Teacher Leadership: Standard 8

Standard 8: Present professional practice for the review of colleagues

It has really been an amazing experience going through this Teacher Leadership program here at Seattle Pacific. I look back at initial posts and reflections I wrote at the beginning of the program and realize how far I have come and how much I have grown as a teacher leader. We did a post back in Accomplished Teaching about our strengths and some challenges we face as educators. I am going to use phrases from the initial post and add some updates/new thinking to it.   

Finishing this program and my 4^th year teaching I have noticed that I am a very reflective individual, not just in my career of being a teacher, but in most aspects of life. As a teacher, I am constantly reflecting on lessons and conversations that I have with students and coworkers. I am the one that takes the job home and lays in bed at night thinking of lesson plans, creating anchor charts, which kids need to work on such and such strategy etc. My goal as a teacher is to be the best I can be, for my students. Working in a Title 1 school in a high poverty area, they NEED and deserve me at my best. Which sometimes causes my reflections of myself to be extremely high and criticizing. My strength in my individual self-reflection is that I am very goal and data driven. I am able to take the data and noticing’s I collected during my lessons and use them to drive my instruction further that would be best for my students. As for collaboration with peers, I find I do some of my best learning from my fellow teammates and colleagues. I love listening to their ideas and fresh perspectives. My first taste of taking on a “leadership” role, was last year being my grade levels representative on our buildings Instructional Leadership Team. This role allowed me to lead our grade level’s PLCs. I was the one to receive extra Professional Development on the new reading curriculum our district adopted and came back to my team and taught them how to use the curriculum with more ease. It was also a place that my team was be able to analyze data to drive our team goal for our students. My strength in this role was I am extremely passionate in curriculum and analyzing data to drive instruction. I always came to the meetings well organized and with a set agenda on what our team needs to accomplish during our time together, which I feel we don’t get much of. Taking on a leadership role is a little outside of my comfort zone. I am known to be a listener and an observer, rarely voicing my opinion and thoughts out of nerves or fear of being wrong. I am learning that even though I am the youngest and have the least amount of experience on my team, I still have a lot to offer. Reading this last line of my old post now makes me smile. Because this year I was the only 4^th grade teacher that was left at Horizon since I started 4 years ago. I really had to step up and take on, not only being on the leadership team as a representative, but as a team leader too.

Before reading the Hilty text, I have never heard of the different types of teacher leadership in schools. The three different types emphasize the importance of collective verses individual leadership. As stated on page 272, “Ogawa and Bossert argue that leadership occurs not though the actions of individuals but through the INTERACTIONS AMONG individuals. Because it occurs through the interaction, influence that is exerted through leadership cannot be assumed to be unidirectional; it can flow up and down levels and between units of organization...leadership is not confined to certain roles but is distributed across roles, with different roles having access to different levels and types of power and influence.” What I really liked about this paragraph was that it informs the reader that leadership doesn’t always have to fall on certain, established people at our schools. I have really taken this to heart this year and learning how to delegate tasks amongst my team, has definitely been a great learning experience. Seeing that some people need more “supports” in place to help them accomplish tasks. Just like our students, adults also need gradual release of responsibilities!

One of my strengths in teaching is my planning and organization skills. My classroom is well organized where my students know where materials are located and are easily accessible. I tend to have high expectations for my 4^th graders and work with them to be self-mangers and leaders within the classroom. In order for them to become that, it takes set procedures and expectations. I am known as the “sticky note” planner. I write all my plans on sticky notes, so that they are not “locked” in. You never know how a lesson is going to go. It may take two days, it may take another day to reteach and try and new approach. With my sticky notes, I am able to self-reflect and MOVE my day’s forwards or backwards depending on how each day went. I am the teacher that has the entire week and its materials planned and set in designated containers in case of emergencies and anyone could come in and find all materials and plans laid out.  Another strength I feel that I have is building a safe, positive, learning environment. I have had many peers tell me, “your class is like a family, and they all really love and care for each other. They support each other in their learning.” I always smile and think that this really does exist in my room. Each one of the classes I have had, we create this amazing bond. I am not really sure HOW I do it, but I am extremely proud that I am able to create that type of learning and supportive environment for my students. 

After reading the article “Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff” by Keith Heggart, I made a realization that I need to practice what I preach to my students. He states that “the crucial point for individuals is that these mindsets have a large impact upon our understanding of success and failure. Fixed mindset people dread failure, feeling that it reflects badly upon themselves as individuals, while growth mindset people instead embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and improve their abilities” (Heggart, 2016) I am always telling my kids to take their mistakes and learn from them. That it is okay to make them because we learn so much more and become stronger learners. Just as James Morehead states “That struggling means you’re committed to something and are willing to work hard” (Morehead, 2012). I have really had to embrace that growth mindset as a teacher-student within this Teacher Leadership program and in the work environment. However, my experience with my past principal of 3 years, my team members at work, and my classmates with this program, have really put my fears to rest. That there is a correct way to deliver and receive feedback.

I personally love the section of ‘Errors need to be welcomed” in the Hattie text. I think that it is so ingrained in students that it is bad to make mistakes. That if they make an error, they will be viewed as stupid or incapable of completing tasks. It is important for us as educators to relay the message that errors are opportunities for further learning, and should not be seen as embarrassments, signs of failure, or something to be avoided-so they don’t participate (139). Which goes back to previous chapter readings of, creating a learning environment where it is safe. A place where students are respected and know they can trust their peers. Hattie informs us, that we need to consider the ‘nature and dosage’ of feedback. He states that “…it is more effective when provided in incremental steps…So often, feedback is dished out in long screed, encompassing so many different ideas and prompts, and this allowing the receiver to be selective or to miss the priorities, and possibly leading him or her to become more confused. Feedback needs to be focused, specific, and clear” (151). There is an importance of delivery, in which we need to teach our students to value and appreciate the feedback they receive, such as taking it as a new goal or challenge to complete, not as a criticism towards them as a person, something that I had to learn very recently myself and have become much stronger with.

Some challenges I have as a teacher is during some lessons following Gradual Release of Responsibility. Math is an area that I feared and “struggled” with as a student growing up. I had one teacher that instilled that fear and it has followed me up to my profession, where I sometime fear teaching math. Hoping that the strategies and skills I am teaching are reaching my students. So with GRR, I struggle with the “you do.” I have a hard time letting them go…knowing that they seem to be getting it with me. However, I am learning that letting them work together and on their own, is the time to gather evidence and data to guide further instruction for all or some students. I also feel that I struggle with differentiation with the wide span of learners that I have. I have to figure out how to offer the best support for my students who are new to America and just learning English to challenging my student who is at a 6^th grade reading and math level. Really setting those differentiated supports in place.

Reading about past challenges I have definitely gotten a lot better with these. It has taken a lot of work, but I have definitely allowed my students to take on a lot more responsibilities. My room has become a lot more student directed than me constantly directing them. During my time with this program I have had the opportunity to work with two student teachers, which allowed me to be very reflective in my own practice, as well as, guide someone in learning/discovering their own teaching practice. I have learned so much with working with the team of them, bringing fresh ideas to the table and their approach to certain lessons. It was such a privilege to be a part of their learning as teachers.

I have also learned so much with working with the members of this cohort. The opportunities to work together, discuss, provide feedback, really lent a hand in me growing as a person who is okay to share thoughts and ideas, and also receive constructive feedback. With working with many people from different districts, schools, grade levels, I was able to gain so much insight! This upcoming school year I am taking a step out of my comfort zone and teaching a different grade. I am looping with my current 4th grade class up to 5^th grade. Joining a new team and learning new curriculum is going to be a lot of fun. I am going to continue my work with the district implementation guide committee with our curriculum and I also have been asked to be my building ELA Coach with the curriculum. Lots of new and fun opportunities await as I wrap up this chapter and begin the next!  

References:

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on
learning: London: Rouledge

Heggart, K.
(2015, February 03). Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff. EduTopia. Retrieved December 4, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/developing-growth-mindset-teachers-and-staff.

Hilty

Morehead, J.
(2012, June 19). Stanford University’s Carol Dweck on the Growth Mindset and Education. One Dublin. Retrieved from https://onedublin.org/2012/06/19/stanford-universitys-carol-dweck-on-the-growth-mindset-and-education/.

Ogawa, R. T., & Bossert, S. T. (1995).
Leadership as an Organizational Quality. Educational Administration Quarterly,31(2), 224-243.

Artifacts:

Synthesizing Elementsof Accomplished Teaching 

Math 2.11 Video

Teacher Leadership: Standard 1

Standard 1: Model ethical and moral behavior

Last summer with taking the Moral and Theological Issues in Education was really an eye opening experience. We read a variety of different texts that talk about the struggles and issues we have within our classrooms with having discussions about what is happening in the world, religion, what our students believe and why. The first text we read was “The Charged Classroom: Predicaments and Possibilities for Democratic Teaching” by Judith L. Pace brings forward the many issues that teachers face in today’s classroom to help prepare their students to become “citizens in a multicultural democracy.” 

Pace talks about Discussion of Provocative Topics in one of her chapters. I found this chapter very interesting since the part of the 5D evaluation for teachers is providing ways for students to talk. It is said that discussion allows for students to generate deeper thoughts and better understanding as they participate. The problem, however lies with the topics of discussion within diverse classrooms. Once the discussion begins, the direction it goes is unpredictable, which is where how teachers set up discussion discourse is crucial. “Conflicts present the potential for meaningful exploration of ideas, yet complicate talk, trigger anxiety, and tax teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge, and improvisational abilities” (Pace, 48). The classroom examples she gave were very relatable. The constant battle of providing a safe environment for students to voice their concern, opinions, but also keeping the discussion appropriate. As a 4th grade teacher, my students exhibit many curiosities and wish to talk about topics happening in the world. It is quite challenging sometimes to facilitate dialog, that allows it to be teacher facilitated and student directed. Allowing students to question each other. I know that I have had to watch how much a step in, guide/lead discussion. I have had to have moments where I knew I needed to step off my podium and allow more student voice. I found one of the vignettes really eye opening. It was the one with Mr. Clark. Even though he had his students engaged in the discussion, it was not a productive use of time. They were swaying away from the focus of the class/topic. I think it takes a lot of time and preparation for teachers and students to learn how to balance both. To be able to have productive AND engaging conversations where students feel safe in sharing their opinions and concerns. It is quite the balancing act from the teacher to be able to facilitate these conversations and provide feedback.

We also read Jennifer Hauver James’ book Religion in the Classroom, touched on various topics that we as educators have constantly questioned and wanted to know more about. Similar to Paces' book, James' book began by letting the reader know they were not alone with the hardship of what to do when the topic of religion arises within the classroom. She ends the chapter with a quote that sets up the rest of the text: “We study who we are---to know ourselves better---in hopes to become fully human” (James, 4). In chapter 2, she brings up an idea that really resonated with me. When she introduces Civic Mindfulness along with two overarching ideas: Mutuality-“my right to speak my mind, or to practice a religion of my choosing, depends on the right of others to do the same” (James, 6) and Strong Internal Foundation- “general agreement exists about the importance of a strong internal foundation for engaging respectfully, responsibly, and in ways that honor ourselves and others within the larger world. A diminished sense of self, in fact, can get in the way of our willingness to participate in spaces where others are likely to disagree or challenge our ideas. If I know and trust myself, I am more likely to engage with others inhibited by fear and insecurity “(James, 8). The area of Strong Internal Foundations is an area while growing up that I personally struggled with. I think with reading the Charged Classroom before this, I was able to start thinking about how we can create classrooms where democratic learning takes place. Posing questions, problems, and asking for a response or solutions. Creating a space for dialogue to take place. “…the best way to reach greater understanding was not talking, but really listening…conversations shifting away from telling and toward asking” (James, 3).

I love the following line that was at the end of the text when James says, “the work begins with dialogue” (James, 93). The problems that we have always had with the topic of religion is as educators we were really unsure what we could do or say, and that we did not want to isolate our students within our four walls and then have to deal with parents in the aftermath. Religion is ever present in our classrooms and cannot be constantly swept underneath the rug and avoided—by doing that, we not allowing our students to be recognized and establish that Strong Internal Foundation. Selma Wasserman in her article "Effective Classroom Discussions" brings up the importance of listening to our students and what they have to say. She begins her article with the following statement " On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer that teachers should listen to what students say. But in the real world of the classroom, with its many pressures and demands on a teacher's time, it can be difficult to pay full attention." Other authors in the text, Simone and Kim encourage us to talk to each other. In reading Barton’s chapter, I think really changed my mindset about inquiring about other religions. I appreciated how he brought up how IF we think that we already know what members of another religion believe and stand for, we will have no motivation to listen to them or try to make sense of their standings.

On page 92, James provides a few teacher responses about why the avoided speaking or talking about religion in their classrooms. The one that really stood out to me was Jays response when he said “There are so many religions out there…. So what happens if you have a Muslim student in your class, or what happens if a couple Jewish kids ya know walk in, it’s like I don’t know about their religions. I try to, best I can, but I can’t necessarily give toy every bit of information about all the religions out there cause there is so many…I’d run into myself having to look stuff up. And I’d worry, ‘Did I just give the wrong information? Did I just lie to them?’” (James, 92). I think after reading what Barton has to say in his chapter, is that we do not have to pretend to be experts. We do not need to pretend that we know everything about every religion. That we just need to inquire. The biggest theme and idea that I took away from this book, is that in order to learn more and gain understanding is to ask questions and listen. That as educators we need to provide opportunities for our students to learn about each other’s’ differences. “Without opportunities to lean democratic living, students have few tools with which to navigate encounters with difference” (93). This idea really connects with what we read in with the Charged Classroom is allowing students to have discussions where we as teachers are not jumping in constantly trying to squash it in fears of the outcome. After reading Chapter 3, in this text it definitely gave me more of an understanding on what I can say and do within my classroom. My 4th graders are curious about other people and the world around them, and religion does come up. “What is important is that we are teaching about religion and doing so in a balanced way. What is not constitutional is preaching or proselytizing by teachers” (James, 19). I think my next steps in upcoming years is to give students opportunity to inquire, research, to find out more about religions and other topics/beliefs than their own.In order to do that, I need tp provide good parameters for this to happen. Todd Finely brought up the point that "Many learners need to be taught how to engage in an academic dialogue -- particularly ELL/ESL students.[It helps to] provide conversation stems on a poster board or notecards" which is something that I already do within my classroom. 

References: 

Finely, T. (2013, June 24). Rethinking Whole Class Discussion. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/rethinking-whole-class-discussion-todd-finleyJames, J. H. (2015). Religion in the classroom: Dilemmas for democratic education.

Pace, J. L. (2015). The charged classroom: Predicaments and possibilities for democratic teaching. New York, NY: Routledge.

Wasserman, S. (2010). Effective Classroom Discussions. Educational Leadership,67(5).


Artifacts: 

Moral Framework

Culminating Questions 

Social Justice Issue

There are social justice issues within the very structure of our educational system—the size of the school, the number of students in each classroom, the demographics and the city boundaries that created the student population. Working in the Mukilteo School District, there is a clear divide in the district the West side has the money and better test scores while the East side has the poor, and gang invested schools. I think within each state throughout the United States, people know where to find the good schools and the bad. Almost always, it is the neighborhood socioeconomic status that determines the quality of the school, and moving from a bad school to a good one is usually prohibited or prohibitively difficult.  Stephen Windes points our the following in his post: "The educational track onto which students might be placed on at an early age is an experiment in social injustice. Should the smart and motivated kids share space with the uncaring goofs of the school? Where do the labels come from and how do we identify them? Are the labels themselves destructive? Who is provided special education services, and why? Every choice we make is informed by our culture and society, and so every choice becomes dangerous."

Having to reflect and think back, I really feel that I had a lot of supportive teachers throughout my schooling career, that truly cared about my success. That I really could never pinpoint a time where I have truly felt excluded in a learning process. But, I know that in my current teaching environment, my students come to school facing many personal battles that sometimes play a role in terms of “access.” I work at a Title 1 school where over 90 percent of our school’s population is free and reduced lunch and over 60% of our students are English Language learners. Really looking at Horizon and where it is located, our kids have many factors that impede access. Horizon is located in a gang infested area---School to Prison is a real thing in the community I teach in. I have students whose parents may be in jail, or a brother who is in a gang who has been arrested before. With these events happening in my kiddos lives, they sometimes bring it with them to school and act out, because they have no idea how to process these things. Family members being arrested, families facing high poverty situations (trying to find food or a home/place to sleep) and language barriers. In one of my classes, a lecture ended with a quote that I really took to heart, that our goal as educators is to “prepare children, rich or poor, to seize the day.” This has really become my foundation to try and conquer this social injustice of poor kids being unable to become something of importance-where my leadership is really starting to come out within our building and working on teams and committees to try and find the best practices/competence to teach our students in these situations to be successful. 

I think knowing the harsh living situations that my students come from and face, really has made me zone in and focus on, how can I provide an environment that is best for them? An environment that meets both their personal and academic needs? I pride myself in creating an environment with my kids that we are family. That our classroom is another “home” for them to come to and feel safe. I love how over the year they become each others’ support systems in many ways-academically and emotionally. Another concept I have taken from this lecture is the power of caring and that “tough love.” I know that my students struggle in many areas academically. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have high expectations and set goals for them to reach. I am always reminding myself AND them, that it is so important to come to school each day, work hard, and make mistakes. Making those mistakes is proof that you are trying and putting in the effort in class. I loved the phrasing of teachers being “bridge builders.” In my class, I have set in place strategies for my kids to make contributions-allowing more think time and the heads together strategy. They use the members of their groups as supports to vocalize thoughts, they are never pinpointed or called out. They know that they can “phone a friend” for support. I love to provide ways to for them to explore curiosities and creativity-we recently were able to take a field trip (free by the way, thanks to the 4th Graders in the Park Program) to Verlot for a snowshoeing field trip. A lot of these kids have never explored further then the street they live on. It was such a joy to see them experience the “outside” world.

As stated on most of our syllabi for this program, we know that the mission of SPU is to Engage the Culture and Change the World. That the Four Commitments in the School of Education are: 1- A Commitment to Service, A Commitment to Leadership, A Commitment to Competence, A Commitment to Character. I believe this program with many of its classes with the numerous texts that we read, has allowed me to be very reflective about my students and what I try to do in my room to “bridge” gaps.  It is so important for me to see the needs of my kids both personally and academically to provide ways for them to be successful. Each of them has a different need, some have more needs than others, but the important thing is for me to be aware and provide those supports to EVERY student. I think that Norman Wirzba's book, the Way of Love, we read for one of our courses, really connects with how we can connect with God's love for us, and how we each are blessed with many gifts throughout our lives that can empower us in our careers and connections with people we encounter. Really responding to our Commitment of Service, Leadership and Character. 

Wirzba in his book “Way of Love” describes the love of God as undefinable and unfathomable. He says that “if love is unfathomable, that means it can’t be measured by us. We simply can’t get our arms around it or reduce it to a size we can grasp. That is a supremely good thing, because it means that love isn’t shallow” (39). As many others have already talked about, Wirzba’s book is described as a “map” of 4 things that are to help guide us and begin to understand the concept of love-those 4 posts being Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Hope. In his first section of Creation, Wirzba does a wonderful job of comparing the concept of love to a garden. That in order for a garden to be successful, it has to have certain components and needs met. “Gardens are places where we face the fundamental character of our lives: our need for nurture, beauty, companionship, and good work. Gardens give us unique access to the lay of the land that is our life and world” (61). The most important task of the garden is to get people involved in each other’s’ lives, so they can see the areas of need and then invite the love of God to take root. However, going into the second post of the map of love, is the Fall. This is where love falls apart. Wirzba states that “people fail to love not only because they are too wrapped up in their own ambition; sometimes they fail to love because they are consumed by their own fear, insecurity and worry” (97). They are unable to receive love and help from others as well as offer it, because they are trapped or locked within their own personal pain. Which leads into the third post of Redemption and healing. Wirzba goes on to tell the story of a colleague named Mark and his battle with cancer. He tells the story of the man and his family moving to a new town to “start a new life.” However, when cancer struck his body hard, he and his family were unable to fathom how they were going to juggle all of life’s needs. That’s when he and his family see a community they barely knew rally for them. They offered help, compassion, love and support- gifts from God.  1 John 3:14- we know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. The author goes on to explain that “a person cannot be healthy alone. As we have already seen, to live as a creature is to live through the nurture that others provide” (159). And in the final chapter, we talk about Hope and the destination to heaven. “Heaven and hope go together, because heaven is the assurance that God does not abandon the world, but is committed to healing all its wounds. Heaven is forever desirable, because it is the place and time in which the love of God is fully and freely at work in all creatures” (201). This chapter explained how the idea of heaven by most is a place somewhere up and beyond the clouds to soon escape to. A place that will create the divide between the saved and the damned. That it is important for us on earth and through our life right now, to create as much of the thought of heaven in the here and now.

Reading these types of books, I feel can be very powerful, depending on the season you are in. I grew up in the church and actively participated in in the churches outreach programs. I attended Saint Martin’s University for my undergrad and now SPU for my masters. I have always had the Christian faith intertwined into my life somehow. However, through life I have had seasons where I have gotten angry with God and the church. I have lost faith and hope quite a few times through my life time. When I first started reading this book it was extremely difficult for me to get into it. It wasn’t until I got to the section that Wirzba talks about Redemption and healing. The line that stuck out to me in the entire book was on page 146: “recall that when hearts are wounded or sick, people tend to turn away from others and then inward as a coping strategy. Protective walls are built to keep the pain away. Healing, however, is the reverse movement; it is the action that opens people to others, the world, and life’s possibilities.” I am a professional wall builder. I have been hurt many times by people that I have helped and guideded through many of their hardships. But it always seems at some point, I get dropped and left very hurt. However, I think I finally saw and witnessed this “way of love” that Wirzba described from my school community and I finally was able to let my walls down to receive the love and support from my school “garden.”

I work at a school where our kids are raised in low income families and our school is located in a gang invested neighborhood. So, the mindset to support and protect my students is always my biggest goal. The 2015-2016 school year, my second year of teaching, was the hardest year of my teaching career. In my classroom, I create a family environment full of love and support. My class that year became extremely close to each other and where very loving towards each other and myself as their teacher.  June of 2016, a week before school let out for the summer, I got a phone call from our administrative assistant that one of my students had drowned in one of the community apartment pools. That he was pulled out and was rushed to Children’s Hospital. I had to break the news to my class that their classmate drowned and may not make it. It was a long 4 days of hoping and praying that our family member would pull through. Unfortunately, he passed away Sunday June 12th. I had to tell them that we lost one of our own, and we still had to be strong and able to make it through the last 3 days of school. I felt numb inside, and angry that God would take away one of my 9-year-old babies. But knew I had to be there for my students. We would talk walks out on the field to get air when we got too emotional in the classroom, and watching my 4th graders cry and hold each other up as we walked around was a heartwarming moment. They were there for each other. They didn’t mind the tears. They wanted to help each other be strong. They were each other’s listening ears. Sometimes they just wanted to sit next to one another and not say anything. I needed to take a lesson from them and let my walls down for my friends too. My coworkers outpouring of love for me was such a blessing. They fed my hunger. They cared and nurtured for me-through words and actions. Again, as Wirzba said “a person cannot be healthy alone. As we have already seen, to live as a creature is to live through the nurture that others provide” (159).

With my students living in the community they do, and coming from the families they do, my main job is to provide love and nurture them. They are my garden that I tend to. I know that this is what The Lord has called me to do. Just as people in my life have loved and nurtured me into my successes.  I KNOW I work at the hardest school in my district. Our test scores are not the highest, but these are the students that I believe need me most. People continue to ask me; don’t you want to go to a school where you have kids that actually “get things?” My answer always is the same: that may be nice, but I get to see my kids grow academically throughout the year. They come to me reading and a math ability of a 1st grader, but I get them to a high 3rd grade or 4th grade by the time they walk out my door. It may not show on the SBA, but I see it in their classwork and attitudes themselves. I believe that trying to change the outlook of being on either the "good" or "bad" side of district needs to change. Our districts mission is to "help prepare our community's children to be successful, contributing members of the community." We cannot have that mission be achieved is a few of our schools do not have access or funding to the same materials, supplies, and training as the other schools in our district. It not only makes the teachers at these buildings feel terrible, but it also effects the students we teach. Horizon staff has made these unfair situations known to the school board and have received a lot of pushback, because we do not tend to have the "voters" or the "pockets of support" but I do not believe that is going to stop our work in fighting for what is best for our students. They deserve the same materials and support that other students do in order to become a successful person in society and community, no matter what their background and upbringing may be.   

Resources: 

Windes, S. (2016, September 17). Social Justice Issues in Education. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-examples-of-social-justice-issues-in-education

Wirzba, N. (2013). Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity.

Teacher Leadership: Standard 12

Standard 12: Evaluate and use technology for teaching and learning

Course: EDTC6433-ISTE3 Resolution Reflections


For this standard reflection, I went back and used two of my ISTE standard reflections that I took away the most from. I focused mostly on ISTE Standards 3 & 4. Teaching with Technology was a class that I initially learned a lot from. I am not a big "techy" person, so seeing what is available for teachers to help teach students and support students was really beneficial for me.

ISTE Standard 3: 

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a.             Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

b.            Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

c.             Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

My Question: What digital tools are available to educators to communicate grades, ideas, and other important information with their students, parents, and local community to support student’s success?

Growing up through the time where technology continues to make new developments, makes it extremely difficult to keep up and catch on to all the “newness.” I also think that because I am one of the youngest on my team at work, they expect me to be more tech savvy, which is not always the case. However, this class and with research, I have definitely come across and become more aware of what is available to create new learning situations for my students, colleagues and find ways to get parents involved, which is all what ISTE3 is about.

I approach working at Horizon Elementary with a mindset that this school and these kids are my mission field. It is not the easiest at times. As I have mentioned in posts before, I work in an area of high needs kids. They come from families that are not always involved or want to be involved with their child and school. In an article that a fellow cohort member posted states how parent involvement in school correlates with student success. It is said that “Students who have parents who are actively involved in their education have higher grades, test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, graduate high school, and go on to post-secondary school” (Olmstead, 2013). Knowing how important parent involvement is, set forth my question of: What digital tools are available to educators to communicate grades, ideas, and other important information with their students, parents, and local community to support student’s success? Katie Adams, posted an article that I really enjoyed. In the article “Using Technology to Increase ParentInvolvement in Schools” brought up a point that really made me think of how to address parent involvement. Olmstead refers to parent involvement in two ways-reactive or proactive. “Reactive involvement in schooling includes activities such as attending meetings, family activities, or volunteering. Proactive involvement in children’s learning includes activities such as helping with homework, staying informed about school events, and following a child’s progress.” From that list, we would want parents to try and do all those things, but unfortunately there are situations where parents either cannot or wont. Continue to read the article, it brought up the point the convenience to access materials.

Through my research, I found an article ( 7 Free Apps for Keeping Parents and Teachers Connected) that introduced 7 phones apps that allowed parents to stay in the loop with their child’s teacher using their cellphone or tablets. The one app that I feel would be best is the Teacher App & Gradebook by Acedemically InformED. This particular FREE app offers a lot to parents who wish to use it to stay informed. This app offers access to grades, messaging, interactive class calendar, attendance records, a way to send assignments, and assignment grades and notes. I feel that this app offers a lot and is a great resource for parents that is literally in the palm of their hand. The other app, which I am looking into implementing in my classroom soon, is the Remind app. Horizon caters to a high foreign language community, Spanish, being the most popular. This app sends messages straight to parents phones AND has the ability to translate messages into 70 different languages. We often send home notes that are translated, but the odds of that paper getting from a child’s homework folder into the hands of their parent or guardian is slim, compared to the instant message sent directly their phone. Remind has the ability to send to a single person or to a group, and you can tell who is receiving them.

All in all, I feel that my question has definitely been answered. There are MANY different ways using technology that can get parents involved with their child’s classroom. I also really enjoyed Vanessa Oh’s resource of "SocialMedia for School Leaders : A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Most Out ofFacebook, Twitter, and Other Essential Web Tools" offers a TON of insight as well. This book gave so many different ideas of how to use different technology formats to communicate and for students to display work-each chapter giving the benefits, best practices, and how to use.

ISTE for Teachers Standard 4 - Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. 

a.       Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources 

b.       Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources 

c.        Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information 

d.       Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age communication and collaboration tool

Question: How can I teach/model to my 4th grade English Language Learners safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology?

Resource:  Technology Safety for English Language Learners (Links to an external site.)

Summary: 

On this website there is a variety of different resources for teachers and parents to access to help teach and support students with internet safety. The biggest challenge for my class is, that a majority of my students and their families speak different languages other than English. This website provides many different Medias and resources for other languages. I really like NetSmartz Workshop which provides videos, games, activities cards and presentations for teachers and parents to use, and the website is available in Spanish, which will cater to a majority of my student’s families. I also really like iKeepSafe which offers videos in Spanish and Arabic-languages that are a part of my class makeup this year.

Reflection:

The biggest challenge that I face with integrating technology into my classroom is finding the time to explicitly teach internet safety and how to cite sources when we research information for class projects. My students are of that age where they now own cellphones, have iPads, tablets, and access to video and computer games that connect them to other users all over the world. One of the articles that I really enjoyed reading was found by Conrado Julian, who is part of my learning circle. The article is titled “The Strategy for Digital Citizenship: Children in a Digital World.” What I really loved about this article is that it really hit upon the ideas that educators tend to overlook. That technology can be integrated into everyday lessons. The source states “In a school that prides itself on academic excellence and character development, digital citizenship needs to be woven throughout all core curricular areas. It needs to be relevant to students’ lives and integrated into their everyday learning and living” (Orth, 2013). As teachers, it is part of our job to make whatever we are learning in class, in any subject area, relevant to real world application and purpose. I have never really thought I integrating technology into a lot of my core subject areas, but can see how important it can be. I just wish that we had more resources here at our school to be able to do technology integration smoothly. Normally when we do so, to get students logged on, into the system or application we are using, it takes a lot away from instruction time. But I am definitely more aware and thinking more about how I can integrate to teach my students how to cite their sources during research, what is a reliable source, how to perform safe searches as we enter into informational writing. 

Another idea that I really liked about this article is having that school-home/parent connection. For instance in the source, it says “alignment between school and home with regards to digital citizenship and healthy digital usage is a hallmark of a 21^st century school. A community-wide understanding on norms, rules of engagement, and common practices is necessary for all schools in order to raise an ethical, digital (and real-life) citizen” (Orth, 2013). My school has really jumped on board with a lot of ideas to try and get parents more involved. Just after researching for ISTE3, our school is now jumping on board with getting the Remind App for school-parent communication. We as educators know how much parents really rely on us to help their students, this article fully supports that idea. At Horizon, we already have a group of parents, Parent Net, that connect with our Spanish speaking families to help close the gap. With information from this article, it would be nice to add that technology safety and cyber bullying component to their group conversation.

Another resource that I found that will be very helpful for my English learning kids is the resource that another fellow learning circle mate, Vanessa Oh found titled 13 Apps and Games for Internet Safety Awareness. With English Language Learners, we are told that having visuals-such as drawing, sketches, and videos are great tools to help them understand concepts. These applications provide a way for students to visually see and participate in learning internet safety. An example of one of the games is below:  Carengie Cadets: MySecureCyberspace Game Demo 

After all the research I believe that my question has been answered. In order for my students to learn safe, legal and ethical technology practices, they must be integrated throughout core instruction and taught explicitly. As teachers, we cannot come to the conclusion that since our students have access to these gadgets that they know the proper ways to use them. We also need to help bridge the gap between home and school life. At Horizon, we constantly talk about how our PBIS behavior system can be transferred to home use, technology safety, is another thing we need to think about linking as well. With my question also being directed towards ELL students that falls on how to approach the instruction of technology safety. When I teach these concepts, I have to have a lot of vocabulary practice and visual representation, which most of these resources found through research have provided.  These websites have given fun, hands on ways for our students to learn important concepts. 

Since taking this course, I have yet to really implement some of these new concepts that I wanted to dive into. The access to the tablets and technology for my students in such a large schools has made it difficult to do some of these things. I have had the opportunity this year to using a few translation apps on my phone to help communicate directions and even responses from my two Ukrainian girls. With having a high population of English Leaners, I have always relied heavily on my students who are fluent in both languages to help me translate, however this year, I had two girls who just moved her from the Ukraine and no one to translate for me! Having an app on my phone, helped break down that barrier a little than just shoving English at them and hoping for the best. I also explicitly taught a few online safety lessons with my students this year. It seemed really appropriate as my students are accessing technology more and more over the years.  We really had to have the discussion of talking to strangers on Xbox and Youtube users. I have come to realize my 9 and 10 year olds are becoming very advanced in their uses for technology, but the thoughts of keeping safe really didn't register for them. 

References:

C. (n.d.). Technology Safety for English Language Learners. Retrieved November 10, 2016, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-ells/technology-safety-english-language-learners

Dixon, B. (2012). Social Media for School Leaders : A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Most Out of Facebook, Twitter, and Other Essential Web Tools. Retrieved November 5, 2016.

G. (n.d.). 13 Apps and Games for Internet Safety Awareness. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/13-apps-games-internet-safety-awareness 

McCrea, B. (2013, June 11). 7 free apps for keeping parents and teachers connected. THE Journal. Retrieved from https://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/06/11/7-Free-Apps-for-Keeping-Parents-and-Teachers-Connected.aspx?Page=1

Olmstead, C. (2013). Using technology to increase parent involvement in schools. TechTrends, 57(6), 28-37. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eft&AN=91587612&site=ehost-live

Orth, D., & Chen, E. (2013). The Strategy for Digital Citizenship: Children in a Digital World. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.nais.org/Magazines-Newsletters/ISMagazine/Pages/The-Strategy-for-Digital-Citizenship.aspx

Artifacts: 
Digital Citizenship Poster
Digital Storytelling Project