At this point in my professional career, I incorporate educational technology on a daily basis. When I began my journey in the Educational Technology program at Boise State, I was teaching social studies. At this point, I am starting a new position this fall where I’ll be teaching computer science to grades 6-9, conducting technical support for the school, and managing the website for the school. As part of this position, I also will be running professional development sessions for staff on the effective use of technology to support student learning.
As a result of taking this course, I am hoping to gain information that will aid me in working with administrators whose background isn’t rooted in using educational technology for instruction. I am hoping that through learning the foundational theories of educational technology I will be able to assist our school in creating its first school technology plan. In addition, I hope that I will gain a better understanding of how to be systematic in an approach to technology while blending it with best practices in classroom-based teaching practices.
I believe that I bring knowledge and experiences that most computer science educators don’t have to the table. I began my professional career as a middle school English Language Arts teacher, then found myself teaching middle school social studies for 12 years. In both of these positions, I integrated technology into my lessons on a daily basis to promote student engagement and understanding within the content area. In addition to the aforesaid, I have experience conducting professional development workshops in multiple venues. These include the following: building level, district level, at regional technology conferences, and in synchronous and asynchronous workshops with 3DGameLab online. I feel that gaining additional information regarding professional theory will enhance my ability to design and implement classroom instruction and professional development for colleagues in my profession.
Joanna Marcotte: M.E.T. Portfolio 