Almost a year ago, an invitation was sent out from my school division (Regina Catholic Schools) to participate in a Connected Educator project. This invitation involved not only the acquisition of technology (in my case one to one laptop access in my classroom), but also and more importantly to becoming part of a Professional Learning Community and look at innovative and best practice with technology integration. There has been access to skype, social media, and face to face growth opportunities and a chance to share experiences and lessons learned. This experience has improved my understanding and utilization of not only technology, but of pedagogy, 21st Century Skills, and redefinition of my classroom. I'm grateful I was chosen to participate in this project and truly believe that it has improved digital, critical thinking, creative, reflection, and learning skills for the members of the project and the students we serve.
From a strictly technology/device perspective, the project was been successful. With daily access and continued improvement in wifi, the access to these digital tools has been excellent for all involved. The laptops that we have access to have been more than adequate and the students have respected and taken care of the devices. Before issuing each student their device we talk about respect, digital citizenship, and have device labeled and organized in the cart. The manner in which the students have looked after the devices has been impressive. I am grateful for the equity that the one on one access has provided and each student in my class has the ability to draw upon a variety of resources provided in class to help them with their learning goals and objectives. There has also been promotion, discussion, and reflection on the learning opportunities that these tools can provide for all learners. We have done a book study and examined The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros (http://georgecouros.ca/blog/the-innovators-mindset-book) A must read for any teacher in my opinion. A twitter chat was employed to have participants share reflections, memes, and questions to the various chapters in the book. We also read and shared our thoughts on David Geurin's 9 Ed Tech Essentials post (http://www.davidgeurin.com/2017/02/9-essential-edtech-ideas-to-share-with.html). These activities put the main goal of the project into perspective … it was not about the devices but the opportunity to innovate … to try new and better approaches to engage and empower students. We also reflected upon TIM (Technology Integration Matrix), the essential skills of 21st Century learning (7Cs), and the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) Model of Technology Integration. The process of filling out the TIM (http://www.azk12.org/tim/) allowed us to reflect on both teacher and student progress with technology integration. We also created and based lessons on the 7 Cs of 21st Century learning (http://gennarodriguez.weebly.com/7-cs-of-21st-century-learning.html). We also used the SAMR Model (http://hippasus.com/blog/archives/227) to examine what transformational changes are we doing with technology in our classrooms if any. The use of these three reflection models gave all participants an opportunity to develop a growth mindset and improve upon out integration of technology in our classrooms. The RCSD Connected Educator initiative has been a successful one in my opinion. My students in semester one were successful at meeting curricular objectives laid out in the curriculum, but more importantly for me they did so in an enriched, empowering, and engaging atmosphere that still has room for growth and improvement. The Professional Learning Community that has developed as a result is also a tremendous benefit (loved our edCamp style sharing). It has raised the bar for professional development and collaboration (follow and join the conversation #rcsdconnect). It is hoped that the program will grow and a mentorship process will also develop, connecting more ideas and best practice. I look forward to continuing my participation in this program and improving the learning possibilities for me and my students. If you have questions on this please e-mail me at [email protected] and follow me on twitter @vendi55.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDean Vendramin has been Educator for over 20 years. He is the 21st Century Education Leader at Archbishop M.C. O'Neill Catholic High School. He has a passion for all things in education with emphasis on technology integration, assessment, professional development, and 21 Century Education. Archives
April 2022
Categories |