Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Blog # 11

What does it mean to be a teacher-leader in the digital age?

As I reflect on thoughts and feelings I had when I started the semester I can see that I have grown quite a bit since the beginning. I have always felt the need to push myself to better my own classroom. Each year I have various goals I want to accomplish that include student indicators and learning objectives. My previous mentality was to push and change individually. I am not one to show others the things I am doing in my classroom. I look for different ways to teach and to help students gain worthwhile experiences but, most times was doing that in the confines of my classroom. 

This semester Dr. Cox encouraged us to present at UCET; this is something that I felt I needed to do. In the past, I have done different presentations on Professional Development days at my school. I felt like I needed to branch out (even though it was something I do not like doing). I don't want to come across as the “tech” person who “knows everything” (which I don’t). This at times brings forth negative connotations. 

UCET was a great experience for me. I finally realized what it means to be a teacher-leader. At that conference we were surrounded by other people trying to better education for students. Teachers that were there, were those who are trying to push and make a change towards digital classrooms where students learn through the creation process. I now feel comfortable to share what I am doing and share my work with others so they can use it in their own classrooms. 

Being a teacher-leader does not mean you have possess some special skill or knowledge. It means being a teacher who is willing to try new things and make a difference, someone who is willing to share and stir the pot of change. 

How will you use what you have learned in this class in your future course, unit, and lesson planning?


This semester (although a lot of work) has taught me a lot. It has bridged my previous education classes with a new view on instruction and ways students can learn in my classroom. Although I  have taken courses on backwards design and how to create units, I never felt like I was effectively creating lessons. Incorporating technology into my lessons has changed how I view assessments. I have always use technology in my lessons to deliver instruction. My failings as a teacher has been my inability to incorporate technology for students. I now see the total change I can make by delivering instruction that is engaging and relevant for my students. I will now go back and look at my curriculum map to see what changes I can make to create real-world, authentic classroom experiences for my students. 

Blog # 10

How will you acquire technology for your classroom?

Acquiring technology for my classroom has been a personal pursuit ever since I started teaching. I have always wanted technology in my classroom for my students to use. The last two years, I have made a big push for technology in my class and school. Last year I was in charge of creating the plan to get iPads and Apple TV’s for every teacher in my school. I personally made the budget and ensured that our schools’ wifi infrastructure would handle the load. This year I applied for numerous grants to get technology into my classroom. I received funding to purchase iPads for my classroom to be able to pilot and implement a flipped classroom for my students. This has opened a door of unlimited possibilities for my students. I now devise lesson plans that incorporate the use of technology for my students. I also received a STEM grant this year. With that money, I bought Sphero robotic balls where my students implement math strategies while learning to code. I constantly look for different ways to get more tools in my classroom (I have a long list) and will continue to do so as long as I teach. 

How does the use of technology impact your classroom management strategies?

After I received the technology I quickly realized that I needed to create strategies to manage my classroom when they were using the tech. Strategies for transitions, proper usage, and time management had to be implemented so my students knew exactly what I expected. One surprise that emerged as I integrated more technology in my classroom was the decline of classroom disruption that I experienced in other lessons. As student engagement went up, classroom disruptions and problems with management went down. An engaged classroom eliminates many problems that teachers experience today. My main focus is not to create management strategies as we use the tech and to manage our time effectively. 

Why use technology if you always need a backup plan?


Lessons that now use technology in my classroom are night and day different than lessons that used traditional indicator methods. I plan for engaging lessons that challenge students to create authentic real world experiences. Do my lessons go as planned? Not always. There have been many times were the technology did not work. My backup plans have now included a work around if the network is down. I have made sure that if I need to use my Apple TV to project my iPad, I no longer need the network to do it. I have also started to download locally all videos and internet content that I need. If the internet is not working, I can still access the content I need for my lessons. My new goal is to create backup plans that are as engaging without the technology.

Blog # 9

How does the combined backward design and technology-rich focus impact your unit design?

Planing my unit design was very eye opening. I feel like I have been blindly following the textbook without giving any thought to what I really want my students to know and do. When I purposefully put my textbook aside and looked at the core standard and what I want my students to accomplish, I was surprised at how much better I can teach my students. I feel like I have missed many opportunities to engage the students in my classroom. 

As I started my unit, I started to think about the end result, the lesson indicator. I then realized that I could create an authentic learning experience for my students while they were learning the content. I have now shifted my focus to utilizing technology towards the creation of projects that will engage my students. Designing these lessons have allowed me to see the freedom I have as a teacher to reach students in my classroom. 


This assignment has changed the way I view teaching. I now can see the way to effectively plan units that don’t follow the worn out model of teaching the content, completing a worksheet, finishing the homework, and taking a quiz.