Facebook keeps suggesting that I buy a t-shirt that says "Teaching is my Superpower." I am too cheap to buy the shirt, but that does not mean I don't agree with the sentiment. I have leapt over tall buildings, taken on the great responsibility that comes with great power,and fashioned myself after Professor Xavier. Teachers are heroes.
Despite graduating before the rise of Netscape, I have managed to stay at the forefront of educational technology through conference attendance and self-education. I have championed desktop publishing, blogging, media literacy, distance learning, social networking, and almost any free tool on the Internet. I have worked with every iteration of the district’s technology coordinators creating technology plans, developing curricula, and coordinating staff development. Since I was always at the leading edge of technology in my school, I put off getting my master's degree for quite sometime. I was working under the assumption that I knew everything that I needed to know, but occasionally a colleague would bring up a concept or tool that I was not aware of, and my pride would get the better of me. I had also stalled on the salary ladder and had to decide what direction my career would take.
Our staff had recently toured the alternative program at a neighboring district which had a substantial online component. Not only did they offer online credit recovery, but they also had instructor led online courses with a minimal face to face component. My district administration had also recently adopted a new learning management system and rumors were swirling that we were going to be required to fully integrate it in our classrooms. I realized that my overconfidence and years of isolation at the alternative school had caused me to stagnate. I wanted to be a leader in technology for egotistical reasons, but I also wanted to give my students the best opportunity to succeed. Through technology I would be able to reach more students in the most effective manner and I could continue to build bridges across the digital divide by providing opportunities to my students that are normally reserved for the most privileged students in well financed schools.
The Internet democratized access to knowledge and publication, and I want to make sure that my students were aware of the digital world around them. I want to teach them to take their voice and publish it to an authentic audience. I want them to fulfill the early dreams of Netscape Navigator, to become explorers, inventors, and pioneers.
We know the names of individuals who invented and explored, but a true understanding of history proves that none of them achieve greatness on their own. However, when people discuss using the Internet it spawns images of what our president described as a "guy sitting on their bed who weighs 400 pounds." I entered this program assuming that I would be working in isolation, and was shocked at the number of times I had to introduce myself. What was the point? What I learned was that collaboration and community play a large role in online learning. I worked with other people more during these courses than I have during the last ten years in the real world. I made friendships, that while they may not last after my coursework is completed, were meaningful and constructive. I came into this program viewing the Internet as a series of connected servers, mainframes, and laptops, but learned that the Internet is actually a community of connected learners, explorers, inventors, and pioneers.
Artifact: Examples of websites made collaboratively by students.
Just like the compass and a good clock allow ships to navigate the seas, an Internet explorer must have the right tools and methods to succeed. During the past two years I have increased my proficiency with tools such as Photoshop, MovieMaker, and Audacity and have been introduced to VoiceThread, CollaborateUltra, and NowComment. With these instruments I can better educate my students either in a synchronous session, asynchronously, or in a blended fashion to take advantage of the benefits of both methods.
Considering that I teach at-risk students who, for a variety of reasons, have problems getting to school on a regular basis, using all of these tools to create a blended learning environment gives the best opportunity for all to succeed. Students would be able to access content through a variety of means and achieve comprehension through multiple modalities.
Artifact: This is the first year that I have had students make videos to accompany their poems.
In order for this to be truly successful I must use what I learn about planning and design. Using ADDIE and other design models I must be the map makers for these explorers, and it is not acceptable to fill in the edges with pictures of sea monsters and scary stories about the falling off the edge of the world. Since it is impossible to know every permutation of a student's exploration, I also want to give the students the ability to add to the map. The role of teacher and student is more fluid when working in the online world, and I need to be open to new ideas.
Artifact: Website design to facilitate the hero website the students made. Unfortunately, it was done while the students were working on their projects. Next year this plan should lead to better projects.
My cinematic heroes are Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and John McClain, all rugged individuals thrown into difficult situations with loads of skill, but little or no planning. Through improvisation and sheer force of will these icons were able to overcome nearly insurmountable odds and achieve victory. This is how we are taught to see teachers. In movie after movie teachers approach dangerous minds to stand and deliver great orations about dead poets. Rarely do we see these teachers collaborate with colleagues, and while they may care about their students, they always remain the ultimate authority. It is time for my cinematic heroes to become The Seven Samurai, The Dirty Dozen, and Ocean's Eleven. Teams of highly skilled professionals coming together to teach and learn in order to save a village, defeat the Nazis, and rob a casino. After a planning and design montage we use our tools and methods to collaborate and create a community that explores, invents, and innovates.