Technology Skills Inventory
Reflection
After completing the Technology Skills Inventory, I came to realize that maybe I was not as technologically savvy as I had once thought. As time goes on, technology changes and we need to continue learning so that we can keep up with these changes.
My results showed that I needed to improve in a number of areas within the General Preparation and the Professional Preparation columns. Although the results of this inventory were fairly accurate, I do feel that there were some areas which were not reflective of my skills – specifically in the General Preparation area.
In general, I am quite comfortable using technology for everyday tasks. I use Webct and iCohere; I use email, MSN and Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends. I thought it was interesting that one of the suggestions was for me to 'increase use of computers for day-to-day tasks'. I am also comfortable with Microsoft Office, PowerPoint and Smart Board. I have developed many lessons and presentations on Smart Board and PowerPoint.
An area that I need to work on is my Professional Preparation. The inventory made the following suggestions in the different strands:
Technology Operations and Concepts/Professional Preparation
- Needs to review ed. tech. resources (H/W, S/W, other)
- Needs to explore and identify benefits of technology wrt learning
- Use more education-specific resources to meet specific teaching/learning objectives
Planning and Designing Learning Environments/Professional Preparation
- Needs to start trying out available educational H/W and S/W
- Needs to start selecting education-specific resources to meet specific objectives
- Need to start using technology to help increase productivity, creativity, learning
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Although in my reflection I identified multiple areas I would like to develop further, for my Personal Development Plan, my main goal is to explore a variety of educational software programs in the classroom during my practice teaching and in my assessment and evaluation of the students. Below I have outlines my S.M.A.R.T goals.
Specific
I will be the primary person involved. My associate teachers and my students will also be a part of my steps in achieving my goals. I will be responsible for initiating learning experiences for my students during my practice teaching. I want to have a better knowledge of the different software programs available to students and teachers in schools, and how to implement them into my teaching. For example, I would like to learn how to use and implement Geometers Sketch Pad and marking programs such as MarkBook. This will take place at my PDS practice teaching site and will be complete by the end of the year. The main constraint for these goals is time. I realize that both time and resource availability will be an issue. My PDS site does not have a lot of new programs and tools available. There are only two Smart Boards in the school; and most of the classes do not have access to a laptop to attach to the Smart Board. Teachers are just now learning to attach the Smart Board to their desktops. This can also be an issue in term of learning space. I am setting this goal because I want to learn how to use educational software in order to encourage my students to use technology effectively and appropriately.
Measurable
I would like to learn to use the educational software on our laptops as well as other programs that are available to teachers. In particular, I am interested in the marking programs, Kurzwell programs at school, and also additional support in developing Smart Board units. I would like to create more interactive lessons, and also to be able to use Smart Board more often in primary classrooms.
Achievable
I believe these goals can be met through practice. If I have questions it is valuable to approach professors, teachers, and other TEC’s.
Realistic
The reality is that these programs are changed and updated every year. Many of these programs will be replaced by newer versions. It is important as an educator to also model lifelong learning – ie. Take additional courses on using technology in the class room.
Tangible & Timely
Once I have learned to use a variety of programs, I hope to be able to be more effective in my lesson plans and also to be able to implement differentiated teaching into the classroom.
Though I have always felt that I was competent and comfortable in using technology in my daily life, I would like to learn and implement new technologies to enrich students' learning. I would also like to learn how to organize student data and use various educational/administrative programs. Part of the reason I took this course is to work and improve upon my skills this term.
The more time I have spent in the classroom teaching, the more comfortable I have gotten in using different tools and resources to design tech based learning experiences. The inventory results also suggested that I should prepare a cohesive unit (supported by appropriate technology) that meets both academic goals and student technology goals. During my last practicum, in cooperation with another student teacher, I created a sciences unit that had a very strong tech focus.
Self reflection and analysis is an important aspect of learning. Our past experiences, teachings, perspectives all influence how we perform as educators. Our experiences shape us and help us to grow. It is not just the outcome of the Educational Technology Skills Review that is important, but rather what we learn from it and how we choose to apply the given suggestions.
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