Week 1: T for Technology

OMG! I always knew I was a digital immigrant, now it's confirmed!

I loved learning about the tools available to educators now and various applications and software that we can use with our students in our classrooms.

Questions I now have pending include:

1. How do we as educators remain at the forefront of technology?

2. How do we continue to provide safe and secure learning environments for our students when they are connected to something like 'clouds'?

3. How can I as an educator incorporate common ICT tools such as mobile phones into my curriculum to ensure my students are engaged?

4. I can I develop a leveling tool that reflects the curriculum effectively in my classroom?

5. How can I involve parents in the use of ICTs in my classroom so students in their families can feel 'connected' to my classroom environment?

6. What professional organisations are available that can assist me in developing ICT resources in my classroom reflecting the curriculum? What services do these organisations provide?

The digital revolution signifies the government's support of ICT and the direction that schools need to be moving in. Once 1:1 computing is in place the school system on a national level will also be revolutionised. This is a positive outcome for students entering into a society of fast-paced technological advancements. These thoughts are reflected in the reading from ISTE. I agree with their statement of "educators need to demonstrate the skills and behaviors of digital-age professionals (ISTE, 2011).

The Smart Classrooms Professional Development Framework (Queensland Government, 2009) is a useful tool for me completing my ICT Certificate as it specifically outlines goals that I can use to guide my learning experiences within this course. Having this framework aligns activities that I will plan in my classroom on my PX4 and Internship. The framework also outlines what outcomes I need to meet in order to upgrade my ICT Certificate to a ICT Digital licence or Advanced licence.

The reading about the ICT Certificate Unit Plan and Reflection (Queensland Government, 2011) on Dinosaurs was very interesting. I'm not sure what a Profcast is, but all of the other ideas ensured that students were engaging with a complete range of ICT pedagogical tools that aided their learning process. I appreciate being able to see how this actually looks in a real-life classroom example such as this. The professional knowledge, values and reflection sections were interesting to read. Having the teacher mentor comments provides an insight into possible improvements that could have been made.

I am very excited about what I am going to learn in this course. I believe such knowledge is imperative to remain at the forefront of my professional career.

References:

International Society for Technology in Education (2011). Standards for global learning in the digital age. Retrieved form http://www.iste.org/standards.aspx

Queensland Government (2011). Education Queensland. Smart Classrooms. ICT Certificate Unit and Reflection. Retreived from http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/pdframework/showcase/ict/showcase-ict-04.html#SlideFrame_17

Queensland Government (2009). Smart Classrooms Professional Development Framework. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/pdframework/docs/scpd-framework.pdf