CO-PBST+7+Reflection

In this essay, I will discuss the ways in which I have met Standard 7 of the Colorado Performance-Based Standards for Teachers. Standard 7, which addresses knowledge of technology, requires that I demonstrate my ability to apply technology to the delivery of standards-based instruction, to use technology to increase student achievement and to manage and communicate information, to apply technology to data-driven assessments of learning and to instruct students in basic technology skills.

I have met standard 7.1 through several of the artifacts included in my EDT portfolio, including the SMART Board presentation and the WebQuest. Using SMART notebook software, I created a SMART presentation on the metamorphosis of the “food pyramid,” which addressed a number of Colorado’s history and health standards. In addition, I designed a WebQuest centered on Colorado’s English Language Development standards in which I ask beginning ESL students to investigate different low-cost activities for teens in the Denver area. Both of these lessons are standards-based and require the application of technology.

I have met standard 7.2 in a variety of ways, though I will highlight the Podcast and the WebQuest. Although my podcast describes my philosophy of language teaching and learning, I plan to use podcasts in my future teaching to enhance student learning outside of the classroom. Not only can students download individual podcasts for free on their mp3 player or another assistive device, but they then have the opportunity to listen to the podcast as many times as they desire as well as at a time and place they find convenient. In addition to recording lectures as well as teacher and student presentations, I plan to make audio recordings of short stories and written materials covered in class that the students may use outside of class to further their acquisition of the target language. My WebQuest is a further demonstration of my ability to use technology to increase student achievement. The WebQuest exposes students to a variety of English-language material online as well as assists them in finding opportunities and venues in which to practice their English skills outside of class.

I have met standard 7.3 by participating in the online component of the EDT 3010 course. Through the Blackboard application, I had to manage my assignments as well as communicate with the professor and other students in the class. I did both of these things successfully and I plan to use an application similar to Blackboard in my future teaching to organize my lesson plans and student grades.

I have met standard 7.4 through creation of my WebQuest. In the evaluation tab of my WebQuest, I include an assessment rubric that I created using an online application, Rubistar; __rubistar.4teachers.org__. Therefore, I have the ability to apply technology to data-driven assessments of learning in the future.

Finally, I have met standard 7.5 through my WebQuest by scaffolding the lesson so that students could easily navigate several resources on the web. In addition, instructing students in basic technology skills will be a cornerstone of my teaching as I plan to incorporate a variety of Web 2.0 tools into learners’ daily tasks.