Pre-admission+Competencies+Verification





**1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity** __Artifact 1__ __Reflection 1__ Description: I chose the “Idiom” lesson as my first artifact because I felt that it “inspired student learning and creativity” by giving them the opportunity to use technology to explore a concept and find answers on their own. Not only does learning about idioms satisfy a Language Arts benchmark, it helps students understand utterances in everyday life. Impact: I learned that students like to use the computers and internet, and they like to work at their own pace. Most students enjoy being allowed to surf the net and explore on their own with teachers being facilitators. Intent: As a result of this lesson, I intend to use more “self-paced learning” in my classroom, where students are given instructions, materials, and deadlines, and then turned loose to use the internet and technological tools to produce a finished product. I will also give them guidance as to how to evaluate the authenticity of websites to make sure they are looking at reliable information.

__Artifact 2__ __Reflection 2__ Description:  In order for my students to apply their knowledge of interesting adjectives and vibrant verbs as they apply to descriptive writing, I introduced this project I found in [|www.webquest.org]. This web quest allowed students to create their own unique restaurants. They had to pick a theme and create a menu while writing descriptive blurbs about everything from the food, to the décor, to the seating. The webquest gave students step-by-step instructions on how to complete the project, and provided links to restaurant menus and themes. By the end of the project, I had a skateboard themed restaurant complete with skateboard ramps and jumps, finger foods, and energy drinks, and a 7-Deadly Sins restaurant with menu items that corresponded to each deadly sin, including lustful desserts and wrathful entrees. Throughout the whole project, students had to write unique descriptions and underline ALL the adjectives and adverbs. They also were not allowed to reuse any adjectives or adverbs. Impact: I was relieved to realize that the students really enjoyed this project. They really got a chance to be extremely creative. I found out that some of them are very good artists. As to be expected, the grumbled a little when reminded that they had to have 30 adjectives, all different and underlined, but they really surprised me with some creative, descriptive projects. They enjoyed using the Internet and exploring the links on the webquest. Even the boys, who had a chance to create more masculine-themed restaurants, worked hard on this project. Intent: I intend on doing this project again, but modifying it to include more use of grammar concepts. I may have them underline certain subordinate clauses, or identify prepositional phrases. It could be used as a project for the end of a grammar unit, where students will have to identify many concepts other than just adjectives and adverbs for descriptive writing. I also intend on creating my own webquest. I think this sounds like fun!
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments **

**3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning** Artifact 3 __Reflection 3__ Description: I am using screenshots of my Progress Book Home Page to demonstrate how I communicate with students and parents for this competency. Since all students and parents have access to our online grade book, Progress Book, I use the Home Page feature to post due dates and descriptions of what students are learning for a given month or unit. At any time, a parent or student can log on to the internet and view a due date for a major assignment, or just see what we are learning about for the month. Impact: I thought more parents and students would be knowledgeable of plans and due dates once I started posting it on the Progress Book Home Page, but I learned that many parents and students do not even look at it. During parent/teacher conferences, I always ask parents if they look at the Home Page, and almost none of them do. I feel that there is a breakdown in communication or motivation somewhere that is preventing students and parents to want to stay on top of assignments and due dates. Intent: I intend on talking to my school about another method of communication with students and parents. Perhaps the teachers at my school could start making wikispaces and posting homework and due dates on there. Students could reciprocate the communication by commenting on discussions or submitting work through the wikispace.

**4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility** Artifact 4 <span style="color: #f104ba; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">__Reflection 4__ Description: Because this competency deals with modeling and teaching “safe, legal and ethical use of digital information…and the appropriate documentation of sources,” I have chosen to share a Power Point presentation of plagiarism that I use every year when teaching research writing. This Power Point models paraphrasing from the student handbook, and asks the students to determine whether certain examples are paraphrased or not. Writing research papers is different these days than it used to be. Students rarely use books; instead, they use the internet to find all of their sources, including print sources. Unfortunately, some students are tempted to copy and paste, so the plagiarism lesson becomes important as students learn how to use technology in a responsible and appropriate way. Impact : I have realized there is a disconnect between what students know about plagiarism, and what students do about plagiarism. They know it’s wrong, they’ve learned about it before, and they know they shouldn’t copy; however, many of them continue to copy, even though they know its wrong, and they don’t understand that changing around a few words is still considered plagiarism. This Power Point is designed to start a dialogue about what is or isn’t considered plagiarism. At the end of the presentation, students are asked to paraphrase a passage without plagiarizing. Intent: I intend on working with students to create authentic writing. I will teach them note-taking techniques and require them to take notes on their internet sources in their own words. Perhaps, by teaching them good note-taking techniques, they will be less likely to plagiarize and more likely to write about a topic in their own way, using their own voice and style.

<span style="color: #115ee8; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Artifact 5 <span style="color: #115ee8; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">__Reflection 5__ Description: For this competency, Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership,” I am including artifacts which prove that I have been seeking knowledge and training in the area of technology and education. I attended a seminar on how to use my SchoolPad; I attended the SOITA conference in Dayton, OH (Southwestern Ohio Instructional Technology Association) to learn more about different technologies that exist, or can exist in the classroom, and I attended a workshop on how to use OCIS (Ohio Career Information System), a program that allows students to search for careers, scholarships, post-secondary schools, create resumes and calculate how much it would cost to live in their own. Impact: I have learned that the most useful resource to me, as a teacher at a career technical school, is the OCIS training. I use this every year when I do my employability unit. I show students how to search for and apply to scholarships and schools, post their resumes to the account, and get a “reality check,” a program that students love. They get to see how much their cost of living will be when they get out on their own, and they compare that with the job they want to see of their future career will support the standard of living they want. I learned that students like to think about their futures and plan ahead. When they have a more solidified future career goal in mind, they are more motivated to work harder in school to reach this goal. Intent: I intend on pursuing the other two artifacts a little further. What I mean by this is, I’d like to attend another SOITA conference, or one similar to it, to learn more about the technologies available to students and teachers, and I would like to expand my training, not just on the School Pad, but with a Smart Board as well.