I am over the moon excited when I share that on August 21st I began my final course with Nova Southeastern University where I am a doctoral student in the Instructional Technology and Distance Education (ITDE) program. Straying a bit from the prompt we decided on as a group (self-care) I thought I would should share what takes up my time and doesn't allow for much self-care :) BUT is oh so interesting if I do say so myself! The following are excerpts from my dissertation:
Generation Alpha Demographers and social scientists studying populations and the human society have coined the most recent generation of children entering preschool and kindergarten as Generation Alpha (Culala, 2016). These children are following Generation Z and while Generation Z make up about 30% of the global population, Generation Alpha children making their entrance into the world in 2010, are increasing nearly 2.5 million every week (Culala, 2016 & McCrindle 2018). As the most technologically literate group of children enter the classroom it is necessary to look at current educational practices and consider “the skills, competencies, values needed on the future global age, and how generation alpha should be prepared, scholastically” (Culala, 2016). Speaker, author, and educator, Marc Prensky (2001) stated, “Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach” (p. 1). Bloggers Zmuda, Alcock, and Fisher (2017) shared what matters now is that educators “focus on skills, not content” as students have access to content using online platforms nearly everywhere and all the time. “Provide learning with flexibility and a greater purpose” so that students can show what they know and are able to do in innovative and creative ways. “Plan for collaboration” through avenues such as virtual connections, gaming, and digital interactions. Finally educators should “cultivate soft skills” among students in Generation Alpha (Solution Tree Blog, So What Matters Now). A survey conducted in 2013 by The Harris Poll, revealed 92% of teachers believe technology should be used in the classroom but only 14% are actually integrating technology in their curriculum (Culala, 2016). In a report issued by the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) (2016) it was stated, “School districts have an obligation to provide equitable access to technology in order to close the digital divide and reduce barriers for students while also preparing them for the digital complexities of the future” (p. 22). In addition to access, the U.S. DOE issued the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) which states are held accountable and include over 100 references to technology expectations in today’s learning environments. Instructional Practice Inventory - Technology (IPI-T) In an effort to provide access to technology and prepare students for the “digital complexities of the future”, school board members in a small, rural community in Southern Iowa recently spent $225,000 to purchase Chromebook and iPads. In addition administration sent myself and a team of teachers to a workshop to be trained in the Instructional Practices Inventory – Technology (IPI-T) process. The IPI-T process was piloted during the 2017-18 school year after purchasing $100,000 in Chromebooks. The school board and administration was interested in determining if students were using the devices as well as if they were cognitively engaged when using technology. Data collected using the IPI-T process suggested teachers were typically the users of the technology, students were often disengaged, and teachers were asking students to participate in lower-order surface activities. Upon reflection the team recognized that the IPI-T data collecting process was not being implemented with fidelity. Missing from the process was the implementation of the faculty collaborative sessions. Faculty Collaborative Sessions I am so excited to say that Dr. Valentine is coming to visit our school district to train the team so that we can implement the entire process with fidelity! The collaborative sessions provide faculty with time to study the data after each data collection, engage faculty in reflecting about the data, create collaborative learning experiences to build new knowledge, and allows faculty voice in establishing annual cognitive engagement goals. Stay tuned! More to come!
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Prior to accepting the position at Iowa Public Television as a teacher ambassador/technology integration coach, I taught life sciences for 9 years at Albia High School and I served as the Leader for the Professional Learning Team for the 7-12 science department. I was born and raised in Albia, graduated from Albia many years ago and said “I can’t wait to leave this town” only to find myself 20 years later, saying “I can’t wait to move back to Albia” . Prior to returning to Albia in 2008 I taught 7 years as a science teacher within the Maquoketa School District. As a non-traditional student I was a para-professional for many years in the Clinton School District.
While working as a para-professional I enrolled in evening courses to earn my AA at Clinton Community College. After earning my AA I enrolled full-time in the Education program at Mount. St. Clare College. In 2007 I graduated from Drake University with a Master’s of Science Degree with a concentration in curriculum and instruction. I have entered my final year at Nova Southeastern University with the hope that I will have completed my dissertation this upcoming fall, earning an EdD in Instructional Technology and Distance Education. I am also an adjunct at William Penn University where I teach various science method courses and media methods. It was because of my interest in educational technology integration that I began exploring other employment options outside of Life Sciences and my home town of Albia. The search proved to be challenging! Then one evening I received a text message from the technology integrationist for Albia School District. She asked me to meet her before school the next day. She shared with me Iowa Public Television's website and the opening for the Teacher Ambassador position. While I was super excited to say the least, the application was due to expire the next day! Within days I received an email from my present day Education Director asking me many questions such as, "You know this is in Centerville, correct!?" To which I replied, "Yes...I live 20 minutes north, just down Highway 5." The position seemed perfect and too good to be true! Within days I had received an interview and I couldn't have been more thrilled! After the interview I spoke with my friend and told her, "If I don't get this position I think I will die!!!" As I am typing this I realize it was is nearly a year ago to the date I was offered and accepted the position as IPTV's Teacher Ambassador, known as the Technology Integration Coach with Centerville School district. I have the fortunate opportunity to be embedded in the district and on most days feel as though I am a Centerville employee. I have the best of both worlds! As an employee of IPTV I have access to invaluable people and resources AND in Centerville I get to work with amazing teachers and their students...without the headache of grading 100+ labs write-ups and contacting parents :) |
AuthorPBS/IPTV Teacher Ambassador/Technology Integration Coach ArchivesCategories |