My name is Stacy Marcus and I am currently a business teacher at East Buchanan High School in Winthrop, IA. Originally from Garwin, IA, I graduated with a degree in business education from the great University of Northern Iowa in 2004. That fall I started my teaching career at East Buchanan teaching a variety of business education classes in accounting, marketing, office procedures, and entrepreneurship. It is hard to believe I am in my 8th year of teaching at EB. I have also coached basketball and volleyball as well as a sponsor of the National Honor Society.
I was born into the teaching profession with my mom, grandma, great-aunt, two aunts, and uncle all being secondary teachers. There were many discussions around the table at holiday gatherings about how these great role models in my life were affecting the lives of many others. It was here I developed my passion for teaching, because I also wanted to influence students to explore new ideas and relate what they learned to their own lives. Then after taking several business classes in high school, I knew I wanted to become a business teacher and help students to make sense of the business world around them.
As I reflect on my eight years of teaching, I can honestly say I have not taught the same lesson the exact same way twice. One of my teaching goals is to always be changing to meet the learning needs of my students. Technology has become a big source of how students are learning so I have become very passionate with learning how to best use technology to improve students' learning experiences in my classroom. I was using technology in my classroom but was not using it as a tool to assist in my teaching and the students' learning. When I came across the information for the Instructional Technology master's program at UNI, I knew it was just what I needed to improve my teaching practices to meet the learning needs of my students.
Businesses today are being transformed by new technologies every day, whether it be "reading and interacting on the web; writing memos and sending email; computing with spreadsheets and statistical analysis programs; analyzing problems with data visualization tools; creating social networking sites; marketing with digital video tools; making presentations with PowerPoint" (Collins & Halverson, 2009). Schools need to do a better job of allowing technology to transform what is happening in the classroom (Collins & Halverson, 2009). Being a business teacher, I am very passionate of trying to incorporate "business-world technology practices" into my classroom but need to find the right tools. This master's program has opened my eyes to an array of tools to use to teach students the technology skills needed in the business world but also to help them learn in an environment conducive to their learning.
Students are bored in the classroom with current teaching practices (Prensky, 2001). To learn, they want to interact with the information and be engaged in the learning process. Students are motivated by seeing relevance in what they are learning as well as being challenged in the material. Due to technology, students have access to information at the palms of their hands. Schools need to rethink not only how we educate students but what our objectives should be in the classroom. Educators must decide if we need to assess students on facts or skills needed in the workplace such as how to problem solve, think critically, communicate, and collaborate. The use of technology in the classroom can help students learn these 21st century workplace skills. Students can use blogs, wikis, and social networking sites to collaborate and communicate with their classmates but also with others outside of the classroom. Video games and simulations give teachers an opportunity to present to their students a real-life scenario that they must solve. Technology not only helps students learn important skills for their future but also engages and motivates them in their learning.
This eportfolio is a collection of what I learned the last two years but also my reflections on how my view of education has changed. I have a entirely new view of how technology can be used in the classroom to aid students in their learning. As a result of getting my master's in Instructional Technology, I plan to create units in the my classroom that engage my students in what they are learning and to give them the skills necessary to be successful in the workplace.
Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking education in the age of technology: The digital revolution and schooling in America. New York, NY: Teachers College.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital game-based learning. St. Paul, MN: McGraw Hill.