Target Group
Our Target Group is an elementary school staff at Vandenberg World Cultures Academy. This elementary school is a bilingual, magnet school which is located in a Middle-class suburb. We currently service approximately four hundred students in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade. Our students come from twenty-five different countries and speak twenty-nine different languages.
Vandenberg has approximately 32 staff members. The staff that we will present our Professional Development workshops to will include our principal, teachers, paraprofessionals, and our support staff.
Our support staff includes one literacy coach, a Reading Recovery teacher, a Speech and Language teacher, and a social worker. Our Bilingual Staff assists English Language Learners, provides support to their families, and continues to build community relations with various stakeholders within our community.
Our goals for our Professional Development Workshops include the following:
The following link will show you the Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students:
http://techplan.edzone.net/METS/METS2009.pdf
These standards are aligned with National Educational Technology Standards for Students, (NETS-S). The Michigan Educational Technology Standards are also aligned with the Framework for twenty-first Century Learning.
According to the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards, classroom teachers should meet the following standards:
I. TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers:
1. demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology (as described in the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students).
2. demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies.
II. PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EXPERIENCES
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
1. design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
2. apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.
3. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
4. plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.
5. plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.
III. TEACHING, LEARNING, AND THE CURRICULUM
Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers:
1. facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.
2. use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.
3. apply technology to develop students’ higher order skills and creativity.
4. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
IV. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Teachers:
A. apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.
B. use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.
C. apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students’ appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity.
V. PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. Teachers:
A. use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.
B. continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning.
C. apply technology to increase productivity.
D. use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.
VI. SOCIAL, ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND HUMAN ISSUES
Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK–12 schools and apply that understanding in practice. Teachers:
1. model and teach legal and ethical practice related to technology use.
2. apply technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.
3. identify and use technology resources that affirm diversity.
4. promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.
5.facilitate equitable access to technology resources for all students.
According to Southfield Public Schools Technology Plan, “our mission is to allow all students and staff the ability to access and apply technology to solve problems and construct meaning form a variety of resources and for a variety of purposes and audiences.” Our technology plan also states that our students will use a variety of technology tools in order to solve technological problems. Furthermore, Southfield Public Schools want to extend our student’s technology skills so that they can reapply them in their every day lives.
Our Mathematics curriculum encourages students to collect, organize, and analyze various data using the state of the art technology devices. Students will use technology devices to support their English Language Arts curriculum as well. Students can use technology tools to create digital stories, enhance word processing skills, use a dictionary, read an online thesaurus, use a variety of graphic organizers, and review spell & grammar checks.
We can use Google Maps to enhance each student’s Social Studies skills. Our students can then further research each of our bilingual student’s country. Our students can then use digital technology tools to analyze the weather, graph various data, or possibly study plants in Science as well.
Vandenberg has approximately 32 staff members. The staff that we will present our Professional Development workshops to will include our principal, teachers, paraprofessionals, and our support staff.
Our support staff includes one literacy coach, a Reading Recovery teacher, a Speech and Language teacher, and a social worker. Our Bilingual Staff assists English Language Learners, provides support to their families, and continues to build community relations with various stakeholders within our community.
Our goals for our Professional Development Workshops include the following:
The following link will show you the Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students:
http://techplan.edzone.net/METS/METS2009.pdf
These standards are aligned with National Educational Technology Standards for Students, (NETS-S). The Michigan Educational Technology Standards are also aligned with the Framework for twenty-first Century Learning.
According to the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards, classroom teachers should meet the following standards:
I. TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS AND CONCEPTS
Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers:
1. demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology (as described in the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students).
2. demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies.
II. PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EXPERIENCES
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
1. design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
2. apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.
3. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
4. plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities.
5. plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.
III. TEACHING, LEARNING, AND THE CURRICULUM
Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers:
1. facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.
2. use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.
3. apply technology to develop students’ higher order skills and creativity.
4. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
IV. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Teachers:
A. apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.
B. use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.
C. apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students’ appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity.
V. PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. Teachers:
A. use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.
B. continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning.
C. apply technology to increase productivity.
D. use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.
VI. SOCIAL, ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND HUMAN ISSUES
Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK–12 schools and apply that understanding in practice. Teachers:
1. model and teach legal and ethical practice related to technology use.
2. apply technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.
3. identify and use technology resources that affirm diversity.
4. promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.
5.facilitate equitable access to technology resources for all students.
According to Southfield Public Schools Technology Plan, “our mission is to allow all students and staff the ability to access and apply technology to solve problems and construct meaning form a variety of resources and for a variety of purposes and audiences.” Our technology plan also states that our students will use a variety of technology tools in order to solve technological problems. Furthermore, Southfield Public Schools want to extend our student’s technology skills so that they can reapply them in their every day lives.
Our Mathematics curriculum encourages students to collect, organize, and analyze various data using the state of the art technology devices. Students will use technology devices to support their English Language Arts curriculum as well. Students can use technology tools to create digital stories, enhance word processing skills, use a dictionary, read an online thesaurus, use a variety of graphic organizers, and review spell & grammar checks.
We can use Google Maps to enhance each student’s Social Studies skills. Our students can then further research each of our bilingual student’s country. Our students can then use digital technology tools to analyze the weather, graph various data, or possibly study plants in Science as well.