I had decided not to continue my studies after receiving my Master's Degree in Educational Technology from Duquesne in 2016 because of timing. However, I did want to continue learning and growing as an educator. After receiving the Master's degree, I decided to put what I had learned into practice and tried to become more involved in learning communities and lead more.
Creating a digital portfolio for my doctoral work in instructional technology has been a rewarding and also challenging experience. My portfolio focuses on the ISTE Standards for Educators, which in addition to the ISTE Standards for Students, I focus on regularly in my classroom and when presenting for other educators. This portfolio showcases my growth and development as an educator who has learned to purposefully and effectively integrate technology into the classroom. When I started the portfolio during GDIT 728 in the summer of 2022, working with Dr. Kush, it took me some time to think about how to best represent my work. I took time to reflect on the types of activities and how I had made decisions about using technology in my classroom.
One of the benefits of creating a digital portfolio is that it allows me to document and reflect on my learning journey over time, or in this case, to have a focus point (ISTE standards) and go back and review the work that I have done in this program and in my daily work. As I curated artifacts and reflected on my growth, I could see how my understanding and implementation of the ISTE standards have evolved throughout my coursework at Duquesne during the master’s program, the years following it, and now during my doctoral work.
Looking back at my earlier artifacts and reflections, I can identify areas where I have made significant progress and where I still need to grow. On each of the pages listed in the navigation bar for the ISTE standards, you will find the individual criteria with artifacts, a description, and reflections for each one.
Through my digital portfolio, I can demonstrate my mastery of the ISTE Standards for Educators. Each standard is represented in my portfolio with multiple artifacts that showcase my implementation and understanding of each standard and related criteria. By doing this, I can show potential employers or colleagues that I am a competent and knowledgeable educator committed to integrating technology effectively into the classroom. My portfolio will be an ongoing work in progress. I will continue to add artifacts as I create new experiences in my classroom teaching work and my work with other educators for professional development after I complete my Doctoral program.
The ISTE Standards for Educators are divided into seven categories: Learner, Leader, Citizen, Collaborator, Designer, Facilitator, and Analyst. For each of these categories, there are indicators that guide educators to integrate technology into their practice effectively. As I reviewed each of the indicators, I was able to reflect on my practice and select artifacts that demonstrated my proficiency in each area. It also helped me recognize some areas where I can seek new growth opportunities.
For example, one of the indicators for the Learner category is to "pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks." This indicator resonated with me because I believe being a connected educator is essential for staying current and informed about trends and best practices in instructional technology. To demonstrate my proficiency in this area, I included artifacts that showed how I have participated in online communities, attended conferences, and collaborated with colleagues both locally and globally. I consider myself to be a highly connected educator and take as many opportunities as I can to travel to events or to join in PD opportunities virtually.
Another example is the indicator for the Leader category to "model for colleagues the identification, exploration, evaluation, curation, and adoption of new digital resources and tools for learning." This indicator is important because, as a leader in my school, it is my responsibility to stay current on the latest digital tools and resources and to share that knowledge with my colleagues. We do not have a tech coach in my school district. I serve as the PD Chair and also help my colleagues as they come to me often with questions about tech. I help to make decisions about tech use and choices in our school. To demonstrate my proficiency in this area, I included artifacts that showed how I have led professional development sessions in my school and virtually at local, national, and international levels. I also continue to share resources with my colleagues and collaborate with others to evaluate new tools and resources.
One of the most important standards, especially in today's world full of technology, is that of digital citizenship. I am proud of the work I have done in my classroom with my students and as part of creating materials for schools to use with their students and staff. Knowing how to collaborate and interact purposefully, responsibly, and ethically online is critical today with the use of so much technology for communication and collaboration. Students in my classes are often reminded of the importance of responsible posting and have opportunities to interact online, which helps to develop empathy and build global awareness. I also model this for them by sharing my practices when it comes to posting online and accessing and using resources obtained through technology. Ongoing discussions related to ethical considerations, especially with emerging tech and AI are important. Through Duquesne and Phoenix coursework, I had opportunities to consider ethics related to surveys and research studies, school leadership and decision making and enhance my understanding of the importance of ethics in the use of technology for learning.
An area that I have worked hard at from the start of pursuing my Master's Degree and continued is focused on collaboration. Teaching can be isolating, and fortunately, we have many ways to collaborate with other educators and with our students. I have collaborated with other educators for local events as well as national and international conferences and virtual events, including webinars, book studies, and Twitter chats. Through these opportunities, I have made global connections that have helped me to bring new opportunities to my own classroom as well as develop my own PLN. An impactful experience was the PBL work I set up with my students, as well as students and teachers from Argentina and Spain. Collaborating with educators from different learning communities worldwide has given me new ideas that I have brought to my classroom and also shared at conferences and through blog writing. I also started a Facebook Community for educators in which we can ask questions. We started a live talk show that focused on education and learning together, and students had opportunities to meet virtually with different experts, such as the creator of Gimkit, for example, to learn about how he started his own edtech tool and managed the company. Students also had the chance to learn from an educator, entrepreneur, and author and ask questions about preparing for the future and participate virtually in a lesson on virtual reality with an AR/VR expert.
Through my classes at Duquesne and through Phoenix courses, there were many opportunities to collaborate with others in the education field and from varying areas of work. These experiences enabled me to build my awareness of other areas of work, to be part of a team and to co-learn with classmates as well as my students.
During my doctoral work and in other projects, I have had many opportunities to design a variety of learning tools and resources for students and educators in my school and on a global scale. One of the resources that I am proud of is a lesson that I helped to write as part of the ISTE AI guides for educators. I designed a lesson plan for Spanish students that would implement artificial intelligence into the lesson by having students compare Google Translate with human translation. I also created a lesson in alignment with content area standards and ISTE standards that focused on computational thinking. I use this lesson in my Spanish three and four classes to help them understand Computational Thinking by applying it to verb structures and sentence formation. Each of these required me to focus on content area standards under ACTFL (World Language Standards) and also to tie in the ISTE student and educator standards.
To provide choices and accommodate learner differences, I have implemented a variety of methods. Some options include using choice boards, Genius Hour, HyperDocs, and project-based learning (PBL), along with offering students their choice of digital tools. Using these methods and different tools, I can differentiate for students through various activities, question types, and content that I can add. Using choice boards allows students to take ownership of their learning goals and build confidence as they work through the choices available to them. Also, with HyperDocs, students can work at their own pace, choose to do some enrichment activities, and apply their knowledge and learning in more personalized ways.
Understanding the students or "learners," enables educators to provide more choices and give students the option to choose a tool that might best meet their interests or needs; even using strategies and tools to support project-based learning and genius hour, students can take more responsibility for their learning, and it allows me to work with them and see their growth over time.
Prior to virtual learning, I had set up a digital learning environment that I used in my classroom for several years as a means to provide blended instruction. I would often create resources, such as audio, text, or video, that would help students to understand the tasks in a way that met their needs.
In the artifacts shared in this portfolio, I show some of the ways that I've offered and been open to more student choice. It is important for students to set their own learning goals and engage in more independent learning opportunities. Through project-based learning (PBL) especially, students have engaged in problem-solving and critical thinking and become more motivated in their work. We leverage digital tools so that they can make connections and also have choices on how to show and share their learning with peers both in the physical space and in a hybrid learning environment.
It was important for students to reflect on their learning and provide me with feedback, so I used a Google Form. Based on responses, I made some changes to my classroom methods, structure, and the tools used to work through a nontraditional classroom setting and schedule. Using strategies like project-based learning, choice boards, and HyperDocs helped, and choosing different digital tools to facilitate the methods was greatly beneficial when we shifted to remote instruction and even to keep resources accessible to students during the traditional school setting.
Another highlight was creating a computational thinking lesson for my Spanish class. This lesson teaches them about the elements of computational thinking and how they can use them for problem-solving and coming up with solutions. Determining how to apply CT principles to the language classroom was a challenge; however, it was definitely an activity that stretched me and showed that STEM, CT, and other topics are needed in all content areas and grade levels.
I create space in my classroom and also during conference sessions by using a survey to determine how to proceed and provide choices. Students can choose between technology or no technology options and create something that helps them build confidence in the language and essential skills. They can choose podcasts, videos, infographics, and drawings or dive into emerging tech, such as augmented and virtual reality projects, to create lessons for other students to use for learning Spanish.
In these artifacts, I show how I have been using digital tools to provide real-time data to students and evaluate individual student needs to adjust my instruction. These tools help students to track their own progress and help me to analyze the class as a whole and each student, so I can adjust my lesson and target instruction as needed. The tools used offer robust platforms, and I can access data for each student or class as a whole, which I can then use to decide which strategies to try or how to create different lessons for students.
Using these tools, students can review their progress, access data from digital assessments, or use video tools to reflect on their learning. We have tried several different options for formative assessments using some of the tools shared, and students have been able to write or talk about their progress, which builds reflective skills. They learn to analyze and understand the data to plan their next steps and set new learning goals. The artifact explains how I have used these tools and how students have been able to reflect on the data from the tools and methods used.
Creating a digital portfolio also allowed me to showcase my teaching philosophy and pedagogical approach. As I curated my artifacts and reflected on my teaching practices, I could articulate my beliefs about the role of technology in education and how it can be used to support student learning. This has been particularly valuable when I have had opportunities to discuss my teaching philosophy with colleagues or present at conferences or through my writing. The portfolio provides evidence of my skills and knowledge in instructional technology and shows how I have intentionally referred to and applied the ISTE Standards in my practice. It also allowed me to receive feedback and suggestions for improvement from others, which helped me to continue to grow and develop as an educator.
Creating a digital portfolio that was focused on the ISTE Standards for Educators was also an empowering experience. It allowed me to reflect on my growth as a connected educator and to demonstrate my proficiency in the use of technology to support student learning and engagement. Through the selection of artifacts to demonstrate my proficiency in the ISTE Standards, I can show others how I have integrated technology into my practice and how I have been able to collaborate with others to stay current on the latest trends and best practices. By showcasing my understanding and implementation of the ISTE Standards for Educators, I can demonstrate my competence and commitment to this essential aspect of modern teaching. I look forward to continuing to update my digital portfolio as I grow and develop as an educator, and I am excited to see how it will evolve over time. I am proud to see the amount of work I have done over the last couple of years and see my growth in different areas.
Looking back at some of the improvements that I have made in the strategies and tools that I use, I recognize that I am offering better opportunities for my students now and have expanded the possibilities for collaborating beyond our classroom space. One of the most important aspects of this growth has been the thoughtful integration of technology in the classroom. It is crucial to recognize that technology is not an end in itself, but rather a tool that can help us achieve our teaching goals. Whereas before, I was using some of the tools as a simple substitute, for example, shifting a worksheet to a digital format and not taking it to a higher level, now I can use different tools and create more interactive lessons for my students to use whether we are in the classroom or need to work remotely.
To ensure that my use of technology in the classroom is effective and meaningful, I refer to the ISTE standards for educators and students. These standards provide a comprehensive framework for digital learning and help to ensure that students develop critical digital skills. Some additional examples of how I incorporate the ISTE standards in my teaching include:
Empowering students to be creative communicators: By using digital tools like blogs, videos, and podcasts, students have the opportunity to share their ideas with a wider audience and develop their communication skills.
Encouraging collaboration beyond the classroom: By using tools like Google Docs, Padlet or Wakelet, students can work together on projects and communicate with others beyond the classroom walls.
Providing opportunities for personalized learning: By using adaptive learning tools, students can work at their own pace and receive immediate feedback.
Fostering digital citizenship: By teaching students about online safety, privacy, and responsible use of technology, I help them develop into responsible digital citizens.
One of the ISTE standards that I find particularly important is that of Empowered Learner, which involves providing students with opportunities to take ownership of their learning and make choices about how they demonstrate their understanding. Through my portfolio, I have been successful in fostering this standard through various artifacts.
For example, as a Facilitator, I have given my students choices in how they learn and demonstrate their understanding of a topic.
As a Learner, I have sought out new tools and strategies to enhance my teaching and have collaborated with other educators to expand my knowledge.
As a Leader, I have shared my experiences and expertise with others and encouraged them to do the same. As a provider of opportunities for my students to be empowered learners and creative communicators, I have seen firsthand the benefits of this approach in terms of student engagement and achievement.
In terms of specific examples, I have used tools such as Flip and Padlet to provide opportunities for students to collaborate and share their learning with others both within and outside of our classroom. I have also used tools like Blooket, Quizizz, Quizlet, Nearpod, and Kahoot! to create interactive assessments that allow students to test their knowledge in a fun and engaging way. By using these and similar tools, I have been able to create a more dynamic and student-centered learning environment.
Additionally, I have had the opportunity to connect with educators and students from around the world, which has broadened my perspective and helped me to stay informed about the latest trends and best practices in edtech.
In gathering artifacts and evaluating my work, I had forgotten about some of the activities that I had done, especially over the past two years. I have seen my professional growth in creating learning experiences and resources for my students, especially after taking courses that focused on user experience and design. I also stretched outside of my comfort zone and brought in new methods and digital tools because I like to explore many new ideas with my students because I want to see the benefits for their learning and help them build confidence in the classroom with the content/language, and also have a more meaningful experience full of choices in how to show their learning. I enjoy seeing how I have helped students build their digital skills and knowing the impact that learning with and from them has had on me. I am just thrilled to see the connections that I have made with students and educators from around the world over the past couple of years as I have become more involved in ISTE and more aware of all of the opportunities that are out there.
Looking forward, my goals are to continue advocating for the implementation of digital tools in our schools and relevant and timely training for teachers, especially with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
I want to continue building my skills and use my knowledge to help students and other educators in my network. Most importantly, I want to ensure that I continue to give my students the opportunity to be creators rather than consumers. By doing so, I can learn from and with my students and help them develop the digital skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.