Technology+for+Teacher+Professional+Development

= __Technology for Teacher Professiona﻿l Development __ = = professional conduct and image = Contractually, public school teachers are held to a certain standard of professionalism. In the State of Connecticut, as with most states, there is a professional code of responsibilities that teachers are held to. (See [|Professional Code]) The use of technology adds another layer to that responsibility. Teachers are expected to maintain that Code of Conduct in their email communications, presence on social networking sites, in personal blogs and on their webpages. Teachers can develop professionally by learning more about how to present themselves online. One way to do this is through the creation of an e-portfolio. e-portfolios E-Portfolios, such as linkedin, in which you can professionally list your credentials to a different audience than you post pictures of last weeks family gathering. LinkedIn lets you post a resume, summary about your current position and future goals (or teaching philosophy). You can also post links to other sites, so teachers can post videos for reflection or shared lessons. This site appears to be one of the better for e-portfolios. You can post: -Resumes -Educational history -Personal philosophies -Teaching experience -Related experiences -Future goals -Video lessons -Certifications -Supports, such as: samples of activities, ways of assessment to the students, samples of material used in class. -Any other related items

E-portfolios can provide educators an opportunity to create a web presence that goes beyond merely posting a resume online. You can customize your profile by linking to appropriate sites, uploading pictures and video, and displaying graphics and narratives. Principals and superintendents can use e-portfolios as a way to gather information about a potential candidate for a teaching position. A well-constructed e-portfolio can give an employer the message that a teacher is open to and adept in creating dynamic learning environments that new technologies can provide.

Specifically, a teacher can include the following elements in an e-portfolio to demonstrate skills, knowledge and dispositions:

a. Educational background
 * link to prior school’s websites and national rankings if appropriate
 * can also include exemplars of coursework
 * link to transcripts

b. Professional Experience
 * link to websites of schools you’ve taught in
 * videos of you teaching with sample lesson plans and materials (like on [|Read,Write,Think], but with video)
 * social networking communities you belong to and contributions to these communities [|Classroom 2.0]
 * sharing a project; ex: in your student teaching classroom you had a webcam and participated in a joint science unit with a classroom in another state

c. Teaching and Learning Philosophy—
 * a visual, piece put to music perhaps with text t like edgy You-Tube video ([|“When I become a teacher”])
 * opinions of past students about the teacher`s way of teaching. Also about what they learnt with the teacher.

d. Teacher as a model life-long learner:
 * share annual goals or research initiatives with links to outside resources or citations
 * List or scan in Certificates or competency test results
 * BEST results (applicable to CT only)
 * Evaluations from administrators

e. Reflective blog: (TEACHER REFLECTION)
 * highlighting best and worst moments as an educator. Probably once a day teachers have one of “those stories” to write down. Your e-portfolio could have a forum to share the exasperation and exhilaration of teaching.

f. Resources for parents of students in your classroom
 * tools to help parents understand their child at this particular age.
 * Scanned in exemplars of student work (without student names on it) to show parents what quality of work you are looking for.
 * Links to sites that can help parents--like reading lists.

g. Displays of student achievement in past classes (ANALYZING DATA)
 * Your own use of data analysis and graphic representations of student achievement in your classes. This would serve the dual purpose of showing that you can analyze student scores and plan instruction accordingly, as well as showing you can use the software/resources in which you created the display.

social networks Social Networks have become an everyday part of life. Many teachers are using them but unlike a professional site, there are less boundaries to protect yourself. Some find that this is a great way to connect to co-workers as the school day simply does not include enough time. Yet, some educators are using social networking sites as a way to collaborate with other educators and/or people in their particular field nationwide.

There is one Connecticut school district who created a proposal for teachers and administrators stating what is okay and not okay to post on social network sites. This proposal was created so that the boundary is clear as to what is appropriate and not appropriate to display on individual sites to protect the school district.