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About the Author
Tell us about yourself and how you came to develop your driving question. You might also want to include a link to your personal web page, blog, etc. It is also nice to include the means for people to contact you through a contact form. This way you won't have to give out your email address.
About the Author
After I retired from the corporate world, I decided to become a stay-at-home mom where I discovered my passion for teaching. Helping out in classrooms, on field trips, in scouts, 4-H, and coaching both swimming and water polo, I loved being with children and igniting their interest in learning. I began my teaching career in 2009 when my youngest child was heading off to college. So I tried substitute teaching, then enrolled in the teacher accreditation program at Sonoma State. Fast forward, I am now in my sixth year of teaching. I have taught fourth grade at McPherson elementary and I love it. Each year, I dive deeper and refine my teaching.
Fortunately, Napa Valley Unified School District promotes lifelong learning and professional development, two aspects of teaching that I love. This led me to find the Digital Innovators Program at Napa Learns. I found the workshops so much fun and I enjoyed the camaraderie of the teachers in attendance. I learned about cool tools that I could use in the classroom and my students benefited from learning 21st-century skills.
So when we transitioned to distance-learning last year, my class was ready for it, or so I thought. My students were used to interactive computer-based learning in the classroom. But I had only begun to use Zoom as a tool to connect the classroom to Virtual Fieldtrips. My students and I struggled with troubleshooting tech issues from home. It became apparent that I needed to learn more to be able to teach in this distance-learning environment. I sought advice from my Digital Innovator Colleagues as to what I could do to help my students in distance-learning. The more questions I had the more they pointed me to pursue higher education --specifically the Masters of Education in Innovative Learning, offered by Touro University. This program is promoted and supported by Napa Learns and has allowed me to grow academically and professionally. My fellow students have become my lifeline, they inspire and encourage me.
My Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy includes leading by example while instilling a love of learning. Each child explores and discovers their driving force. I want each student to value themselves in the learning process. Much like Piaget, I believe in constructivism. Constructivism is an educational theory where the learner builds on what they already know to construct new knowledge. But like a pebble in a pond, the ripples are amplified and extend out to reach places not predicted. As a teacher, I drop knowledge similar to a pebble into a pond that represents my students who create ripples that create paradigm shifts and allow them to transform their education that is uniquely tailored to their experience. Thereby building on their previous learning.
My fourth-graders have profited from my learning which has led me to explore the role of adult learning (andragogy) in professional development. Distance-teaching tools were pushed out to teachers at a scale and pace that was overwhelming to many. I wanted to know how teachers were navigating this learning. How do teachers internalize what they have learned during professional development and how does that knowledge impact student learning? I connected my passion for lifelong learning and saw firsthand how I was modeling for my students the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) that I enjoyed pursuing. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” I have only begun my journey and now I have a cohort of wonderful like-minded teachers to spur me on.
My TPACK Journey
What I enjoy most about my technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) journey is that I have been able to infuse my roomers and zoomers in a technology-enhanced learning environment. Developing Transliteracy, or the ability to access and apply tools across a range of platforms that include digital social networks, TV, radio, film, and print to expand students’ ability to read, speak, write, and understand the 21st-century world they live in. I teach students to learn, by having the students use the 4 C’s (communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking) while I utilize research-based teaching strategies. The magic of TPACK is the point where technology, pedagogy, content, and knowledge intersect. This synergy creates an energy that drives education. It is where teaching becomes an art. As Tim Minchin has said, “The arts and sciences need to work together to improve how knowledge is communicated.” It is my goal to teach every student to take that first step on their own journey to fulfill their own potential and realize self-actualization. In the same vein, I am on the same journey and one day I hope to reach the mountain top.
About the Author
After I retired from the corporate world, I decided to become a stay-at-home mom where I discovered my passion for teaching. Helping out in classrooms, on field trips, in scouts, 4-H, and coaching both swimming and water polo, I loved being with children and igniting their interest in learning. I began my teaching career in 2009 when my youngest child was heading off to college. So I tried substitute teaching, then enrolled in the teacher accreditation program at Sonoma State. Fast forward, I am now in my sixth year of teaching. I have taught fourth grade at McPherson elementary and I love it. Each year, I dive deeper and refine my teaching.
Fortunately, Napa Valley Unified School District promotes lifelong learning and professional development, two aspects of teaching that I love. This led me to find the Digital Innovators Program at Napa Learns. I found the workshops so much fun and I enjoyed the camaraderie of the teachers in attendance. I learned about cool tools that I could use in the classroom and my students benefited from learning 21st-century skills.
So when we transitioned to distance-learning last year, my class was ready for it, or so I thought. My students were used to interactive computer-based learning in the classroom. But I had only begun to use Zoom as a tool to connect the classroom to Virtual Fieldtrips. My students and I struggled with troubleshooting tech issues from home. It became apparent that I needed to learn more to be able to teach in this distance-learning environment. I sought advice from my Digital Innovator Colleagues as to what I could do to help my students in distance-learning. The more questions I had the more they pointed me to pursue higher education --specifically the Masters of Education in Innovative Learning, offered by Touro University. This program is promoted and supported by Napa Learns and has allowed me to grow academically and professionally. My fellow students have become my lifeline, they inspire and encourage me.
My Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy includes leading by example while instilling a love of learning. Each child explores and discovers their driving force. I want each student to value themselves in the learning process. Much like Piaget, I believe in constructivism. Constructivism is an educational theory where the learner builds on what they already know to construct new knowledge. But like a pebble in a pond, the ripples are amplified and extend out to reach places not predicted. As a teacher, I drop knowledge similar to a pebble into a pond that represents my students who create ripples that create paradigm shifts and allow them to transform their education that is uniquely tailored to their experience. Thereby building on their previous learning.
My fourth-graders have profited from my learning which has led me to explore the role of adult learning (andragogy) in professional development. Distance-teaching tools were pushed out to teachers at a scale and pace that was overwhelming to many. I wanted to know how teachers were navigating this learning. How do teachers internalize what they have learned during professional development and how does that knowledge impact student learning? I connected my passion for lifelong learning and saw firsthand how I was modeling for my students the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) that I enjoyed pursuing. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” I have only begun my journey and now I have a cohort of wonderful like-minded teachers to spur me on.
My TPACK Journey
What I enjoy most about my technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) journey is that I have been able to infuse my roomers and zoomers in a technology-enhanced learning environment. Developing Transliteracy, or the ability to access and apply tools across a range of platforms that include digital social networks, TV, radio, film, and print to expand students’ ability to read, speak, write, and understand the 21st-century world they live in. I teach students to learn, by having the students use the 4 C’s (communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking) while I utilize research-based teaching strategies. The magic of TPACK is the point where technology, pedagogy, content, and knowledge intersect. This synergy creates an energy that drives education. It is where teaching becomes an art. As Tim Minchin has said, “The arts and sciences need to work together to improve how knowledge is communicated.” It is my goal to teach every student to take that first step on their own journey to fulfill their own potential and realize self-actualization. In the same vein, I am on the same journey and one day I hope to reach the mountain top.