The National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) are designed to improve learning, enrich professional practice, and provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community. There are five standards for teachers to achieve and each is composed of four indicators. These standards include: the Ability for Teachers to Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, to be able to Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, to Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, to Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, and to Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. I believe that I am proficient in the majority of these standards, although I am sure that I can make improvements.
In the Facilitating and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, I need to strengthen the second indicator, which states that teachers should engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. Sometimes I get so bogged down with getting my students ready for the Ohio Achievement Test that I forget to inspire student creativity. This problem must be addressed for me to be become more proficient at my job. My Goals and Actions for strengthening this area are to begin to utilize the internet to search for examples of “real-world” issues and to include these in my reading and writing lessons. I can then locate and utilize the technological tools needed to promote critical thinking skills and creativity in my students. I will Monitor my progress through “in action” and “on action” reflection. With “in action” monitoring, I can continually think about and modify my lessons and how I am presenting them. “On action” asks me to reflect upon what I have done and think about what happened, why it happened, and how it will influence my future teaching or behaviors (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I see this process as a form of Evaluation, so I will treat it as such a component in my GAME plan. I realize that certain authors and experts recommend professional portfolios but keeping one has never been my preference or style.
The second strand to strengthen is the Promotion and Modeling of Digital Citizenship and Responsibility. I am weakest in the first indicator which requires teachers to participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning. Of all the NETS-T indicators, this is my weakest and it is due to my stubbornness and type-B personality. I prefer to work alone on most projects and in my profession. I rely upon myself to get things done and I happily accept the credit or the blame. Collaborating with others is not my strength or desire and this is both strength and weakness. My Goal is to become more involved in our school’s social and technological network. I use a lot of technology in my classroom, but I rarely share my thoughts, ideas, and teaching techniques with others. My Actions will include an increase in communication through weekly staff development and grade-level meetings. I will Monitor my progress and Evaluation through “on action” reflection and by creating a network folder with ideas and tools for my colleagues to utilize. I am hopeful that branching out will help me to improve as a person and as a professional.
Resources:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
The ISTE NETS and performance indicators for teachers. (2008). International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx
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