Hi, I am Jeanie Cullip. I am an Elementary Education Major with an emphasis in English, at Idaho State University - Twin Falls with a 4.0 GPA. I am in hopes to obtain a position as an English/Language Arts middle school teacher. I find technology to be a beneficial aspect to the different areas in my life: wife, mom, homemaker, student, and writer. Technology assists me in a variety of ways: organizing, planning, blogging, communicating, collaborating, taking notes, writing essays, creating presentations, producing videos, designing websites, forming lesson plans, and developing my Professional Learning Network (PLN) just to name a few. I use multiple aspects of technology in which I complete these tasks: Google Calendar, Microsoft One Note, Google Sites, Blogger, Wordpress, Weebly, Microsoft Word, Google Documents, Twitter, PowerPoint, Google Slides, PowToon, Canva, Skype, Google Hangouts, and more. Simply put, I love integrating technology into my life and look forward to the opportunity of integrating technology in my classroom.
“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand,
because it is the pen and paper of our time,
and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” -David Warlick
Throughout this Technology Portfolio Reflection, you will find my analysis of the following eight learning projects I have completed in EDUC 3311 Instructional Technology:
This analysis will provide you with: purpose of integrating technology into education, explain the areas of growth I experienced throughout the semester, recognize the areas of growth and improvement that I still need, and evaluate my level of understanding of the International Society for Technology in Education Teacher Standards (ISTE-T). In addition, this analysis will provide me with the opportunity to reflect upon all the material that was covered throughout the semester. Reflection is a valuable skill for a teacher candidate, as it will be one that will provide the opportunity for continuous growth as a student, as well as a teacher.
"Without reflection, we go blindly on our way,
creating more unintended consequences,
and failing to achieve anything useful. " - Margaret J. Wheatley
Before this class, I was fluent in many different types of technology. Throughout the semester, I have gained knowledge of many different tools that technology assists us with; enhancing the teaching process for the teacher and the learning process for the student (and teacher). These experiences in educational technology and technology integration has taught me that it is not about creating prezi's, starting blogs, designing websites, making flip charts, and producing videos; it is about raising awareness, starting conversations, taking action, finding answers to their questions, and changing minds.
My instructional technology strategies will meet the needs of diverse learners by being flexible; adjusting to my students learning types and preferences. In my classroom, I will do so by planning various ways for the student: to become engaged in the lesson, practice the information, and demonstrate that he or she knows the material through several forms of technology.
Students become engaged when the lesson is presented in a way that is significant and applicable to them. In my English/ Language Arts classroom, I can create a WebQuest and give the students the opportunity to actively learn through the controlled research environment. There will be opportunity for those to choose sites based on reading ability, videos for visual learners, audio for those who prefer to listen to the material, and English Language Learners (ELLs) will have access to information in their own language or through easy reading with pictures. Every student will be able to gain the new information, based on their individual learning needs.
Students become bored and uninterested when practicing the information with classwork or homework that seems to just be keeping them busy. In my English/ Language Arts classroom, I can allow students to write for an audience through a classroom blog. The student will oversee who he or she writes for, teacher, group, classroom, other classes, parents, and the world-wide web. This allows time for me to sit one on one with those who need assistance; while those taking the lead can write posts that will go public and receive comments which will provide even more writing opportunities.
Students need to be able to demonstrate that they are learning the material in ways that use their strengths. In my English/ Language Arts classroom, students will create infographics, produce videos, form Prezi’s, write essays, and more to allow me to assess what they have learned at the end of the unit.
As a teacher candidate, I see my role as an educator as one who is a life-long learner. Over the semester, I identified that I need additional work on Microsoft Excel. In order to improve on this technology, I plan on enrolling in an Excel course within my first few years of teaching. In addition, I know there is great importance on staying up to date with technology. It is consistently changing at a rapid pace. Through connection of ISTE online, several educator blogs, and my PLN I can learn the latest technology that can have a specific purpose in my classroom; as well as gain insight to updates that have been completed on those I am knowledgeable on.
"Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it "- Albert Einstein
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