Written by This year marks my fourth year teaching in a grade one classroom. I am a different teacher today than I was four years ago and I look forward to continuing my growth.
A goal for me will be to use new technology and tools in my classroom in a way that works for me and my students. We are changing the way we present our portfolios and moving them online with an app called Sesame HQ. My professional goal for the year will look at restructuring how I document and share information and classroom work with the parent community. Will the online portfolios change the way 3-way conferences and student led conferences are run? Will it provide an avenue for deeper reflection? Will it double my work? I have a lot of questions but am excited to engage with a community of educators in search of the answers.
After my first Cohort21 face to face I am feeling excited, engaged and overwhelmed. I look forward to exploring the new technologies and continuing to connect with people from schools across Ontario.
Christie –
It’s great to have you aboard! I’m glad that you’re feeling excited and engaged. The new technology can certainly feel overwhelming, but remember that you don’t have to use all of the all of the time. With the new technology you are also set to explore in your classroom, just find what works for you and run with it! You will figure out pretty quickly what you are drawn to and what will be most beneficial for you to focus on.
See you in November! And until then, good luck!
Jen
Sesame HQ is a great software to support conversations. I’m a big believer in portfolios because they can emphsize process and uncovering learning, and not just measure students in a final assessment of learning. I find that, used well, they encourage metacognition and reflection more so than any other tool that I’ve used. It is, in fact, how I treat my own Cohort 21 blog. It is less of a weekly, prescribed blog and more of an inspired blog, where I write to synthesize and make sense of what I am working on.
I really look forward to following your use of Sesame HQ
Thanks for putting your ideas out there, Christie!
You raise some really good questions about how technology can affect your teaching practice and student learning. As we move into the action plan phase of Cohort 21, start to think about what is the goal of using this technology. What is the problem that you are trying to solve, and how might Sesame HQ help you do that? When we start with the “why” everything else falls into place. We’ll be walking you through the process of identifying a problem and unearthing opportunities in the next F2F, but it’s good to get your mind there in advance 🙂