6.

1 Continuous Learning Candidates demonstrate continual growth in knowledge and skills of

current and emerging technologies and apply them to improve personal productivity and

professional practice.

Moving through the instructional technology courses, continuing education beyond

earning this degree was very important to me. Therefore, I also made sure to attend professional

development beyond the courses I was enrolled in. this is why I made sure to attend professional

development opportunities in the technology field as they arose. I chose to attend a Nearpod

professional development hosted by another teacher in our county. During this professional

development, we reviewed the features, installation, and potential uses for Nearpod within the

English Language Arts classroom. After attending this professional development, I implemented

a Nearpod lesson in my classroom. This demonstrates continual growth in knowledge and skills

of current and emerging technologies and how I adapted and applied them to improve personal

productivity and professional practice. The goal of this professional development was to teach

others how to use an effective web 2.0 tool in the classroom in order to enhance student

engagement and better assess student learning.

After attending this professional development, I returned to my classroom and

implemented the Nearpod lesson I designed during the professional development meeting. I

incorporated Nearpod features into my student’s notes. With Nearpod, students moved through

the notes and as they went, they were asked a series of surface-level comprehension questions.

This allowed students to check for understanding on their own. Since these questions were given

through Nearpod, students cannot continue with their notes until they have answered the question

correctly. As the teacher, I could see student responses, which also eliminated students guessing
until they get the answers correct. I was also able to assess their understanding before students

moved on to group work. If students continued to get Nearpod answers wrong, I stepped in and

provided assistance to help students develop their critical thinking skills as we worked through

the questions together.

Because I did not host the professional development, there’s nothing I can change or do

better in the future. However, based on the presenter’s level of knowledge on Nearpod, I feel as

though in the future, I could host a professional development on web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I

feel as though I have learned enough and implemented enough technology to share my results

with others.

The impact of this particular professional development can be seen throughout the county

in English Language Arts classrooms. Implementing Nearpod can help students learn to self-

assess and review materials individually. It can also allow teachers to assess student learning and

guide students one-on-one more efficiently.