My ETLS ePortfolio
Click any button on the right to navigate this site. Each one contains artifacts illustrating knowledge and skills gained during this program, including items such as projects, writings and other musings.
About Me
I graduated from the University of Houston-Clear Lake with a Bachelor’s in Literature in 2009. In addition to being certified and teaching secondary English Language Arts and Reading, I also hold certifications for Theatre and ESL. After teaching for four years at a Title 1 campus, I moved to a small charter school geared toward helping at-risk students succeed in my current district. There, I was the sole English I teacher and also taught Creative Writing and Reading I/II. Because of this, I saw some students twice a day. It allowed me to form stronger bonds with my students and help them realize their goals. This past year, I moved to a comprehensive high school to streamline my schedule so I could focus on finishing the Educational Technology and Library Science program.
Educational Technology Philosophy
During my graduate school coursework, I had the opportunity to reflect on my educational philosophy. I believe anything useful in helping my students understand or in keeping them engaged-- technology or otherwise-- is necessary for a successful classroom. In order for my students to grow as readers and writers, I have to connect with them and create an environment where they feel comfortable taking risks and pushing their limits.
As a lifelong learner myself, I enjoy exploring technology relevant to my content. In one of my blog posts, “Bringing technology, fun and collaboration into the high school ELA classroom”, I reflect on several options I considered bringing into the classroom. I find it is important to practice and troubleshoot with any applications before deciding to use them with students. It is not only important to bring in technology, but to integrate it seamlessly into lessons to enhance them-- not just for the sake of using technology.
One example of a tool I've found that functions well for my students is Padlet. It passes the test I put all potential technology I plan to use in my classroom with flying colors because of its ease of use, versatility and the possibility of student collaboration. These and other criteria I use can be seen in the rubric my group created for evaluating web 2.0 tools.
Design and Technology
As a teacher in the 21st century, I have many tools available to engage and enlighten my students. Each year, I look for tools to complement the objectives I have in my English Language Arts classroom and enrich the community I build through collaboration in the classroom and beyond.
Part of the Introduction to Educational Technology class is exploring different platforms, then creating a portfolio to house artifacts and reflections I’ve accumulated throughout the course. I researched several platforms, looking for the perfect one for my use as a student, but I also considered which, if any, would be appropriate for my students as they go through high school. Keeping a portfolio is a great way to showcase learning and growth.
In the end, I decided that none of the platforms I tried would benefit my students because the affordance of a portable warehouse already existed in their student blogs. In the past, I used Edublogs, a site that gave me the option of releasing a student’s work to them once they left my class. Then I learned about a young writing community called Write the World, where students are already in control of their writing. They can choose to only post in our private group, but also have the option to post internationally on the main site. I think students’ authentic writing and feedback are central to student success, so a user-friendly platform is a necessity in my classroom. I created an essay unit that outlines the steps for writing an essay and the use of the site. Once a student posts a piece of writing, they can ask for feedback from the online community, which encourages growth. Sharing their ideas with others and getting feedback from classmates helps my students grow by expanding their perspective and understanding of others while learning about themselves.
One recent discovery I’m particularly excited about using in the classroom is Pixton. I created a sample to show students how easy it is to create and pose characters, add text and tell a story. In the future, I will give my students the option of creating a digital retelling of an important event from their independent reading, writing a new scene or rewriting a scene from a different point of view. This tool can be useful to help students process their reading in a new way and share their thoughts with classmates without a heavy focus on language. This can be particularly beneficial for ESL, struggling or reluctant students.
Communication
Being in education today means being an effective communicator- in person, online and on paper. I must know how to communicate with my students in order to make those incredibly important connections and be able to write proposals on a professional level.
If Covid-19 taught me anything as an educator, it’s that my students needed me even more than they did in the classroom during our distance learning. After weeks of hard work, lots of frustration and many triumphs, I was missing my students as much as they had begun missing school. I wanted to acknowledge the difficult situation we found ourselves in and show my appreciation for their efforts. What better way to reach a bunch of high school students than to post a video to our group chat?
When we do get back to school, I hope to maintain that same level of sincerity. In order to show my colleagues I am there to collaborate and serve them as well, I have practiced my "elevator speech". This is one way I plan to reach out to teachers when I see them for a minute or two to show how much I want to have students in the library so they can enjoy the space I create for them.
At the other end of the spectrum, I have to be able to express my needs clearly in order to accomplish professional goals like receiving grants and conducting research. There are many steps to reaching those goals. Both start with proposals. During my course work, I had the opportunity to choose issues important to me in order to practice these skills. Although I currently teach in a 1:1 district, it is not a perfect system. I wrote a proposal for classroom computers as a supplement to student devices. I wrote another proposal for conducting research on the effects of graphic novels on reading comprehension to find out how to best serve ESL and struggling students. As an English Language Arts and Reading teacher, I believe having access to technology and plenty of good books are the keys to student success.
Once I’m in a librarian position, my focus will need to widen. In addition to relating to students and administrators, I will likely have staff that need periodic guidance. I need to have clear expectations and procedures that are easily understood and followed by aides and volunteers alike. To ensure the library runs smoothly, I have written a collection development policy that covers procedures and responsibilities while in the library.
Informed Decision Making
As a teacher now and a librarian in the future, I need to be able to evaluate programs and tools that work for my students, that will work for my patrons and those that work for me professionally. I spend time on and off the clock looking for new ways to engage students and make it easier for them to share their voices and work together. I wrote a blog post highlighting this process.
One web 2.0 tool that I researched for the blog became my focus for a later project, Padlet. After evaluating it according to the rubric my group created as I mentioned earlier, I dove in headfirst to see how many uses I could come up with to use this resource since I’ve decided it’s worth my time and added value to my students’ experience.
I also considered the cost/benefits of adding technology to the classroom in discussion posts, specifically in the Implementing Educational Technology course. The ideas were shared pre Covid-19, a virus that changed our normal as quickly as it spread. It is important to consider how effective a tool is both in and outside the classroom. Covid taught us that nothing is a given, but if we are to move forward- technology is key. Any tool that works as well on a cell phone as it does on any other device gets bonus points from me.
There are many ways to stay connected socially (even at a distance) and share ideas. I spent some time looking into listservs, Twitter and YouTube to tap into other people’s great ideas. Before beginning the Educational Technology and Library Science program at Texas A&M- Commerce, I didn’t realize the full potential of networking in this manner. It just goes to show that we are never done learning. There is always more to see, do and try.
Student-centered Librarianship
Since I have not yet entered into a librarian position, I do not have any experience to share about running a student-centered library. However, I am in the classroom and I believe the library is an extension of the classroom where students come to research, learn, create and enjoy a good book. Assisting students as they independently seek answers and entertainment is a big part of my job now as an ELAR teacher, and I intend on carrying my philosophies into the library with me when the time comes.
I have many ideas about how to make an inviting space for students to relax and read or enjoy the makerspace that works for research and collaboration too. During the Administration of School Libraries course, I wrote a proposal and designed a floor plan for an updated space that can accommodate all of these activities at once to expand the usability of the library of a small secondary campus.
Currently, my students have a minimum of ten minutes a day to read their independent novels; I am able to track their progress by conferencing with my students and reviewing their responses to questions I pose to the class weekly. I use this information to help me in guiding them towards their next books, sometimes with similar themes or genres, but also to identify if they are struggling with a book choice and need to abandon it for a new one. It is important to understand the library in my classroom so I can place the right book into a student's hands.
As the librarian, I will need to focus much of my efforts on maintaining a fresh, relevant and diverse collection to serve my patrons. As part of learning what resources are available, I reviewed different journals and read books to see what would best fit my collection.