TF – II, TF – V, and TF – VIII Narrative
TF - II Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
ISTE Technology Facilitation Standard: states, “educational technology facilitators plan, design, and model effective learning environments and multiple experiences supported by technology” (2001).
When taking the class EDTC 6022 Designing Accessible Learning Communities as one of the assignments for the is class, I had to create an accessible learning community by removing and preventing barriers for students with disabilities. It is vitally important that we provide high-quality, accessible curriculum, instruction, support, and tools to all learners in the community.
As I was taking EDTC 6022, I was working for Volusia County’s public school with over 63,000 students and approximately 7,300 employees, is the state's thirteenth largest school district and one of the largest employers in the county. More than half of the district's employees are teachers, all of whom are state-certified. Approximately 42 percent of instructional staff hold master's degrees, educational specialist degrees, or doctoral degrees. Exceptional Student Education (ESE) provides services to over 13,000 students within Volusia County Schools. Students may be considered for ESE services if they meet the criteria of one or more of the categories of disabilities and/or meet eligibility criteria for gifted services as outlined in the Exceptional Student Education Special Policies and Procedures (SP&P).
This Accessibility Plan stated the intentions of Volusia County adopting this accessibility plan in line with the schools’ special educational needs policy with the aim of ensuring that the schools are collectively and educationally inclusive, that all pupils have access to a full curriculum, and that all pupils are appropriately challenged ensuring all students receive a superior 21st century education” (2021).
TF - V Productivity and Professional Practice
ISTE Technology Facilitation Standard: sates, “educational technology facilitators apply technology to enhance and improve personal productivity and professional practice” (2001).
I took EDTC 5465 Instructional Design and I had “create instructional materials that reflect current theory and research on learning, exemplify a creative infusion of technology into the content areas, and approach assessment as a dynamic, process-oriented component of the learning experience” based on the description given by Webster University (2021). One of the major assignments I created was Noodle Cadoodle Counting students applying the concept of one-to-one correspondence when counting and comparing objects. The objectives of the lesson were 1) students will be able to accurately count a set of items. 2. Students will be able to compare two or more sets of items and indicate which set has more items and which has fewer items. 3. Students will be able to hand out one item to each child in the class.
I had to complete a needs analysis for the lesson. Counting and one to one correspondence are the foundations of early math concepts. Simply put, one-to-one correspondence is the process of touching one object for each number that is counted aloud. This may seem simple, but many children initially find it difficult to coordinate their counting with the movement of their hand. It is important the students understand that each number counted corresponds to one object. The teacher has requested a change in the instruction to take place in her classroom with her pre-kindergarten students. The solution to take place is to incorporate one-to-one correspondence into the lesson on counting can constructing sets. Direct and guided instruction is the most appropriate means for bringing about the desired change of the students learning to coordinate their counting with the movement of their hand.
The target group for this assignment was a Pre-kindergarten class consisting of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. Their cognitive development is within the preoperational stage and they only work with concrete ideas and they are literal thinkers. Even though they are starting to think logically and beginning to understand that events follow a sequence through time, they still rely heavily on body language as a means of communication. All the students are eager to learn and are intrinsically motivated due to the interest in learning and the feeling of accomplishment when they do the task correctly and even when the students are redirect, they are so eager to get it right they try again. All the students are eager to please the teacher(s) in the classroom, therefore this helps with student motivation to learn.
The use of technology in this lesson was to incorporate the video the Numbers 1-10 Song video http://www.schooltube.com/video/3b852748fcb34327abca/Numbers%201-10%20Song%20Video. I choose the video to gain the attention of the students and after reading the story How Do Dinosaurs Count?, the student would play A counting game http://www.ezschool.com/Games/Counting.html at this website the students can practice one-to-one correspondence by counting the number of apples on the tree then clicking the cloud that has the corresponding number in it. While completing the task analysis for the assignment, I had discovered that cognitive development and general knowledge are the first elements developed in mathematical thinking. Mathematical thinking is shown through the following areas: number sense, number and operations, patterns and seriation, geometry, spatial relations, and measurement. Number sense is the first area out of the six areas to focus on and it sets the foundation for several of the other areas of mathematical thinking. Number sense involves counting and constructing sets of objects, using one-to-one correspondence, and understanding that two sets are either equal or one set has more or less. In developing the concept of number sense the students are learning that numbers represent a certain number of objects.
Students at this age are visually learners and the use of technology to enhance and improve the lessons are critical. The students can related to the visual on a more cognitive level then if they were just being exposed to direct instruction at an auditory level.
TF - VIII Leadership and Vision
ISTE Technology Facilitation Standard: sates, “educational technology facilitators will contribute to the shared vision for campus integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of the vision” (2001).
When I took EDTC 6022 Designing Accessibility Learning Communities I had to develop my own Professional Growth Plan fostering a culture and an environment in alignment to the shared vision of the school campus. The school where I worked served over 700 students in grades Prekindergarten-Fifth grade offering several classes and programs that provide a challenging and stimulating environment for learning to prepare students for their future. There were 61 teachers teaching a diverse population of students from students with significant disabilities to gifted students. I worked in a Pre-K Blended classroom where we were an inclusive environment educationally servicing both students with disabilities and students without disabilities. In educating our students, we strive to empower them to communicate effectively, include everyone, show empathy, demonstrate responsibility and perseverance.
Volusia County School District’s vision is they, “ensuring all students receive a superior 21st century education” (2021). Striving to provide a nurturing environment, promoting academic development, individual growth, and mutual respect to develop productive, responsible citizens” (2021). Their mission is to “ignite a passion for learning by providing a challenging, creative curriculum in a safe, supportive environment where students reach their highest potential” (2015). Increasing the focus on consistent implementation of curriculum regarding instructional time for each subject area.
The following five goals and action steps were established to align with the vision of not only the school campus but also the school district:
As I was completing this assignment in EDTC 6022, it helped to understand the importance of setting goals. An excellent way to achieve goals I have set is to continue with professional development. It can give you the necessary resources needed for you to achieve those goals in an efficient manner. This assignment also provided me the opportunity to really look at what vision, mission, and goals were of the school district I worked for. This was significant in ensuring I was developing professionally in the areas I needed and that were relevant to my position with the district.
References
ISTE Technology Facilitation Standards. (2001). https://worldclassroom.webster.edu/courses/1390239/pages/tf-ii-planning-and-designing-learning-environments-and-experiences
https://worldclassroom.webster.edu/courses/1390239/pages/tf-v-productivity-and-professional-practice
https://worldclassroom.webster.edu/courses/1390239/pages/tf-viii-leadership-and-vision
Volusia County School District Digital Classroom Plan. (2015). https://www.boarddocs.com/fla/vcsfl/Board.nsf/files/A4CTUJ6DDCFF/%24file/Final%20DCP-11%2014%20(2).pdf
Volusia County School District Exceptional Student Education. (2017). https://www.vcsedu.org/exceptional-student-education
Volusia County School District. (2017). https://www.vcsedu.org/community-information-services/demographics-statistics
Webster University. (2021). https://www.webster.edu/catalog/current/graduate-catalog/courses/edtc.html#.YB60r3lOlPY