My interests for the future became evident throughout the past three years of teaching and learning about technology. Computer science has become a popular buzzword in education. To many people it is something that seems interesting, but too farfetched to actually implement in their classroom. I want to become more familiar with computer programming in order to effectively teach my students and other teachers about it. My interest in computer programming has led to my long term goal of becoming an instructional technology specialist. I enjoy teaching teachers how to better their classrooms with the different forms of technology that is available to them. Nevertheless, technology would be nothing without the support of a strong and well balanced curriculum. I am currently working on a technology curriculum for grades kindergarten through 5th. I need to continue researching ways to develop a curriculum that is flexible to changes in available technology and my diverse student body. 

 

Computer programming is a field that expands into various job markets because much of our society revolves around technology. I don’t expect to be teaching my students about C++ or how to create the next Microsoft Office platform, but rather have them understand what computer programming is, how it works, and the basics of code. I have already participated in Code.org’s workshop and will be hosting a workshop this summer for the Ingham county area. This is one resource that is available for teachers, but there are many others out there. I want to use Code Studio’s curriculum and supplement it other resources. Computer Science Teacher Association (CSTA) provides a list of articles that examine current and past computer science education research. The article that caught my attention is called Advancing Elementary-School Girls’ Programming through Game Design (Baytak & Land, 2011). I have noticed a difference in motivation with technology between genders in my upper elementary classes but barely see a difference in my lower elementary classes. I want to educate myself on how to decrease the gender gap in technology. 

 

Teaching teachers how to effectively use technology can be a challenging endeavor. Not everyone is enthusiastic to change their teaching practices to integrate technology. Currently, I am required to complete 30 hours of professional development every school year. In addition to learning about different instructional strategies or technology tools I will be observing the presenters. I want learn how to effectively instruct other educators and what methods work best through my own learning experiences. Discussions with other participants will be key to my learning. In the near future, I want to lead sessions at EdCamp Lansing in order to practice my instruction. My schools currently don’t have an instructional technology specialist so I will be providing sessions on the framework of technology integration (i.e. TPACK) and common technology tools. 

 

For the past three years, I have taught technology without a formal curriculum. I do have a very broad content area to work with. With that being said, I am not controlled by a curriculum map, standardized tests, or benchmarks by any of the three schools I teach in. It may seem like a blessing at first, but like I previously stated, I enjoy structure. So, I decided to make my own structure during a graduate course about design thinking. I only have a rough framework in the works and need to learn how to effectively create a curriculum. The next step in my curriculum design will be taking my framework and creating a curriculum map. I will use resources such as Curriculum Mapping 101 to provide me pre-made documents, guidelines, and videos. 

 

As I am near the end of my chapter as a Michigan State graduate student, I start to see all the puzzles of my education start to come together. The skills, strategies, and tools I have learned have created a foundation for me as a life long learner. The pen is in my hand and I am ready to write the next chapter of my future.