When I became a teacher, I had the naive thought that my
students would be doing continuous learning and I would just be helping them
begin their life as a learner. I never
expected that I would still be continuing to learn after numerous college
courses and district professional development days. It truly is a career of teaching AND
learning, but I think that is why it can be so refreshing and rejuvenating because there is always more to learn about and improve upon. I find that when I am not in a
college course or going to a professional development conference I am forging a
path for my own desired learning by using website, blogs, videos, etc. It is a never-ending journey and it is here
that I will discuss what I plan to learn and investigate on my journey of
learning.
In the future, one of my goals is to learn to utilize the technology in my classroom more effectively. I have a document camera and my own personal iPad that I bring in to school. I hope to learn about all the ways that a document camera can be utilized for whole group instruction by learning from colleagues and investigating using the internet to find sources of information about its use. I also want to learn more about the numerous Apple Apps that are available that might benefit my Kindergarteners learning and align with the Common Core. I plan to search the App store and look for resources online that may list Apps by grade level or topic. Both of these technologies along with the student computers in my classroom are a big part of motivating students to learn in the twenty-first century! In addition to these, I also have another technology goal for myself which is to utilize my classroom website more effectively. I have a Shutterfly website that I made as part of an assignment for CEP 840: Policies, Practices, and Perspectives in Special Education. I did use it this school year but I have yet to take the time to master all of the ways it can be used to communicate with parents, such as by using the blog feature, volunteer sign up page, and the parent information page.
A second goal for the future is to develop my classroom curriculum more. I have taught in three different school districts using different curriculum resources and programs, worked to complete my master's degree, got married, bought a house, etc. all in the last five years so I have had little stability and time to dive deep into making improvements in my classroom’s daily schedule, practices, lessons, etc. I have utilized TeachersPayTeachers numerous times to gain great lesson ideas from other teachers and now I would like to organize that material and then start making improvements in the lessons I teach and figure out what areas my instruction has been lacking in. It would also be a future goal to be able to contribute some of my own lessons and materials I have made for my classroom to this site. Along with this, I would like to read more professional books, such as those by literacy experts like Stephanie Harvey, Tony Stead, Linda Hoyt, etc. I was lucky enough to hear each of them speak this year but did not have the time to fully delve into their professional books to improve my literacy instruction so this is a goal of mine.
A third goal of mine that I am still toying around with is the potential for going back to graduate school to complete the courses in order to earn either a literacy specialist endorsement or finishing the special education courses to be certified to teach special education. I am not sure of my current interest in either as I do love my kindergarten position but I do appreciate the opportunities that each degree could give me in the future if I choose to pursue one of them.
On a more personal note, I hope that my future involves starting a family with my husband and reading literature, online resources, mom blogs, etc. in order to learn more about motherhood and parenting. We have waited in order for me to pursue my goal of completing my master's program so that is also part of my future plans.
In the future, one of my goals is to learn to utilize the technology in my classroom more effectively. I have a document camera and my own personal iPad that I bring in to school. I hope to learn about all the ways that a document camera can be utilized for whole group instruction by learning from colleagues and investigating using the internet to find sources of information about its use. I also want to learn more about the numerous Apple Apps that are available that might benefit my Kindergarteners learning and align with the Common Core. I plan to search the App store and look for resources online that may list Apps by grade level or topic. Both of these technologies along with the student computers in my classroom are a big part of motivating students to learn in the twenty-first century! In addition to these, I also have another technology goal for myself which is to utilize my classroom website more effectively. I have a Shutterfly website that I made as part of an assignment for CEP 840: Policies, Practices, and Perspectives in Special Education. I did use it this school year but I have yet to take the time to master all of the ways it can be used to communicate with parents, such as by using the blog feature, volunteer sign up page, and the parent information page.
A second goal for the future is to develop my classroom curriculum more. I have taught in three different school districts using different curriculum resources and programs, worked to complete my master's degree, got married, bought a house, etc. all in the last five years so I have had little stability and time to dive deep into making improvements in my classroom’s daily schedule, practices, lessons, etc. I have utilized TeachersPayTeachers numerous times to gain great lesson ideas from other teachers and now I would like to organize that material and then start making improvements in the lessons I teach and figure out what areas my instruction has been lacking in. It would also be a future goal to be able to contribute some of my own lessons and materials I have made for my classroom to this site. Along with this, I would like to read more professional books, such as those by literacy experts like Stephanie Harvey, Tony Stead, Linda Hoyt, etc. I was lucky enough to hear each of them speak this year but did not have the time to fully delve into their professional books to improve my literacy instruction so this is a goal of mine.
A third goal of mine that I am still toying around with is the potential for going back to graduate school to complete the courses in order to earn either a literacy specialist endorsement or finishing the special education courses to be certified to teach special education. I am not sure of my current interest in either as I do love my kindergarten position but I do appreciate the opportunities that each degree could give me in the future if I choose to pursue one of them.
On a more personal note, I hope that my future involves starting a family with my husband and reading literature, online resources, mom blogs, etc. in order to learn more about motherhood and parenting. We have waited in order for me to pursue my goal of completing my master's program so that is also part of my future plans.