"Reform-minded teachers are hungry for continuing education that provides novel ways to address content."

(Garet, 2011)

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH: Integrating technology into learning and standardizing best practices in teaching are my core motivational principles. This love for technology has only recently developed. Six years ago, my school assigned each teacher a MacBook for professional use. It was love at first sight.  I was consumed by how I could use the variety of tools available to me to organize for teaching tasks such as lesson-planning, differentiating resources, grade-keeping, and creating assignments. I was sold on the engagement factor with my students in the classroom and how easy it was to analyze student performance and to reflect on areas for improvement—for my students and for my instructional practices. I jumped at every tech-themed professional development opportunity available to me. Discovering these tools and opportunities has been invigorating for my teaching in a way that has been contagious with my fellow teachers.

Previously, I have served as the Technology Integration Leader at the American International School of Rotterdam. In that role, I shared my love and enthusiasm for teaching with technology. I created meaningful professional development, meeting and challenging diverse teacher-learners to use technology thoughtfully in their classrooms. As an experienced educator, I capitalized on my own experiences using technology to create a support network to provide better technology solutions for teachers (especially when plans go awry!). My successes in this role include the initiation of a 1:1 laptop program, the migration of our school’s old student information system to PowerSchool, and digital classroom upgrades. Thanks to my experience in technology leadership, I have discovered my calling in this profession.

In pursuit of my calling, I discovered the University of Connecticut’s Education Technology program. Participation in this incredible program has served to fortify my experience and enthusiasm with the research, theoretical founding and ICT backing to allow me to further develop in my role of service to teachers and students. The program and its facilitators have also confirmed my concept of the characteristics that a modern teacher must embody: experimental, self-reflective, intentionally decisive and pedagogically creative.

Personal Digital Skills: Reflective self-evaluation is essential for engaging fully in continuing professional growth. In the artifact below, I have provided evidence of my proficiency levels in accordance with ISTE's NETS for Teachers. Throughout the course of this program, I continued to deepen my content and pedagogical skills through the integration of emerging technologies.

Technology Goals: While implementing technology thoughtfully within the context of the teaching profession, we were also tasked with developing personal digital goals, immersing ourselves in current and emerging technologies in all aspects of our lives.

Teaching Philosophy: Being tasked with revisiting my teaching philosophy was an incredible opportunity to reflect on my growth and the changes in my disposition towards learning experiences and crafting meaningful, digital opportunities for learning.

Professional Resume: My resume and teaching experiences exhibit my continuing dedication to my own development as a Technology Coach. My more recent work experiences illustrate my drive to effect organizational change through possible roles such as a Technology Change Facilitator and/or Educational Technologist. Participation in this program makes such a transition, from teaching students to teaching teachers, possible.