Standard 1.

1 Shared Vision:
Candidates facilitate the development and implementation of a shared vision for the use of technology in teaching,
learning, and leadership.
(PSC 1.1/ISTE 1a)

Reflection:
The vision paper was developed to determine the goals for successful technology
integration and effective engaged learning practices for all stakeholders at Mt. Carmel
Elementary School. This artifact was an opportunity for me to look at the School Improvement
Plan with administration and determine the vision for school growth and improvement in the area
of technology integration.
The shared vision assignment gave me an opportunity to look at my attitudes and beliefs
towards student achievement. I believe that academic learning must begin with motivation and
inspiration. Students deserve an educator's passion for both the subject at hand and learning as a
whole. Teaching and learning become a simultaneous journey for both the teacher and students
when students' energy is engaged by a teacher's genuine intensity for learning, because everyone
is ready and willing to participate in active learning. To achieve active learning, a teacher must
demonstrate enthusiasm and express confidence in the students' abilities to learn and be
successful. Employing constructivist methods of teaching in one's classroom forces students to
take an active role in their education by making choices and assuming responsibility for
intelligent inquiry and discovery. For instance, discussions, projects, and experiments ensure
student achievement and allow students and the teacher to discover individual student's
preferences and strengths. This approach facilitates differentiated activities for each student's
distinctive ambitions, making the subject more relevant to every student's life.

Students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, and capabilities should have the
opportunity to learn from professional, well-informed teachers who are creative and
knowledgeable, both in their area of expertise and life. Certainly, every child has different
learning styles and aptitudes; however, by recognizing every student's potential and having
separate, individual goals for each, a teacher can accommodate personal needs and abilities and
encourage the pursuit of academic aspirations. Through my course work I have learned that the
ISTE definition for a technology coach is an individual who can inspire peers and participate in
the development and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive integration of
technology to promote excellence and transformational changes throughout the instructional
environment. (ISTE Coaches 2014) As a technology coach, I believe that technology is a
valuable tool which can enhance student learning and expand the scope of the curriculum in
many innovative ways and improve efficiency in all operational areas of the school. The
professional development opportunities I held emphasized how staff should demonstrate a sound
understanding of technology and its application as outlined in the teacher and administrator
technology standards published by the MSDE. Such an understanding will provide increased and
enhanced opportunities for students to benefit from technology in the classrooms. Technical
support staff as well as instructional staff must be involved in ongoing training in order for it to
become standard practice.


If this assignment were given to me again, I feel that I could give a more in depth
analysis of the needs and policies that are vital to developing a shared vision for technology
integration in order to increase student achievement. The knowledge I have gained through
completing the capstone project has given me new insight into effective training modules. In
future trainings, I would do more ongoing evaluation in order to have a clear vision of mastery of
content being delivered.
The development of a shared vision for our school and technology integration has
directly impacted students achievement. This increase in student achievement can be measured
in the increase in CRCT scores for the general education population, and the students with
disabilities population. The third grade reading CRCT scores for students with disabilities was
80%. For fifth grade the reading CRCT scores were also 80%. The fifth grade writing assessment
also showed an increase in skills acquisition. One hundred percent of fifth grade students with
learning disabilities passed the fifth grade writing assessment. Going forward I will continue to
use technology as an integral part of my lesson planning and design in order to create engaged
learning opportunities for all of my students.