Candidate Info

and Goals

practicum intro video.mp4

Who I am

My name is Jada Conley. I live on a farm near Centralia, Kansas. I have been married to Jason, a teacher and farmer, for 26 years. Our daughter is a first year Freshmen English teacher at Shawnee Mission West after graduating from KSU in May. Our son is a junior in computer engineering at KSU.

I love to read, thrift, crochet, listen to music, and watch sports (especially KSU Wildcats and the Chiefs).

I graduated from Kansas State University with my B.S. in Elementary Education in 1997. I have spent all my teaching years in USD 380, 2 years at Frankfort and the rest at Centralia. I have taught 4th, 3rd, Title, and am currently in my 10th year of 2nd grade.

In addition to teaching I have several other responsibilities. The school spelling bee has been my responsibility for over 15 years, and I belong to a committee that is currently working to restructure the Nemaha County Spelling Bee. I am in my 24th year as the coach of the CHS Panther Dancers. I am one of the Junior class sponsors which means running all the concessions at every home event and putting on Prom. On Wednesday nights I teach religious ed to freshmen at our church.

I have been part of a literacy cadre for 2 years and am in my 2nd year of LETRS training. I have been a member of the District Leadership Team and Building Leadership Team for 6 years. For the last 3 years I have also been a member of the Accreditation Advisory Council with KSDE. This opportunity has allowed me to be a resource to my district as we proceed through the continuous improvement process. In October of 2022 I had the honor of presenting with the Superintendent of USD 322 at KDSE's Great Ideas in Education Conference.

I am passionate about educational technology and the Science of Reading. I believe that the place where they intersect is the sweet spot for building 21 Century citizens. I am excited to finish my degree and the opportunities the future holds to work with educators, students, and parents.

Transference Reflection Exploration Stage

For 25 years I never considered going back to school to earn a master's degree. Two years ago when our district made the decision to support teachers earning advanced degrees I started to entertain the idea. I have always looked for new learning opportunities, leadership groups, and professional development to improve my craft so the leap to graduate school was not completely crazy.

It was a conversation with our district curriculum coordinator that led me to the Instructional Technology program. He suggested technology or reading specialist, knowing these are my two passions. The opportunity to belong to a literacy cadre and become LETRS trained were available to nurture my drive to study the Science of Reading, so I knew the MIT program was the right choice to engage in my passion for bringing technology to young students.

I began my program in January of 2022, nervous and excited. My expectations were to learn strategies and programs that would build my “teacher toolbox” and in turn benefit my students. My presuppositions were shattered right away as my eyes were opened to the scope of instructional technology, and the value of other courses such as law, research, leadership, and diversity. Not only have I added to that “teacher tool box”, but I have challenged and grown in my pedagogy and philosophy.

As I begin my practicum I have the same nervousness and feelings of the unknown. My picture of an ePortfolio and comprehensive presentation/exam is a collection and culmination of all that I have learned and created in the last year and a half (ISTE, 3.5.c., 2018). My biggest fear is the time commitment after reading through the syllabus. Reaching out to a classmate to find a peer reviewer was a step out of my comfort zone, but after some email conversations I am excited that I found a good partner. I am excited for this practicum experience to help me celebrate my successes and better prepare for future opportunities.

Professional Goals

Complete LETRS training in March 2024 and continue to implement strategies in my classroom.
Share a technology plan with my district in the spring of 2024 that provides Google tools training to teachers. Work with them on implementation in the 24-25 school year.
Complete additional Google learning modules and training to prepare for the Level 2 test in the summer of 2024.

Personal Goals

By Spring 2024, get my piano tuned and play it at least 3 times a week.
By May 2024, successfully making it through the gauntlet of concession stands and prom as Junior class sponsor.
By May 2025, evaluate my responsibilities and only continue those that I am passionate about. Allow myself to say no.

Where do you see yourself in 2 years, 5, years, and 10 years?

In 2 years...

Continuing to create a literacy rich blended learning environment for my students, while being available to coach peers and colleagues.

In 5 years...

If the right opportunity arises to be a technology/instructional coach that would be a path I would explore. I also could keep growing my skills and helping students be prepared in their digital world.

In 10 years...

If I am not in the classroom continuing to hone my skills it will be because an opportunity arrived that I cannot picture at this point. I am open to a different path that would still allow me to support students and teachers in that sweet spot where literacy and technology meet.

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