Chapter 2 Reflection

TPCK Chapt. 2
Reflection 2
Kim Fuller
1/20/09

In the last 4 years, I have been teaching in a district that is very
committed to technology. Prior to this teaching assignment, I
worked in a district that was less committed and the digital divide
as very obvious. Where I am currently teaching, my fourth graders
have access to laptops several times a week and have email accounts.
The laptops are used for a variety of purposes; research, skill practice,
shared media experiences, communication and presentations. All
grading is done on Powergrade and parents can access student grades
via the internet. It is difficult for all parents to have access to the internet.
It is also difficult for all students to have equal access due to lack of
internet at home, problems with computers at school, blocks placed on
certain sites and each teacher’s level of competence with technology.
Personally, I have had to play “catch-up” with my current staff because
I had not had the professional development like others in my school. I am
still learning and trying to become more comfortable with the integration
of technology into all the content areas. My district does provide professional
development each year by hosting a week long institute where teachers can
attend workshops on various topics. This past year, I worked with my fourth
grade team on integrating technology into a social studies unit on Immigration
and we developed a Web Quest. We also created digital field guides for an
ecosystem unit and each student used a digital camera to take photos of an
ecosystem and each student was able to create a field guide. This was a very
successful endeavor. But I still can see where I am not doing as much as other
educators so I continue to work on my skills particularly in the area of Wikis
and Blogs.
Technology is developing at such a rapid pace and it is very difficult to keep up to
speed. I also find technology to be a personal taste. Some people are very drawn
to it and others choose to do other things in their spare time. So interest and
motivation can be part of the divide as well. Personally, I have been slower to
embrace technology but do see its potential and how it can provide many engaging
and divergent experiences for my students.

Chapter 1 Reflection

Reflection
TPCK Chapt. 1
Kim Fuller
1/20/09

The complexities of teaching and learning have been present in my work from the first
day I began my career as an elementary teacher. My first teaching assignment was to
work with pre first-graders and I was hired in November due to large class sizes. My
students were 5 and 6 year-olds and had already bonded with their first teacher. This
alone was a huge hurdle not to mention I had no experience with students that young. So
the complexities of teaching hit me full-on everyday of my first year. I was constantly
trying things, evaluating, revamping and trying again. Many days I was scared to death
because I had no idea what the day would bring. I was on my own and had little support in those early days. I look back and wonder sometimes… How did those students survive
my first attempts as an educator? That experience humbled me and continues to influence my teaching and learning to this day. I learned quickly that teaching involves constant decision-making, reacting to energies from multiple sources and behaviors. How I behave as an educator and the choices I make constantly impact someone. This can be a very overwhelming concept. I did learn early to seek help from my peers. I was lucky to work with veteran teachers who were very willing to share materials, strategies and philosophies. Those early interactions with my colleagues helped me to face the complexities of education with some preparedness.
As I continue in my career, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my
teaching and assist my students but I am also aware of how we all operate at our own
developmental levels, teachers and students alike. We all take in information, learn
strategies and apply them as we are ready. That adds to the complexities of education.
I might learn a new technique or strategy and attempt to use it with my students and it
may or may not be successful. I will have to reflect, adjust and try again. My students
will follow a similar path. Today, I have much more support and have had many
opportunities to work with my peers. It is my belief that due to the complexities of
teaching and learning, we need to be in a transparent environment where we work with
other professionals to improve our skills.