I'm really excited about this initiative and the opportunity to be a member of this group. When I first decided to leave my old school and come to Mooresville, I had a lot of apprehension--not because of the school itself--but, rather, because of the technology. Students have such a great opportunity here with the personal laptops, but that opportunity can be easily squandered. That's currently been all over the news; districts buy technology, but it is never put to good use. I didn't want to come to Mooresville and be that teacher who uses technology is a way that does nothing to promote student learning.
To be honest, my students use their laptops everyday but there isn't always that wow factor. Often times they are reading a text via Angel. While there is merit in this (students have access to a dictionary and online resources to look up references), it isn't the really enhancing their learning experience in a way that only technology could allow. Students could easily look up references elsewhere. This is why I'm so excited to embark on this pilot program. I want my students to really embrace the technology and learn things in a new way that will help them engage in critical thinking skills. I want to pull in meaningful projects so that students can reflect on their own reading and writing.
After completing the self-assessment, I recognize that I have some strengths but I also need to improve on a lot of things. I want to focus on differentiation to promote student learning. This is a weakness that I have had before, but now with technology I think I can greatly improve what individualized learning looks like in my classroom. I know about sources and platforms like Blendspace, but I do need to work on recognizing resources that are aligned and rigorous for students. I think this is a great opportunity to collaborate with peers who probably already have the resources!
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