6.2 Reflection
Candidates regularly evaluate and reflect on their professional practice and dispositions to improve and strengthen their ability to effectively model and facilitate technology-enhanced learning experiences. (PSC 6.2/ISTE 6c)
Candidates regularly evaluate and reflect on their professional practice and dispositions to improve and strengthen their ability to effectively model and facilitate technology-enhanced learning experiences. (PSC 6.2/ISTE 6c)
Reflection
This is a blog post that I wrote on my blog (a previous educational technology blog I began before entering the KSU program, not the KSU-required blog) about the power of connecting online with fellow educators. In the post, I reflect on my own experiences with connecting online and outline several reasons that other educators should connect with others, both face-to-face and online, to enhance their own professional development and improve outcomes for their students.
Through writing this post and others, I learned that reflecting on my own practice and receiving feedback from others on my reflections helps me to grow as an educator. Through discussing my upcoming professional learning plans in a written format, I was inspired to improve them and make them more engaging for participants. I also shared the blog online and invited comments. Through this discussion I modeled for others the power of reflection and being connected online.
Writing a blog is a time-consuming process, and I found that I was unable to continue the time commitment of writing weekly posts. This taught me that prioritizing my time is very important, and any work-related commitments outside of my normal work hours can have a negative impact on my family. I also learned that creating and sharing with others is both an exhilarating and scary process. If I were to begin a blog again, I would set a more modest goal of a monthly post to help ensure that I was able to handle the time commitment.
When I began the blog, I regularly shared my posts with teachers at my school and with other teachers in our district. They began to comment on my posts and I found that my blog topics were often good conversation starters. Although I encouraged other teachers at my school to begin their own blogs, none took me up on the offer. But I know my work impacted the work of my school, because I began to see strategies I advocated for in my blog posts (connecting online, student blogging, student creativity) in the classrooms of other teachers at my school.
Through writing this post and others, I learned that reflecting on my own practice and receiving feedback from others on my reflections helps me to grow as an educator. Through discussing my upcoming professional learning plans in a written format, I was inspired to improve them and make them more engaging for participants. I also shared the blog online and invited comments. Through this discussion I modeled for others the power of reflection and being connected online.
Writing a blog is a time-consuming process, and I found that I was unable to continue the time commitment of writing weekly posts. This taught me that prioritizing my time is very important, and any work-related commitments outside of my normal work hours can have a negative impact on my family. I also learned that creating and sharing with others is both an exhilarating and scary process. If I were to begin a blog again, I would set a more modest goal of a monthly post to help ensure that I was able to handle the time commitment.
When I began the blog, I regularly shared my posts with teachers at my school and with other teachers in our district. They began to comment on my posts and I found that my blog topics were often good conversation starters. Although I encouraged other teachers at my school to begin their own blogs, none took me up on the offer. But I know my work impacted the work of my school, because I began to see strategies I advocated for in my blog posts (connecting online, student blogging, student creativity) in the classrooms of other teachers at my school.