Goal+6+Level+II

Level II

 * Goal 6 - Engage in ongoing professional growth and leadership**

Example 1: This artifact is a roster from an optional iPad course offered by my school district, which I attended. During this professional development, I learned about the general iPad hardware, as well as how to use different apps for classroom learning and for collaborative purposes. This training was a day long, and the expectation was that we would take what we learned and use it for our daily business. I am also including a document about an app that I use in class, which I learned about during the training. The app is Remind101, and is used to communicate with students and parents via text message. This artifact meets Goal 6 because it shows that I am willing to participate in extra professional development opportunities outside of the normal school day in order to learn things that will better my teaching and enhance student learning. It also shows that I am able to take what I learned in a professional development setting and apply it in my classroom and with parents.

Example 2: This artifact is a picture of a student manipulating an iPad app, called 3D Brain. I learned about this app in an optional iPad training that I took during summer vacation. This app allows students to rotate and zoom around 21 interactive brain structures. Labels and information about structure and function are given about each major part of the brain as well. Not only can students find out about how each of the different structures function, but they can also find out about what happens if that part of the brain is injured, and how it is involved in mental illness. I have also included a literacy research project that utilizes this app, which focuses on disorders of the brain. This artifact meets Goal 1 because it shows that I am willing to participate in extra professional development opportunities outside of the normal school day in order to learn things that will better my teaching and enhance student learning. It also shows that I am able to take what I learned in a professional development setting and apply it in my classroom to engage students in the learning process.

Example 3: This artifact is a picture of an iPad app, called TED, which I learned about in an optional iPad training that I took during summer vacation. This app allows students to watch riveting talks about controversial issues from engaging and inspiring individuals. Many talks are only ten to fifteen minutes long, which makes them perfect to use to stimulate discussion on a given topic in science. I have also included a graphic organizer about argumentation and evidence that I like to use with my students while we watch these videos. Many videos present issues from one specific side, and by watching the video and completing the organizer, students develop their critical thinking skills by learning how to cite evidence for positions that they take on a controversial topic. This artifact meets Goal 1 because it shows that I am willing to participate in extra professional development opportunities outside of the normal school day in order to learn things that will better my teaching and student learning. It also shows that I am able to take what I learned in a professional development setting and apply it in my classroom to engage students in the learning process and the development of critical 21st century skills.