Online Portfolio
Nichole M. Plank
On March 3, 2013, I wrote this little blurb at the end of my blog post.
Six months into the MAET program and I was already voicing concerns about what will happen after graduation. Technology changes so fast. If you couldn’t tell, ask my brand new iPhone 5c which is already being replaced by the iPhone5s. I may know a lot now about the latest educational technologies and how to incorporate them in the classroom setting, but when I graduate in December, I will already be outdated. A friend of mine is taking CEP811 this semester and the course sounds radically different; what is she learning that I didn’t get to learn? I basically had a sigh of relief when Dr. Leigh Graves Wolf mentioned that they will be offering somewhat of a “reunion” summer cohort to be offered as a refresher. Although it wouldn’t be something that I could afford to do all of the time, I see it becoming an option every few years and a way to receive credits for teacher recertification.
The Learner in Me
By: Nichole Plank
If you had enough money, would you do the reunion cohorts yearly? How about attend all of the technology conferences around the country? For most, including myself, that simply is not an option. So what other resources are out there to remain fresh? I think this is why Personal Learning Networks are so valuable. I think it is a great option when Dr. Punya Mishra invites past MAET students to the end of semester presentations. Even if it is just a brief conversation.
Personal Learning Networks tend to follow the same theory as the classic, timeless piece of literature, “If You Give a Mouse A Cookie!” You have no idea where a brief conversation will stop. If someone gives you an idea, you bring it to your own room. You modify it. You find another idea to make it work. You blog about it. You tell a colleague about it. They use it, modify it, and the story continues on and on. Twitter is a PLN that I never used before I entered the MAET program. I didn’t see how it could be used and was only given negative, celebrity examples. I know understand that I could use this to get classroom ideas, research concepts, or learn about the latest educational technology.
One of the best resources I have in my experience as a life long learner is in response to my Dream-It project from CEP800. In my school, we do not have technology coaches. Actually, the tendency tends to be in my school that teachers are given resources without training, thus it isn’t used. This was best illustrated when our district was given Promethean Boards. Teachers were offered 6 hours in DVDs to take home if they wanted, but no physical training. Therefore, many teachers never turned on their boards except to project a movie. My Dream-It project focused on created a community of teachers who want to learn more about new technology concepts. As a group, we meet once a month to discuss and brainstorm ideas. I have only had the September meeting so far, which focused specifically on digital stories. I was disappointed with the turn out, but had the best conversation with the two other teachers who attended. I was also able to show my administrator and provide him with the evidence and resources to understand why it is important. He then took our conversation, became somewhat of an advocate for me, went directly to other classroom teachers who didn’t attend, and advised them to come to me to learn more. Those who did participate had a great experience, so I hope with time that the Dream-It project continues to make me a lifelong learner.
From a non-technology related, but educational perspective, there are still a lot of things that I need to continually work on. Specifically, it has been a personal goal of mine to study more about Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop. For the last two years, I work to learn and implement a little more. It is about setting little goals and working to achieve them all.
When I get to the point that I think I’ve learned it all and I know everything, I sincerely hope someone tells me to retire.