Oh, the Places I'll Go
As my Master of Arts in Education Program is quickly coming to a close, I cannot help but think about what is to come for me as a professional. With many avenues, paths, and promising opportunities in my future, there are a few hopes and dreams that I have for myself as my journey as an educator continues including becoming a Grade Level Leader in English Language Arts, implementing math workshop format, and improving integration of technology.
One of the biggest areas of growth I have noticed in first graders is in reading skills. Students enter my classroom from kindergarten with a small collection of sight words memorized and spell their first name. I believe that with this major curriculum focus of reading at my grade level, I am well-suited to be a Grade Level Leader in Language Arts. This role consists of reviewing curriculum, sharing out ideas or research findings, and working collaboratively with other first grade teachers to implement best practices. One way I plan to accumulate new knowledge for reading workshop is by enrolling in Oakland School Professional Development workshops to gain information about new practices.
Additionally, one of my masters program courses asked me to focus on a problem of practice where I focused on reading workshop. From this assignment, I have deeply analyzed the structure and content of reading workshop following our district's curriculum. Having made these efforts puts me in a beneficial position where I have perspective as well as evidence as to what works best for first grade students that I could then express to fellow teachers. I also work closely with teachers in my building in planning for our all-school One Book One School program. This month-long reading event promotes reading for all ages as well as builds great home-school connections.
I would like to continue to build up my classroom workshop environment through more structured math workshop. My district is looking forward to the new Everyday Math curriculum which includes updated units and more technology integration within lessons and easily follows the workshop structure: teacher group, independent work group, and game group. This type of instructional routine enables me to think creatively, implement technology, and differentiate my instruction.
In relation to math technology tools, I have thought more about the opportunities that technology can bring to students and teachers. Therefore, a goal I have for myself in the future is seizing more professional developments about technology integration in the elementary classroom. I have set goals within my own building to continue with the title as “Lower Elementary Technology” Liaison to guide and direct colleagues when faced with technology challenges or ideas. I also have become a member on our district’s Computer Curriculum Review Committee, where we are reviewing our district’s curriculum and comparing it to technology core standards today. I will reapply for a classroom iPad grant through my district, which will be incorporated into daily instruction for use of skill apps as well as produce content-driven projects.
I plan to attend next year’s The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) teaching conference held in Detroit, MI. This two-day conference is devoted to sharing ideas and innovations with educators about how to integrate technology into the classroom, engage students, and create opportunities that go further than the classroom walls. I am hoping to take away as many ideas that I can reflect on that will create an even more of a technological classroom environment for my students.
After completing my master’s degree online, I have a changed image about online learning. I was no doubt weary at first about not having the physical interactions with my peers and professors. However, after being a part of this online program I realized that I have built an online professional learning community that has allowed me to share and reflect on ideas and strategies with other educators I believe I have grown more from this online forum because I was able to “meet” people from farther ranging experiences and backgrounds than had I been in a traditional setting. Therefore, in the future I would like to seek out online professional learning communities. I accomplish this is by following professional blogs or websites. I have slowly begun this process with a classroom Twitter account so I could follow some highly experienced and wide- ranging educators.
One of the biggest areas of growth I have noticed in first graders is in reading skills. Students enter my classroom from kindergarten with a small collection of sight words memorized and spell their first name. I believe that with this major curriculum focus of reading at my grade level, I am well-suited to be a Grade Level Leader in Language Arts. This role consists of reviewing curriculum, sharing out ideas or research findings, and working collaboratively with other first grade teachers to implement best practices. One way I plan to accumulate new knowledge for reading workshop is by enrolling in Oakland School Professional Development workshops to gain information about new practices.
Additionally, one of my masters program courses asked me to focus on a problem of practice where I focused on reading workshop. From this assignment, I have deeply analyzed the structure and content of reading workshop following our district's curriculum. Having made these efforts puts me in a beneficial position where I have perspective as well as evidence as to what works best for first grade students that I could then express to fellow teachers. I also work closely with teachers in my building in planning for our all-school One Book One School program. This month-long reading event promotes reading for all ages as well as builds great home-school connections.
I would like to continue to build up my classroom workshop environment through more structured math workshop. My district is looking forward to the new Everyday Math curriculum which includes updated units and more technology integration within lessons and easily follows the workshop structure: teacher group, independent work group, and game group. This type of instructional routine enables me to think creatively, implement technology, and differentiate my instruction.
In relation to math technology tools, I have thought more about the opportunities that technology can bring to students and teachers. Therefore, a goal I have for myself in the future is seizing more professional developments about technology integration in the elementary classroom. I have set goals within my own building to continue with the title as “Lower Elementary Technology” Liaison to guide and direct colleagues when faced with technology challenges or ideas. I also have become a member on our district’s Computer Curriculum Review Committee, where we are reviewing our district’s curriculum and comparing it to technology core standards today. I will reapply for a classroom iPad grant through my district, which will be incorporated into daily instruction for use of skill apps as well as produce content-driven projects.
I plan to attend next year’s The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) teaching conference held in Detroit, MI. This two-day conference is devoted to sharing ideas and innovations with educators about how to integrate technology into the classroom, engage students, and create opportunities that go further than the classroom walls. I am hoping to take away as many ideas that I can reflect on that will create an even more of a technological classroom environment for my students.
After completing my master’s degree online, I have a changed image about online learning. I was no doubt weary at first about not having the physical interactions with my peers and professors. However, after being a part of this online program I realized that I have built an online professional learning community that has allowed me to share and reflect on ideas and strategies with other educators I believe I have grown more from this online forum because I was able to “meet” people from farther ranging experiences and backgrounds than had I been in a traditional setting. Therefore, in the future I would like to seek out online professional learning communities. I accomplish this is by following professional blogs or websites. I have slowly begun this process with a classroom Twitter account so I could follow some highly experienced and wide- ranging educators.
All images and photo credits: Anna Collins/Creative Commons