There were 10 areas under the digital literacy exam that I took on the Northstar website. After taking the exam I realized that I was proficient in most of the standards.
Under the first standard, Basic Computer Skills, there were 20 objectives and my mastery level of these would be a 3 out of 3. Basic computer skills entail Microsoft Office proficiency. As an educator, you have to be proficient in the word, excel, and powerpoint at the very least. These skills are used in my daily routines by creating lesson plans, interactive assessments, and keeping track of GPA's or uniforms for athletics.
Standard 2, World Wide Web, was another category that my level of comfort was rated high in. The next 2 standards, Windows and Mac OS X, was where I realized my preference in devices. Windows is an easy program for me to operate because that is what my laptop operates with. I knew very little in the Mac OS X objectives which tells me that I need to start venturing out of my comfort zone and learning things about the Mac operating system. As the web relates to education, we use it daily in my classroom as well. My students are constantly researching scholarly articles and looking for creative ways to submit assignments. They use the internet to figure out inventive ways to learn and create.
Email, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel were the following standards. If you have even been in any kind of classroom, then these basic programs are your best friend. So many lessons have been planned using PP, excel sheets, and word documents. Also, communication in any school district is trickled down through an email system.
The final standard was social media. This includes anything from facebook, to snapchat, to twitter, to Instagram. The list can go on and on because these apps are being created so quickly and becoming popular by demand. I am currently in charge of the twitter account for my school so I know how important it is to keep in mind that you are representing your district, and you have to make sure that nothing is being posted about a student that does not have consent from their parents, and information that is correct. As it relates to education, we use these forms of social media to share information about what is going on in our classrooms, extra-curricular activities, or important last minute information that needs to get out to the community as soon as possible.
All in all, I feel my level of expertise Is proficient with technology and where we are today. Are there things that I can improve on and learn more tips and tricks about, of course! The reason I signed on for this degree is because I see technology taking over in a big way in the education system and I want to be prepared to help advance my students in the right direction by offering differentiated learning. According to an article in Technology Counts 2016: Transforming the Classroom, “when teachers were asked to gauge how prepared their students are to use educational technology for particular activities, the teachers gave higher ratings to routine practices like drills, practice exercises, and reading assignments than to more ground-shifting projects, such as creating original content and using social media to collaborate on assignments” (Rebora, 2016). I will always push to be an innovative teacher and use current methods to approach my students and their learning abilities. I feel it is important that novice and veteran teachers get on board with this thinking as well because the future of education has technology written all over it in the sense that classrooms will go in the direction of being virtual classrooms. Schools in Florida are already taking advantage of this system allowing their students to take an online class or two to obtain access to classes not available at their local school, gain a competitive edge when preparing for college, or accommodate a jammed schedule. A few, though, are so convinced of the efficacy of online instruction that they've abandoned traditional schools altogether. (Wood, 2005) I am ready to be knowledgeable in the area of technology to help my students become more successful, or lead my campus in the right direction of incorporating these elements into their teachings.
As for suggestions on my future leadership, Successful leaders challenge the status quo, more of the same mindset. Successful leaders have a vision of excellence. Polar mindsets exist on a continuum for almost all walks of life. To be an agent of change and to thrust towards your vision, you must accept your role as an agent of change. To be an agent of change in an organizational system you must begin with a vision, but you must also have undeniable passion and engagement. You will be cautioned about pace and acceptance. Be careful though. Too much change too fast can be worse than no change at all. Make a careful examination of all the working parts, seek input from others, listen, watch, and listen again. (Kouzes, 1997) Thoughtful planning is another key element and will be reflected in a well written outline of step by step best practices with differentiation and content embedded with what the learner will be doing as opposed to what the teacher will be doing.
References
Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 1997. Print.
Rebora, A. (2016, June 6). Teachers Still Struggling to Use Tech to Transform Instruction, Survey Finds. Retrieved July15, 2016, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/06/09/teachers-still-struggling-to-use-tech-to.html
Wood, C. (2005, March 23). The Virtual Classroom Redefines Education. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/online-education-virtual-classrooms
Under the first standard, Basic Computer Skills, there were 20 objectives and my mastery level of these would be a 3 out of 3. Basic computer skills entail Microsoft Office proficiency. As an educator, you have to be proficient in the word, excel, and powerpoint at the very least. These skills are used in my daily routines by creating lesson plans, interactive assessments, and keeping track of GPA's or uniforms for athletics.
Standard 2, World Wide Web, was another category that my level of comfort was rated high in. The next 2 standards, Windows and Mac OS X, was where I realized my preference in devices. Windows is an easy program for me to operate because that is what my laptop operates with. I knew very little in the Mac OS X objectives which tells me that I need to start venturing out of my comfort zone and learning things about the Mac operating system. As the web relates to education, we use it daily in my classroom as well. My students are constantly researching scholarly articles and looking for creative ways to submit assignments. They use the internet to figure out inventive ways to learn and create.
Email, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel were the following standards. If you have even been in any kind of classroom, then these basic programs are your best friend. So many lessons have been planned using PP, excel sheets, and word documents. Also, communication in any school district is trickled down through an email system.
The final standard was social media. This includes anything from facebook, to snapchat, to twitter, to Instagram. The list can go on and on because these apps are being created so quickly and becoming popular by demand. I am currently in charge of the twitter account for my school so I know how important it is to keep in mind that you are representing your district, and you have to make sure that nothing is being posted about a student that does not have consent from their parents, and information that is correct. As it relates to education, we use these forms of social media to share information about what is going on in our classrooms, extra-curricular activities, or important last minute information that needs to get out to the community as soon as possible.
All in all, I feel my level of expertise Is proficient with technology and where we are today. Are there things that I can improve on and learn more tips and tricks about, of course! The reason I signed on for this degree is because I see technology taking over in a big way in the education system and I want to be prepared to help advance my students in the right direction by offering differentiated learning. According to an article in Technology Counts 2016: Transforming the Classroom, “when teachers were asked to gauge how prepared their students are to use educational technology for particular activities, the teachers gave higher ratings to routine practices like drills, practice exercises, and reading assignments than to more ground-shifting projects, such as creating original content and using social media to collaborate on assignments” (Rebora, 2016). I will always push to be an innovative teacher and use current methods to approach my students and their learning abilities. I feel it is important that novice and veteran teachers get on board with this thinking as well because the future of education has technology written all over it in the sense that classrooms will go in the direction of being virtual classrooms. Schools in Florida are already taking advantage of this system allowing their students to take an online class or two to obtain access to classes not available at their local school, gain a competitive edge when preparing for college, or accommodate a jammed schedule. A few, though, are so convinced of the efficacy of online instruction that they've abandoned traditional schools altogether. (Wood, 2005) I am ready to be knowledgeable in the area of technology to help my students become more successful, or lead my campus in the right direction of incorporating these elements into their teachings.
As for suggestions on my future leadership, Successful leaders challenge the status quo, more of the same mindset. Successful leaders have a vision of excellence. Polar mindsets exist on a continuum for almost all walks of life. To be an agent of change and to thrust towards your vision, you must accept your role as an agent of change. To be an agent of change in an organizational system you must begin with a vision, but you must also have undeniable passion and engagement. You will be cautioned about pace and acceptance. Be careful though. Too much change too fast can be worse than no change at all. Make a careful examination of all the working parts, seek input from others, listen, watch, and listen again. (Kouzes, 1997) Thoughtful planning is another key element and will be reflected in a well written outline of step by step best practices with differentiation and content embedded with what the learner will be doing as opposed to what the teacher will be doing.
References
Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 1997. Print.
Rebora, A. (2016, June 6). Teachers Still Struggling to Use Tech to Transform Instruction, Survey Finds. Retrieved July15, 2016, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/06/09/teachers-still-struggling-to-use-tech-to.html
Wood, C. (2005, March 23). The Virtual Classroom Redefines Education. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/online-education-virtual-classrooms