In your entry, talk about how your professional practice will change because of the work you've done in this course. Also, address questions that remain for you. What do you still need to figure out? What new questions have you developed because of the work you have done?
Throughout this course, I have reflected a lot on my technology practices both for myself as a learner and for my students. I admit, I am not the typical student completing this course. For most, it is the launching point for their Masters in Educational Technology. For me, I completed my masters back in 2013, and have acted as an instructional technology facilitator for the past 5 years, only now, entering back into the classroom.
In week 3, we examined our Professional Learning Network (PLN), something that educators should do on a regular basis. It is essential to be sure that you are staying connected to others not only in your grade level, or school level, but around the country and around the world. Technology brings such a power to educators now that we do not have to teach in a silo and do as we have always done. The world is full of experts and eager learners, hoping to connect and share. Embrace it. It has been my professional development goal to participate in more edchats, with the plan to be affiliated with or aid in facilitating. In my new district, I would like to get these going. I'm curious, how do I begin? How are channels like this started? What steps are needed or taken to facilitate?
Many of the weeks involved tools I was already familiar with, or practices already in place in my classroom and profession. For example, my students have already begun Genius Hour, learning a skill or topic online through the expertise of others. We are using Google Classroom as our platform. In my Networked Learning Project, it caused me to reflect more on the process of learning and exploration. I will bring my struggles and findings to my classroom with my students to aid in this process.
Lastly, I think the final week, on Creative Commons, has proven most beneficial to me. Copyright and safe searching have been two items I have emphasized with staff in the past. As teachers, we are notorious for infringement for the "sake of the children." A common mantra, is not to ask permission, but rather to beg for forgiveness. These resources are great and I hope to use these with my team and my school to help inform them as to how we can utilize resources, but also the affordances that our students may have in their creativity or transformation of other material. My questions surround this and other content forums, as well as open source and the connection between. How can I protect projects and ideas I have and share to the public? When developing curriculum, where does the intellectual property lie? If creating it while working for the district is it their property? These questions and more involve my work in curriculum writing, with the hope to eventually produce a consulting business and curriculum development. How can I protect myself and ensure I am not infringing on others?
Moving forward I hope to increase the creative opportunities for my students while using Chromebooks. I strive to go further than the basics, and hit that sweet spot of TPACK to transform their learning. I want to go beyond the typical tasks and really have them apply their learning to create something new, something unique, something original. I want to empower students to make their digital footprint for the better.
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