Two and a Half Years of Change
Laura LaFrenier
Looking back on my goal statement from spring 2011, I am proud to say that I have seen a significant amount of growth. At that time, my main goals were:
In the area of increasing and improving the use of technology in my classroom, I have taken great strides. In the last two and a half years I have transitioned from using a document camera and a projector to students using laptops daily (and now iPads). I have designed assignments that utilize this technology all while keeping pedagogy in mind. I admit that I am not perfect and there have been times where I have used technology just for the sake of technology, but I believe I truly believe that it is valuable for student engagement. I have seen definite growth in this area in the last couple years.
I have also seen many opportunities for being a technology leader in my school. I switched school districts last year and one of the reasons why I was hired was because of my degree in Educational Technology. Because of this, I was also given two computer classes to teach and was able to make decisions about the computer curriculum for the following year. I was also given the opportunity to develop a new computer class. Lastly, teachers often ask me question about technology in their classrooms. If I don’t know the answer right away, I research the problem and get back to them with my findings.
I have also grown in the area of collaboration. I use Twitter to connect with other educators and attend technology conferences to learn and share my knowledge. I also share my ideas with the teachers at my school. In addition, I read blogs and research the internet to gather ideas for my classroom. Because of the program, I am now more motivated to use these resources.
Overall, I am thankful for the last two and a half years in the MAET program. It has been a time of tremendous growth for me and I am looking forward to where my journey will take me in the future.
- Increase and improve use of technology in my classroom
- Become a technology leader in my school
- Increase technology collaboration by learning from and sharing ideas with other teachers
In the area of increasing and improving the use of technology in my classroom, I have taken great strides. In the last two and a half years I have transitioned from using a document camera and a projector to students using laptops daily (and now iPads). I have designed assignments that utilize this technology all while keeping pedagogy in mind. I admit that I am not perfect and there have been times where I have used technology just for the sake of technology, but I believe I truly believe that it is valuable for student engagement. I have seen definite growth in this area in the last couple years.
I have also seen many opportunities for being a technology leader in my school. I switched school districts last year and one of the reasons why I was hired was because of my degree in Educational Technology. Because of this, I was also given two computer classes to teach and was able to make decisions about the computer curriculum for the following year. I was also given the opportunity to develop a new computer class. Lastly, teachers often ask me question about technology in their classrooms. If I don’t know the answer right away, I research the problem and get back to them with my findings.
I have also grown in the area of collaboration. I use Twitter to connect with other educators and attend technology conferences to learn and share my knowledge. I also share my ideas with the teachers at my school. In addition, I read blogs and research the internet to gather ideas for my classroom. Because of the program, I am now more motivated to use these resources.
Overall, I am thankful for the last two and a half years in the MAET program. It has been a time of tremendous growth for me and I am looking forward to where my journey will take me in the future.