Connected Learner

Coaches model the ISTE Standards for Students and the ISTE Standards for Educators, and identify ways to improve their coaching practice.

Click to View Standard 2 Indicators

2a. Pursue professional learning that deepens expertise in the ISTE Standards in order to serve as a model for educators and leaders.

2b. Actively participate in professional learning networks to enhance coaching practice and keep current with emerging technology and innovations in pedagogy and the learning sciences.

2c. Establish shared goals with educators, reflect on successes and continually improve coaching and teaching practice.

Artifact 1: Angles Drill & Practice: Game-Based Learning

IMPACT

The students had great feedback from this experience. They enjoyed the space theme and my teammate that led the class got major cool points. Although the content was a bit easy for the class, a major positive impact was that the student’s confidence around their angle content was boosted according to the increased scores from before the activity to post-activity. Educators in my group were then inspired to create a drill and practice game for their various grade levels and content areas based on the software prototype created.

REFLECTION

I enjoyed this project and all of the collaborative and creative elements. The process of being in communication with my team members on goals, reflection, and improvement (2c) as well as the process of creating the actual slides of the drill and practice was a great experience. My role was the media specialist which assigned me the task of designing and creating the actual product. This role played well to my task-oriented strengths. I believe that this piece of professional learning from my program deepens my expertise in the ISTE Standards to serve as a model for educators and leaders (2a). I plan to use it as an example of an innovative instructional practice.

INDICATORS

2a. Pursue professional learning that deepens expertise in the ISTE Standards in order to serve as a model for educators and leaders.

2c. Establish shared goals with educators, reflect on successes and continually improve coaching and teaching practice.

DESCRIPTION

The screenshot presented is the title slide from a drill and practice game that I created in collaboration with three other team members in my educational technology graduate program at California State University, Fullerton. Over the course of the project, my colleagues and I had meetings to establish goals, reflect on our progress, and communicate together (2c) to create a working prototype of a game that could be used by a member of our group’s 3rd-grade class. The project included a learner analysis, usability test, implementation, and learner survey.

IMPLEMENTATION

The drill and practice game was shared in a 3rd-grade classroom at the close of an angles unit for review. Some students were physically in the classroom with the teacher there for support and were given a link to the game via Google Classroom. Other students were in distance learning and used the game remotely via Zoom. After the success of the review drill and practice game it was sent out to the entire grade level. After sharing the game with the rest of our cohort, it was also adopted by another 3rd-grade teacher in our program.

Artifact 2: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Experience

IMPLEMENTATION

Participation in MOOCs is something that can allow me to achieve my goal of life-long learning and keep up to date with the latest in education and other interests I am passionate about. I plan to implement this knowledge of MOOCs by encouraging my educator colleagues to participate in topics they might be interested in as well as continue to find MOOCs that can help me stay current in my knowledge of pedagogical practices. Engaging in the modules through vignettes and following up with quizzes and discussion boards also gave me ideas on how to incorporate multiple learning strategies into my own teaching.

REFLECTION

The format of the MOOC itself is an interesting and innovative style of teaching and learning. Being an active participant allows me to think of ways I can enhance my coaching practice using this format and keep current with emerging technology and innovations in pedagogy and the learning sciences (2b).

INDICATORS

2b. Actively participate in professional learning networks to enhance coaching practice and keep current with emerging technology and innovations in pedagogy and the learning sciences.

DESCRIPTION

This video artifact is my presentation and reflection on my experience finding and participating in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Sifting through several websites to find a MOOC that would be engaging and beneficial to my career and mind was a challenging part of the process. Although I intended to engage in only one MOOC, I ended up engaging in two. I began with the fundamentals of neuroscience and then switched to one on early childhood development.

IMPACT

I am excited to share this experience and video reflection with my colleagues. I hope that my experience can inspire others to find their own source of learning opportunities. For myself, I’m planning to continue finding avenues such as MOOCs to expand my coaching skills, build professional learning networks, keep current with emerging technology and innovations in learning and teaching (2b).


Connected Learner Reflection

Being connected to my learning is something that I strive for as a life-long learner. Pursuing my Master’s degree at CSU Fullerton in Educational Technology and moving towards expertise in the ISTE Standards is one way I’m modeling this for my peers (2a). Finding ways to engage in continual personal learning such as taking MOOCs and connecting to experts via social media is how I plan to continue my learning networks and keep up with current educational technology trends (2b). Engaging with colleagues in conversations, sharing goals, and continuing a reflective practice will also help me continually improve my practice (2c).