After many years of saying "someday," I'm finally enrolled in an Educational Technology Master's Program. My current course requires me to keep a journal to document "connectedness" online. Below is my fourth entry.
I have been forming connections online for many years now as an educator. However, I am not sure that I ever stopped to actually reflect on what my goals were while online. Usually, online I will have one specific question that I am looking into: How are other teachers using Genius Hour? What are some good ideas for using Spheros with middle schoolers? How can I better organize my classroom materials? Is anyone else out there having trouble with "community supplies"? So, my goals are more immediate, not long-term. There are many great ideas online, and often I find myself going from one query to the next seamlessly. Ultimately though, I should think of what my primary goals are. I believe there are three for this year:
- GOAL 1: To stay culturally literate in education
- This takes constant peeking around especially when technology changes so quickly. This can also benefit my students as I read more about teaching the whole child and organizing projects through blogs such as Cult of Pedagogy and Catlin Tucker.
- GOAL 2: Find more hands-on and "real science" learning experiences to support my NGSS science classroom
- Facebook Groups such as California Middle School Teachers and Kesler Science have vibrant, active members. They offer a place to share ideas with teachers around the state and nation.
- GOAL 3: Inspiration
- Teaching can be hard and isolating. Sometimes it helps to see others who are doing it well or even others who share the same struggles. Twitter #whatisschool and EduMatch have been excellent places to find teachers who are striving for innovation and excellence. Through these resources, I have "met" teachers working in the International School in Singapore and learned about ways to connect my classroom to others using tools like Flipgrid.
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"Connect Ideas" by Luigi Mengato licensed under CC-BY 2.0 |