6.3 Field Experiences
Candidates engage in appropriate field experiences to synthesize and apply the content and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in these standards. (PSC 6.3)
Artifact: Field Experiences
Reflection:
As a component of my Ed.S. coursework, I completed six structured field experiences in which I documented at least 15 hours of learning related to specific ISTE and PSC standards for technology coaches. Additionally, I completed six unstructured field experiences of at least 5 hours each; these constituted learning and coaching opportunities that I engaged in above and beyond the regular course requirements. During these unstructured field experiences, I worked with diverse groups, including English Language Learners, learners with disabilities, and students and teachers from grade levels outside of the high school setting with which I am most familiar. For one particular unstructured field experience, I collaborated with three teachers—one in 2nd grade special education, one in 4th grade, and one in 7th grade language arts—to help create classroom websites.
Through this field experience, I was able to synthesize and apply the content and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in the ISTE standards for Technology Coaches. As P-12 practitioners, technology coaches must be familiar with digital tools and resources that are useful for all grade levels and content areas. Having the skills necessary to evaluate tools for the appropriate learner level or interest type is paramount in suggesting tools that will be effective for diverse groups of teachers and students. Moreover, technology coaches must be comfortable working with teachers of all grade levels and levels of technology proficiency. The teachers I worked with during this field experience ranged in technology proficiency from beginner to intermediate; therefore, my coaching strategy slightly differed for each teacher based upon her familiarity with website development and appropriate classroom digital tools.
The only change I would have made during this field experience would have been to add the component of recording or screen casting to the coaching process. Screen casting the process of website creation would have had numerous benefits. To begin, the teacher could have watched the screencast at a later time in order to review the specific steps necessary to create her website. Yet, additional benefits would have been realized as other teachers not participating in my field experience could have also used the screencast. Although one-to-one and face-to-face coaching session can have a tremendous impact on technology development, many teachers prefer the flexibility of online or digital tutorials that they can access at their own time and specifically when they need assistance. Developing a collection of instructional tutorials could be an important component to developing my presence and influence as a technology coach.
A teacher website has quickly become an essential component of an effective communication strategy for teachers. When using premade templates, a website is relatively simple to create and provides teachers with an easy introduction to technology in the classroom. More importantly, however, the website facilitates communication with students and parents, since the teacher can use the website to store classroom documents for students who have been absent, provide suggested digital resources for students needing remediation or enrichment, and offer a safe Internet location for students to blog and collaborate with their peers in the classroom. The classroom website can become an extension of the physical classroom and help extend learning beyond the school building into students’ homes and real-world settings.
As a component of my Ed.S. coursework, I completed six structured field experiences in which I documented at least 15 hours of learning related to specific ISTE and PSC standards for technology coaches. Additionally, I completed six unstructured field experiences of at least 5 hours each; these constituted learning and coaching opportunities that I engaged in above and beyond the regular course requirements. During these unstructured field experiences, I worked with diverse groups, including English Language Learners, learners with disabilities, and students and teachers from grade levels outside of the high school setting with which I am most familiar. For one particular unstructured field experience, I collaborated with three teachers—one in 2nd grade special education, one in 4th grade, and one in 7th grade language arts—to help create classroom websites.
Through this field experience, I was able to synthesize and apply the content and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in the ISTE standards for Technology Coaches. As P-12 practitioners, technology coaches must be familiar with digital tools and resources that are useful for all grade levels and content areas. Having the skills necessary to evaluate tools for the appropriate learner level or interest type is paramount in suggesting tools that will be effective for diverse groups of teachers and students. Moreover, technology coaches must be comfortable working with teachers of all grade levels and levels of technology proficiency. The teachers I worked with during this field experience ranged in technology proficiency from beginner to intermediate; therefore, my coaching strategy slightly differed for each teacher based upon her familiarity with website development and appropriate classroom digital tools.
The only change I would have made during this field experience would have been to add the component of recording or screen casting to the coaching process. Screen casting the process of website creation would have had numerous benefits. To begin, the teacher could have watched the screencast at a later time in order to review the specific steps necessary to create her website. Yet, additional benefits would have been realized as other teachers not participating in my field experience could have also used the screencast. Although one-to-one and face-to-face coaching session can have a tremendous impact on technology development, many teachers prefer the flexibility of online or digital tutorials that they can access at their own time and specifically when they need assistance. Developing a collection of instructional tutorials could be an important component to developing my presence and influence as a technology coach.
A teacher website has quickly become an essential component of an effective communication strategy for teachers. When using premade templates, a website is relatively simple to create and provides teachers with an easy introduction to technology in the classroom. More importantly, however, the website facilitates communication with students and parents, since the teacher can use the website to store classroom documents for students who have been absent, provide suggested digital resources for students needing remediation or enrichment, and offer a safe Internet location for students to blog and collaborate with their peers in the classroom. The classroom website can become an extension of the physical classroom and help extend learning beyond the school building into students’ homes and real-world settings.