Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CT 200
As a bilingual elementary school teacher, I have various technology goals which focus on being
able to give my bilingual students various modalities to express themselves and more importantly,
demonstrate their understanding of topics and concepts. My current district is one where funds are low
and unlike neighboring districts, we do not have items such as smartboards or promethean boards. We
are very lucky to have two portable IPad carts, a computer cart, a computer library in the building, as
well as projectors in each class. Moreover, my goal is to allow my students from varying levels of English
networked with colleagues and was able to purchase products which would give similar effects of a
ensure that they will have the most motivating and appropriate forms of learning.
In regards to the ISTE Standards for Teachers, I believe that there are two standards I would
implement in my classroom. The first standard would be ISTE Standard 3: Citizen. I believe that this ISTE
standard is extremely important for all ages, but more importantly in the primary grades. Although, all
subdomains are important the key subdomain which stuck out to me in this standard was subdomain
3A: Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit
empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community. In my classroom creating a sense
of community is essential for the program. In my district, bilingual children loop together to the next
grade. In my classroom, I would begin the conversation of typing in a responsible way and thinking of
what has been written before it is sent. Towards the end of the last school year, several children
received phones and I then implemented the lo-tech version of cellphones through writing notes.
I believe that although technology was not directly included, it was a good precursor and
discussion of writing and expressing themselves in a positive and constructive manner. In addition, it
also served as a lesson in which, once something was written and placed in my mailbox, it could not be
retrieve. In addition, the other standard which I was drawn to was ISTE Standard 6: Facilitator. I was
fascinated with this standard because it targets the key belief that educators continue their normal
job of guiding children in acquisition, but with the twist of introducing children to technology through
apps. Just as children learn to open a book, hold a pencil, and form letters and numbers, they must also
learn how to mature in a digital world through responsible curiosity. This standard would be
implemented in my classroom through the iPads we have in school. Although the course, CT 200, has
met only once, I believe that I have such a plethora of apps and information that I need to learn, play
This standard drew me in mostly because I love making my students curious, challenging them,
and allowing them to express their understandings. I believe children inherently try to please their
teachers, and want their praise. Through ISTE Standard 6, children in my class would be given
educational goals and updated as they progress to continue challenging them. Perhaps on an application
like Class Dojo, I would reward my students as they move on to the next reading level, thus they are
always taking ownership of their learning goals. I believe that this could be helpful in my classroom
because we could, as a class, see our growth and foster an environment of pursuing goals. Last year I
was able to do something similar in reading, through RAZ-Kids. On Fridays we would sit as a group, see
where we were and see a text of where we had to be at the end of the year. As children progressed in
reading levels they were not just praised, but encouraged to continue bettering their skills.
In regards to the ISTE Standards for Students I believe that as digital citizens it is extremely
important that they understand all standards, due to many of the standards being interconnected. The
first idea would be to truly appreciate and use technology to its full capacity. Students should keep this
awareness in mind with a growth mindset. As with all new things, students may become stumped or
confused; however they should collaborate with not only friends, but people around the world to
further their understanding of technology and innovative technology. Furthermore, as the internet and
technology allow people to have instant contact, it elicits students to become accurate communicators
and realize that there are various modalities of communication and representation of knowledge.
In addition, the ISTE standards for students comes with the implication of responsibility. Our
culture constantly reminds children/adolescents that they are children. As a result of this constant
bombardment of being told that they are irresponsible or not mature, the internet is a gateway for
receiving and dispersing any and all kind of information. The primary standard which stands out to me is
students learning to be digital citizens and understanding the responsibility of being a part of the digital
As discussed in class, the SAMR model is the digital equivalent to Blooms taxonomy, where
children take information and then over various processes move from simply receiving the information
through technology (substitution) and progress through the stages of augmentation, modification, and
eventually redefinition in order to produce a better product. The SAMR model is the equivalent of
Blooms taxonomy but with the digital twist of demonstrating understanding through technology. A
lesson where I would be able to integrate the SAMR model would be in Fundations and our reading
program. Through the use of an IPad I would be able to give an assignment of being presented a word
visually and having them write it or copy it. Eventually, I could move to writing words with no visual aide
and then sentences. I would then print their created sentences. Once children are able to create their
own sentences they could move into the app Chatterpix. Within the app I would have them select an
image of themselves, create a cut in the characters mouth and then have them record their reading.
Once the product is finished I could project it onto the class while demonstrating the sentence being
read.
This multimode form of representation could first motivate my students and move them from
the substitution stage of the SAMR module into the later stages of actually creating a product, or
redefinition. As a teacher, I believe that the SAMR model prepares students with 21st century skills and
how to move them from simply understanding to being able to produce creations that can demonstrate
their understanding. Technology in the classroom has moved from being an option to becoming a
necessity. As a bilingual and primary grade educator, it is fundamental that I am able to demonstrate to
my students varies modalities of a concept. As well as having them capable of using technology, while