Educational Philosophy
Learning is a life-long process. Learning how to "learn" allows an individual to constantly grow and develop in his or her life time. To understand that there's no "ceiling" or limit to acquiring knowledge means that one can continue to expand their knowledge base regardless of age, socio-economic background, race, or cultural history. It should be the educator's top priority to see to it that every student has the opportunity to realize their sense of self-achievement and accomplishment through the learning experienced in the classroom. It should be a place where students feel safe and the educator should be the person that fosters and maintains that supportive environment.
Texas Technology Educator Standards
Standard I. All teachers use technology-related terms, concepts, data input strategies, and ethical practices to make informed decisions about current technologies and their applications.
Standard II. All teachers identify task requirements, apply search strategies, and use current technology to efficiently acquire, analyze, and evaluate a variety of electronic information.
Standard III. All teachers use task-appropriate tools to synthesize knowledge, create and modify solutions, and evaluate results in a way that supports the work of individuals and groups in problem-solving situations.
Standard IV. All teachers communicate information in different formats and for diverse audiences.
Standard V. All teachers know how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluate instruction for all students that incorporates the effective use of current technology for teaching and integrating the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) into the curriculum.
Learning is a life-long process. Learning how to "learn" allows an individual to constantly grow and develop in his or her life time. To understand that there's no "ceiling" or limit to acquiring knowledge means that one can continue to expand their knowledge base regardless of age, socio-economic background, race, or cultural history. It should be the educator's top priority to see to it that every student has the opportunity to realize their sense of self-achievement and accomplishment through the learning experienced in the classroom. It should be a place where students feel safe and the educator should be the person that fosters and maintains that supportive environment.
Texas Technology Educator Standards
Standard I. All teachers use technology-related terms, concepts, data input strategies, and ethical practices to make informed decisions about current technologies and their applications.
Standard II. All teachers identify task requirements, apply search strategies, and use current technology to efficiently acquire, analyze, and evaluate a variety of electronic information.
Standard III. All teachers use task-appropriate tools to synthesize knowledge, create and modify solutions, and evaluate results in a way that supports the work of individuals and groups in problem-solving situations.
Standard IV. All teachers communicate information in different formats and for diverse audiences.
Standard V. All teachers know how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluate instruction for all students that incorporates the effective use of current technology for teaching and integrating the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) into the curriculum.
StandardsStandard I
Standard II Standard III Standard IV Standard V |
ArtifactsLesson Plan
Podcast Flipped Lesson Outline Book Study Book Study Powerpoint Coaching Reflection Paper * Models of Teaching Portfolio Personal Inquiry Wiki Global Project-based Learning Delicious Assignment Interactive Component 16 Things Blog Ch. 4 & 5 Reflections Web 2.0 Edited Images Flipped Lesson Plan Collage Graphing Assignment Flyer Design Newsletter Sketchcast Symposium Proposal/Handout* Subject Sampler Glog Layered Graphic Banner Logo Creation Totally Online Lesson Plan Web-quest |
ReflectionsCompleting this assignment gave me the opportunity to learn how to combine technology-related terms, concepts, and strategies to a musical concept lesson plan and extend it in a way where the students can use the computer lab to graph data found from the first part of the lesson.
The podcast assignment caused me to research online to first find information about how a podcast would and should be used. It also afforded me the opportunity to learn how to use it in the classroom and have students learn from viewing it online as a part of a flipped lesson plan or even as an introduction to a face-to-face lesson. With this assignment being my first experience using a flipped lesson and really my introduction to the concept, it allowed me to explore the possibilities of using such a lesson plan where the home becomes the .classroom of introduction and knowledge acquisition and the classroom becomes the place where re-enforcement, practice, and checking for understanding takes place, culminating into an interactive, collaborative experience for the students. This outline helped me visualize what it would actually look like and helped me make decisions in terms of what materials to use; like videos, podcast, screencast, etc. This book study on the use of current technology and social media in our present day helped world helped me to reflect on how some of these social media tools can be used and applied to in-class lessons as well as out of class assignments; possibly even in the instance of a flipped lesson design. Social media is here to stay so we might as well embrace it and learn how to incorporate it into our lessons and curriculum planning. The coaching reflection paper really helped me synthesize my whole experience as a coach this semester. Because so much was happening this semester in terms of schooling, work, and home, it helped to be able to reflect on what was actually accomplished during these last few months. The coaching experience caused me to see myself in a new way, as someone who can have an impact on someone else in a technological integrated way. I witnessed fellow teachers become open to using tools that I actually introduced to them! WOW! Completing this assignment was very beneficial in that I learned a variety of instructional models to use within the classroom, especially within my music classes. The different models allow for instruction using different teaching tools and methods to reach the various styles of learning by the students. Developing a wiki page allowed me to discover a new way of investigating and finding fresh information about important topics; in my case, music! Learning about the 8W's of inquiry or project-based learning helped focus my research topic and helped me understand how the process would work and feel like for one of my own students. This process helps them find and discover their own answers to questions that may arise in their research process or planning stage. These two lesson ideas delivered through the structure of global project-based learning demonstrates the power of creativity, communication, and collaboration. The idea of such a set up is to allow the students to produce the end-product by allowing them to think, discuss, exchange ideas, construct, collaborate with other students outside of the classroom; even possibly around the world. What a great way to learn; from someone else who may have a totally different perspective on things than you. This is an excellent place to save all of those great websites that you would like to return to later on. Having all of them in one place really makes it convenient and easy for the user to retrieve. It really proved beneficial when completing the subject sampler and I needed to retrieve numerous websites on music instruments. The process involved to research and eventually decide to use these online flashcards proved to be invaluable and priceless time spent because the use of these tools will definitely re-enforce understanding and check for comprehension. A quiz can also be given which further assesses ones comprehension. The great thing about this tool is that the learner can practice over and over again until he feels competent with the material covered. The experience of blogging really stretched my learning capacity like never before. All of the various and difference online tools and applications that were introduced within this blogging assignment has provided me with tons of possibilities in activity resources for my students for years to come! Tools like Zoho.com, Photopeach, GoAnimate, and Google.doc all gave me an insight to new ideas of how lesson plans can be created that uses technology and requires higher-level thinking. This reflection assignment definitely helped me become even more familiar with the various tools found on Word 2007 and realize the value in using graphic organizers by teachers and students alike. It helps represent a body of information that's stimulating visually and simple in interpretation. Learning how to use Web 2.0 expanded tremendously my ability to convey meaning to creating online; using a website to allow students to create their own compositions and be able to playback in real time is so convenient and beneficial for the students. Students can receive immediate feedback about their composition and then make any necessary or desired alterations to their musical score. The skill set learned in using Photoshop to edit images can directly be translated into the classroom. Since students learn in multiple ways, including the visual aspect of knowledge acquisition is extremely important. By using edited images in class lessons or on bulletin boar ds, or anywhere else in the classroom, learning can be dramatically enhanced by visual cues. This lesson plan was the first implementation of the flipped lesson plan design that I created. This lesson is great in terms of allowing students to acquire knowledge and learn on their own; in their own space and at their own pace at home. Checking for understanding would take place the following day in the form of reviewing, guided practice with peers, and interactive and collaborative activities in the classroom. This dramatically enriches the learning experience for all students involved. This was a very fun activity The collage assignment allowed me to be creative, yet still informative in my visual presentation of facts about myself and my world! It introduced me to many design tools on Word 2007. Such an assignment is very effective in representing information in a way that's visually bold and factual. Data reflected in the form of a graph is very beneficial to students who are interpreting information from a lesson or an assignment. Again, it is so important to have learning tools that stimulate the visual aspects of receiving data and not just gaining information from a printed page full of words. The flyer design assignment provided me with a very in-depth experience of using InDesign, which can and will be a tool used to communicate and make announcements effectively with parents, students, faculty and staff, and the community. This class assignment really allowed me to expand my knowledge in using the InDesign program to design a comprehensive, thorough, and balanced product in the form of a newsletter. This ability will be extremely useful because it allows one to communicate efficiently and effectively to students, parents, as well as fellow faculty and staff members. Everyone can, quite literally, be on the same page in terms of latest happenings and events occurring in music classes and in the Tone Zone. The Sketchcast is a great tool to use because it combines audio with visual to deliver the lesson material in a recorded online format. Not only can the learner listen to the material being taught online but also watch the screen as information is being delivered through drawings, sketches, diagrams, or any other visual queues that can assist in the learning process. The symposium proposal assisted me in establishing my topic of choice to present at the event. It helped me choose a technology tool that I felt comfortable talking about as well as very excited about and interested in using myself. Flipsnack was my tool of choice and the proposal outlined everything that I would like to cover in my 15-20 minute presentation at the symposium. By using the subject sampler, a teacher can engage students in the learning process in a fun and meaningful way. Through activities, games, and short questions, students are guided through a journey of knowledge acquisition that is very hand-on for the students. This website really was a great tool for summarizing content from the assigned. You could clearly highlight what was important and emphasize the main point through visual aids, videos, pictures, clipart, and keywords. The layered graphic banner assignment is an awesome way to "tailor fit" designs and slogans in the classroom. Students will begin to feel like The Tone Zone is like their home away from home! This skill set will allow me to meet the needs of the students to feel comfortable, engaged, and visually challenged while they learn about the universal gift of music! Again, the logo creation assignment is another great tool to personalize one's classroom visually and give the students a sense of belonging to a "Special" place while they are in The Tone Zone! This lesson plan encompasses the idea of learning totally online without any face to face instruction. Before taking this class, I would declared impossible! But after learning how to implement such tools as videos, podcasts, sketchcasts, screencast, and well as online resources, I've realized that learning without face to face interaction is very real and can be very meaningful for the learner as information is applied, practiced, and re-enforced. Learning how to design a web-quest definitely enabled me to go beyond the typical lesson planning for student activities and group assignments. This idea of using the internet to encouraged students to collaborate with one another and create an end-product based on the student's acquisition of knowledge from completing the group assignment and working together with other group members promotes the whole idea of project-based learning. This form of learning encourages the students to think "outside of the box" and utilize their creativity. |