Engage+in+Professional+Growth+and+Leadership

Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership (Group E) code Kathleen Cole, Tamala Hall, Leonard Jones, Casie Roberts, Matthew Varnell

code Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

Teachers: 

** a. ** participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning. 

In order to better understand what he or she is teaching, the teacher must participate in local activities as well as gain global knowledge as it relates to technology. The teacher must also explore creative applications of technology to enhance his or her own skills, which will in turn help improve student learning. Teachers must use technology to inspire student exploration and creativity. In addition, teachers must carefully look for creative uses of technology to incorporate into classroom learning. They must continue to use fundamentals coupled with technology in order to see improvement in student learning. The following links illuminate various elements of this process: 

[] Technology For Student Learning and Creativity ** []
 * Global Awareness **

[|http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/] [|viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.86.1604&rep=rep1&type=pdf]. [] [|www.futureofchildren.org] - enter //Technology// in classroom under Search.
 * Constructivism & Technology**

 b. exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others Here is a link to a website on the ISTE NET for leadership training: http://www.iste.org/

Once on the main home page, go to 'professional development' on the side bar and then click on the Educational Leadership link. This page presents in–depth sharing by technology coordinators and district/building leaders concerning their respective visions, responsibilities, and challenges, as well as innovative solutions developed along the road to systemic change. Participants also make public their ideas and examples related to specific new technologies like Wikis and Podcasts. Finally, the site also contains valuable information about case studies and ISTE institutes.


 * Did you know?** ISTE provides high–quality professional and organizational development services to improve teaching and learning in K–12 education. Professional development offerings are keyed to ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards (NETS).

Along this spectrum, Standard 5 refers to teachers' use of technology for professional growth and continuous learning. Specifically, satisfaction of this standard includes:

· Reflecting about one’s professional practice and expertise concerning the use of technology to promote student learning · Using technology to improve productivity · Using technology to become involved with peers, parents, and the larger community in a concentrated effort to better promote student learning

Standard 5 is also addressed throughout all 20 of the INTIME Technology Competencies. At the expert level, the INTIME Technology Competencies emphasize that teachers reflect upon and make educated decisions in determining the effectiveness of activities that teach students basic technology equipment operations and concepts (Technology Competencies 1 through 7). Technology Competencies 8 through 15 show teachers how to use technology resources and tools for information literacy (such as tools to access and use information), while Competencies 16 through 20 apply to using software applications. Being familiar with and applying these technology competencies will allow teachers to use technology to improve their professional effectiveness and expertise, reflect on their own use of technology resources, improve their productivity, and connect with the greater community in support of student learning.

Note: a more detailed description of the INTIME Technology Competencies can be seen at: []

__At this site, some particularly helpful links and articles are__: Carol Boyce, //Profiles in Greatness//: Teacher Interview (Strategy) [|Sara Pralle], //Celebrating Diversity in Iowa Schools//: Teacher Interview (Overview, Revisions, Strategy) [|Chris Gleason], //Water Quality//: Teacher Interview (Technology) [|Marylin Western], //Giving ‘Em the Business//: Teacher Interview (Technology, Comments) Cynthia Hulse, //A Walk Through History//: Teacher Interview (Strategy) Julie Carter, //Publishing Haiku Poems with Avid Cinema//: Teacher Interview (Goals, Technology)

Finally, if you are interested in furthering your educational goals by participating in a capstone project, check out the following site:

http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/capstone-program 


 * c. **evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning 

The following link exemplifies current research suggesting the positive impact of technology on students and their education:

Kulik, James A. "Effects Of Using Instructional Technology In Elementary And Secondary Schools: What Controlled Evaluation Studies Say."

[]

Additional links dedicated to current research and professional practice for educators concerning technology:

-EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative: This website provides educators with links to websites and databases which provide the latest IT information and research. The website is geared towards higher education, but the ideas presented are also applicable to elementary school educators who want to incorporate the newest technology in their classrooms. []

-Digital Learning Commons: This is a nonprofit organization which works to improve access to learning resources by providing high-quality educational materials and digital tools -- even offering online courses to all students and teachers in the State of Washington. []

-4Teachers.org: This website helps teachers to incorporate technology into the classroom. The site offers online tools and resources such as ready-to-use Web lessons, quizzes, classroom calendars, etc. In addition, 4teachers.org offers digital tools for students to use. One of the primary goals of the website is to provide teachers with a readily available avenue through which to offer technology to their students and enhance their learning experiences. [] d. **contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community

[|www.mygradebook.com] & [|www.engrade.com] are two sites that offer online grading books and ways for teachers to communicate with parents, students, and administrators. The first link offers a free trial, but does otherwise have a cost. The second program is free.
 * Effectiveness**

[|www.smarttech.com] has information about SMARTBOARDS. [|www.juliethompson.com/SMART.html] is a teacher's website with SMARTBOARD lesson plans [|www.prometheanworld.com] discusses an alternative (to the SMARTBOARD) white interactive board also used in some classrooms.
 * Vitality & Self-Renewal of the Teaching Profession**

[|www.schoolworld.com/schoolsites.cfm] & [|www.teacherweb.com] are sites where teachers can go to build web sites for their classrooms or their school.
 * School Community**

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