Blog Post 1

• Strengths
• Domain 1 (Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity) Performance Indicator A is definitely one of my strengths.  I think most teachers who are 'called' to teach feel like they have the inspired motivation and ability to reach students through their gifts.  Creative thinking and problem-solving is the basis of my lesson cycle each day.
• Domain 3 (Model digital age work and learning) Performance Indicator C.  Through experimentation and exploration, I have reached a comfort level with technology where I can present workshops, lead parent involvement activities, and share 'cool' techniques with peers via digital media.
• Weaknesses
• Domain 4 (Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility) Performance Indicator B is going to be a challenge for me in the setting in which I am presently employed.  Equitable access continues to be a challenge for a majority of our students whose only access to the web is at school or the public library.  Therefore flipped lessons, independent research, homework, parental guidance, exposure to internet/global settings are all limited in scope. 
• Domain 5 (Engage in professional growth and leadership) Domain C.  Time, energy, and resources are always limited for teachers to evaluate and reflect on research regarding emerging digital tools.  Often I find myself experimenting with something I 'ran across' instead of proactively searching for effective tools best suited to my purposes.
  

     Since I am a great teacher (no applause please!) and an inspired problem-solver, I can use these strengths to provide structure and purpose to share my knowledge and expertise with students and peers. 

     Our small district is just now able to provide 4th and 5th graders with mini-laptops.  So providing equitable access for this small population of the elementary school has quadrupled since.  However, I want to find ways to teach the parents how important it is to make home internet access available to their children so they can be participating members of the digital era.

     I truly believe 'there is nothing new under the sun' EXCEPT when it comes to technology and the internet!!  I borrow what I find (with appropriate and legal credit, of course) and share what I know.  I pick brains and websites.  I listen with all ears to teenagers, geeks, teachers, and students.  I take as many professional development workshops as I am able.  I enroll in instructional media courses at UNT.

     I am fascinated with the usefulness of wikis to replace facetime meetings.  I think they are more purposeful, efficient, and collaborative.  I want to learn all I can to persuade my teacher-team to use these for collaborative planning and communication prior to dumping meeting minutes into Eduphoria at the last minute.