Professional Growth & Scholarship
Here you will find a variety of material such as professional literature, websites, magazines and conferences that have promoted my awareness and knowledge in the area of professional growth and scholarship. I have studied a variety of people who have influenced my thinking and teaching methods. Those that I have studied include the following, Senge, Costa, Kallick, Amster, Roland, Harrell, and others noted below. By studying work by these authors I have learned that educating children takes more than a school and teachers. There are many elements that need to be considered in order to understand the complexity of education today. I am an educator because I like the process of coaching. I feel education is like learning a sport. A coach will guide you along while learning a new skill. They cannot perform the skill for you, but can model what might make you more successful. I try to use that philosophy in teaching.
Schools That Learn
In Schools That Learn, by Peter Senge many elements of creating a healthy educational system are shared. It describes how institutions of learning can become learning organizations, in a way that promises the revitalization of schools, classrooms and even communities around the world. This text is used to study the theories of structural tension, the five disciplines themselves, the ladder of inference, Costa's intellectual behaviors and causal loops to name a few. An extensive list of topics are included in the text. It was a very thorough study on how education will have to change in the future to meet the demands and requirements society is demanding.
Key Resources in PG&S
The following links are where both web addresses and research materials that I have studied and used are located. Many of the research materials were used to support the purpose and rational for our collaborative website called Just Imagine. The websites are an eclectic list of some of my favorite sites for teachers and students.
George Lucus Educational Foundation (GLEF)
The GLEF site was a very positive place that I first experienced through the NECC conference last June. The workshop I attended introduced us to the site and educating students using project based learnng (PBL). I vividly remember that they shared several projects classes had been involved in various schools. It seemed to make so much sense. Attending this workshop at NECC and now going to Edutopia online helps to remind me how important it is to keep students actively involved in what they are learning about. Also, all the projects they share have real meaning to the students. I beieve that is so important. In addition, our GLEF conversations were a valuable way to get our peers professional opinions without having to put them all in one room. I thought it was quite effective as a way to share ideas, thoughts and opinions on pertinent topics in education today.
ISTE Magazine
The best part about the ISTE magazine was when I saw Rachel Kleinberg in it. I was reading the November 2005 issue when I came across her picture and read the section profile. It reminded me that we are all leaders in our own way. Promoting all that we have learned and believe in helps to make change in the field of education. The magazine has been a good resource for seeing what's new in technology and how its valuable. It keeps me up to date with the latest and greatest ideas and equipment in technology and education.
Discovery Education Magazine
I liked reading this magazine especially when I first learned about unitedstreaming at the NECC conference. I realize I was exposed to and learned so much from that experience. Once I had the basics from the conference, I liked the magazine to reinforce some of the teaching tips and website tools they offered. It was great to have a whole magazine dedicated to a wonderful resource such as unitedstreaming..
NECC
NECC was the most amazing experience. It opened my eyes to the wide variety of technology options and made me realize how it is used by teachers across the country. This had a huge impact on me. I also felt having so many educators or people involved in the field of technology all together at one time was powerful. So many ideas and conversations about topics or products created many positive connections with people. The conference is highly recommended. The following are
Delicious Sites
These are the many websites that have come to be valuable to me.
Wiki Work
Outcomes
Glef Converations
The GLEF Conversations this semester proved to be a great activity that developed our ideas and helped us process and share the values we have established as a result of studying technology in all of its forms over the last two years. I realized I had strong opinions in certain cases about topics related to the field of education (G1-1). It was nice to be able to share those ideas and support them by using many of the new concepts learned in TEAM (HM9). I found responding in GLEF conversations was not one of the tasks I put off. I usually read the articles immediately and responded.
In finding the article and video for our GLEF conversation, I found the Edutopia site to be a wealth of information (G1-11). In the conversations everyone seemed to be on the same wavelength as to what the value of the conversation was all about (MM, SV). People for the most part saw value in what others had to say and could build on it, or turn the discussion to personal situations that they had to deal with (HM5). I enjoyed the whole process very much, and thought it was a great way to involve educators who were not necessarily part of the TEAM program.
Proposal Page
The Just Imagine proposal page was a major work in research skills (G1-11). Using the LIU database was informative and opened up a whole new area of resources not otherwise available. Creating the page challenged us to explain verbally and in writing, knowledge of the applications of technology in the classroom, and how they were important (G2-3). This took a lot of discussion and practice to make sure what we were trying to say was coming out the way we meant it (HM2). We used Senge’s work in addition to other articles and research we found (G1-6). We worked on this during class on many occasions in both year one and year two (SV, TL).
Senge/Costa
In reading Schools That Learn over the course of the program I have come to think about my thinking more frequently (HM9). I am aware of the system in which I work and all of its complexities. I have a better frame of mind from which to address issues that arise in this system (G2-3). I fall into old mental models and habits, but having the framework presented in the book by Senge has provided a good foundation from which to move forward in order to make progress in more positive and successful ways (HM16). I wrote my Synthesis Journal about Costa’s Habits of Mind. This is an in depth document that shares how I feel the 16 behaviors were an integral aspect of the TEAM program (G1-6).