and so will our teaching. One way to make sure we are challenging our own perspectives and others is to offer professional development that strives to educate teachers on the current research-based best practices. Professional development helps to create a culture of learning amongst teachers when done correctly. Meltzer (2012) states, "If the stage is set, so to speak, and the environment is positive, those who are resistant will be more likely to follow along and, hopefully, be caught up in the motivation of others" (p. 82). One teacher in a building can start a path to change, but it takes more than one teacher to implement change to fully obtain achievement. Professional development helps spark this change and helps to teach teachers to not only be accepting of change, but to hold their arms out and embrace it.

 

 

References:

 

Digital learning in a standards world: A closer look at the Common Core and state content standards.
(2015). Retrieved January 26, 2015, from ISTE.org website: http://www.iste.org/advocacy/
public-policy/common-core

 

Harris, J., & Hofer, M. (2009). Instructional planning activity types as vehicles for
curriculum-based TPACK development. Research highlights in technology and teacher education
2009, 99-108.

Jacobs, H. (Ed.). (2010). Curriculum 21 essential education for a changing world. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD.

Koehler, M., Mishra, P., Akcaoglu, M., & Rosenberg, J. (2013). The technological pedagogical content knowledge framework for teachers and teacher educators: ICT integrated teacher education: A resource book. East Lansing, MI: Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia.

Marcoux, E. (2014). BYOD. Teacher Librarian, 41(3), 65-67. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu

Meltzer. S. (2010). Step-by-step professional development in technology. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.