Professional+Development

Professional Development: Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers: a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
 * 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity**

As a future math teacher, it is hard for me to envision challenging the creative needs of my students while still trying to teach them the mathematics that they need to know for future learning. Currently, my ways of achieving student creativity and innovative thinking do not use or require any form of technology. I can also develop ways to solve real-world issues using modern technology without the need of digital tools and resources. While I do believe in the necessity of student reflection for future problem solving, I do not think that this requires much technology or digital communication; also, I am not good at using those things in order to inspire or further instruct students.
 * Current Abilities**

The need to develop in this area relates to the fact that it will be easier to inspire students with technology and may further their education by showing them other ways to do something and letting them tell their classmates by an easier method. In developing technology for student learning and creativity, teachers give the students the opportunity to attain problem-solving skills that they might otherwise not achieve.
 * Need – Why is there a need to develop in this area?**

My goal is to develop techniques, skills, and problem-solving strategies that allow me to aid my students’ creativity. In doing so, I hope to spark an interest in mathematics and problem-solving that may not have been there if not for technology and digital tools.
 * Goal**

During this class, I will try to learn and develop resources that will help me better instruct my students in order to foster their learning and creativity. With these resources—and the digital tools that we learn—it is my goal that my students will benefit by my knowledge of technologies that foster their creativity and inspire them to use similar technology to learn even more.
 * Short Term Plan – What will you do during this class?**

In the next year—when I get into my classroom for the first time—I will try to implement as best I can various technologies that will allow my students to learn beyond traditional education techniques. I will use all the digital tools available to me to give my students the best chance possible. Also, I will use the resources learned in this class to research and find other means of helping my students learn using digital tools and technologies.
 * Long Term Plan – What you will do in the next year?**

To determine whether or not my digital tools and techniques to implement them actually helped my students, I will compare their test scores to those of their peers. Also, I will add material that will allow me to assess student learning. By making sure that my students are properly using digital tools to learn, I can help improve their growth by teaching to their strengths.
 * Assessment – How will you know that you did it?**