The two assessments I completed were quite enlightening. They exposed my weaknesses in technology and made me take a serious look at what I know and don’t know about a practice which has overtaken the world. Although I am a veteran teacher, I pride myself on being knowledgeable about areas which concern young people. Up to this point I have relied on my own children to keep me informed about the changes which pertain to the young. One of the things which they have been interested in since infancy is technology. My son who has a classic case of ADHD has the uncanny ability to multi-task. Thus, his room was a hive of activity most of which utilized technology. On any given day he had the television playing and the music blasting from the stereo while he worked diligently on a computer.
Imagine my surprise then, when I took the first survey (Technology Applications Inventory) and discovered a whole new language about which I knew practically nothing. Digital file formats such as .wav, .mid, .au, .doc, .txt, .gif, .jpg, .mov, .cwk. might as well have been Chinese characters for all I knew. I know punctuation quite well, but according to the survey, there are standards for digital keyboarding which include some ambiguous phrases such as “em/en dashes” and “smart quotation marks.” When did punctuation get smart? If all that wasn’t enough, I learned that there is a whole new way to acquire information and that one of the ways is to use the Boolean search strategies. The whole thing is mind boggling.
According to the Technology Applications Inventory, my strength lies in the problem solving domain. I can and do create documents for use in my classes as well as for my personal needs. I can use several different programs sufficiently, but I don't understand the technical aspects of much of what I can do. As a leader, I don't consider myself strong enough in this area to teach others any more than basic operations. I wouldn't feel comfortable instructing anyone or troubleshooting their problems.
According to the SETDA Teacher Survey, my school's technology usage is underdeveloped. We lack much of the hardware and the software to adequately serve our students. Teachers at my school, although trained, do not have access to smart boards, scanners, digital video recorders and other resources related to technology. I have been trained in best practices for incorporating technology into the English classroom, but our school lacks the computers, programs, and the time in our schedule to incorporate it. I see this as a definite weakness and a hinderance to our growth.
I need to strengthen my knowledge of programs and the language of technology. I am weak on much of the terminology used to communicate with others and to work collaboratively with those who are computer savvy. I need to begin with terminology and determine what I know and don't know. I have a working knowledge of technology, but I lack the ability to verbalize what I know because I don' t have the language. Future professional development for me would definitely include empasis on foundational knowledge and information acquisition.
I agree with the assessments, because they accurately assessed my weaknesses and outlined my strengths. I am aware that I can search for informaton and create documents for use in my classroom, but I am also aware that I need basic foundational knowledge and more in depth skill in acquiring knowledge.
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