Content Knowledge and Professional Growth
ISTE Standard 6 - Technology coaches demonstrate professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions in content, pedagogical, and technological areas as well as adult learning and leadership and are continuaously deepening their knowledge and expertise.
Substandard 3. Regularly evaluate and reflect on their professional practice and dispositions to improve and strengthen their ability to effectively model and facilitate technology enhanced learning experiences
a. Engage in continual learning to deepen content and pedagogical knowledge in technology integration and current and emerging technologies necessary to effective
Throughout my progress through the EdTech masters program I have gathered knowledge about Educational Technology topics as well as learning more about myself as a coach. I created this word cloud based on a vision for myself as a lifelong learner and my understanding of students learning. The largest word is 'Learning,' which brings to mind the multiple way all people learn and the variety of ways new learning is presented. Technology plays a big role in how information is presented and how students show their learning.
During the summer of 2016, I participated in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that allowed me to LearnToMod For Educators by UC San Diego. To 'Mod' is to modify a game by changing the code. I learned how to use a Blockly type programing to change a Minecraft game platform and how doing so can reinforce student math and physical science standards. In addition, it was a pleasure to learn. Difficult but at the same time enjoyable, there was so much problem-solving and in figuring out a difficult coding pattern, I felt exhilarated.
This experience took me through what our students will experience as we integrate programming in our schools. It also ignited in me a desire to continue pursuing programming opportunities with my students.
Beginning this year I have organized a plan to teach my 4th-6th grade students coding by using scratch.mit.edu. As I am planning and implementing this program for my students I am tutoring myself at the same time. It's been an amazing experience. To the right, is my planning document that outlines my program.
I modified it and shared my learning and plan with my fellow Digital Learning Coaches so that we could collaborate on it together.
Impact & Reflection
I'm one of the only Digital Learning Coaches that is diving into student coding experiences so I've become the coach that everyone comes to with questions on how to implement coding via CS First and Scratch. It's both awesome and intimidating as I am just learning myself and don't feel that confident in my coding skills. But one thing I have confidence in is our student's ability to problem solve through coding sequences that are too tough for me. We are all learning together and I just try and prepare enough before a coding lesson so I can get by.