House Hunters: A Raisin in the Sun and the Federal Housing AuthorityReflectionWhat was my biggest takeaway from this course on Global Collaboration and Community?
It's embarrassing to mention, but I didn't understand how to use Twitter or Google+...at all. I didn't understand the idea of searching by hashtag or following certain people or hashtags on Tweet Deck. I figured that all the people who were so good at using these platforms literally just sat on their phones all day with all their unlimited free time. So my biggest takeaway from this course is that being a connected educator is not hard; though it's a change of habit, it's highly personalized and incredibly useful. What changes will I make in my teaching and professional development practice? Already, my involvement with PLNs on Twitter and Google+ have improved my practice. Yesterday, I was looking for ideas on how to help my students organize their writing, and saw a Tweet by an English teacher in #EngChat that shared a very useful graphic organizer made with Google Sheets. I foresee these platforms offering me yet another place to go to for advice, ideas, and materials. What impact will this have on my students? I have honestly been very wary of integrating social media in my classroom for many reasons, but mostly because of my school's "war on cell phones." However, I now believe that if I embrace the power of global communication in my classroom, my students will - in turn - be encouraged to use their social media prowess for good instead of evil. That's a joke. Kind of. I hope that through using social media in my classroom, my students will gain a genuine audience for their work, and therefore work harder to make their voice matter (instead of SnapChatting unflattering pictures of their teachers - ha!). I hope that by using platforms that already have such an important place in their lives, that they will see how their schooling can also have an important place in their lives. How have I become a more courageous leader so far? What steps will I continue to take to become a more courageous leader? I believe that I have become an advocate for the integration of social media in the classroom and as a professional development tool. I'm turning into the teacher leader who says, "Have you checked Twitter/Facebook/Google+? Maybe someone else has an idea about that." I'm now encouraging my peers to take their professional development into their own hands: don't wait for our school to have a sit-and-get session, learn it yourself! Moving forward, I hope to become a thought partner for my colleagues who aren't involved in these courses as they continue to try to integrate technology in their classrooms and connect their students to the global community.
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An Online PortfolioThis blog details my adventures through the Future Ready Teacher Leadership certification process offered by the EdTechTeam. ArchivesCategories
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