3.6 Selecting & Evaluating Digital Tools & Resources
Candidates collaborate with teachers and administrators to select and evaluate digital tools and resources for accuracy, suitability, and compatibility with the school technology infrastructure. (PSC 3.6/ISTE 3f)
Artifact: Emerging Technologies Presentation
Reflection:
During the summer of 2015 ITEC 7445- Multimedia Web Design course, I was asked to select and evaluate a digital tool or resource that I thought my school or district should purchase. This is a presentation I created to share with my administrators and technology leaders to encourage them to purchase a 3D Printer. The presentation goes in depth looking at the purposes of a 3D printer in the science classroom and what other schools have been able to do using one. Standards met and possible funding sources are also included as part of the PowerPoint. My contribution for this artifact was to research emerging technologies and select one that would benefit the students of my school and create the presentation to encourage the administration to approve purchasing the technology.
Technology is something that is constantly changing. For this artifact I had to research and collaborate with my colleagues and administrators to select and evaluate an emerging technology that could be used in the educational setting. After spending the school year encouraging my students to be innovative and find their passion to explore and make a reality, 3D printing seemed to be a logical digital tool that they could use to help bring to life some of their passions. Once I had selected the emerging technology I was interested in, I spent many hours researching how 3D printing is currently being used in all types of settings, focusing mainly on educational scenarios. I then collaborated with the technology specialist for my school to discuss the accuracy, suitability, and compatibility of a 3D printer with the current school technology infrastructure. This presentation includes the additional resources that would need to be purchased to accompany the 3D printer to make it compatible with the system infrastructure.
Determining a budget and what items to spend monies on is a sizable responsibility. Completing this emerging technology presentation allowed me an opportunity to walk through the research process that must be used any time there is something new being considered for purchase. I learned the importance of collaborating with others and ensuring that the purchase would impact as many stakeholders as possible and that there is a significant reason why it should be purchased. Often times as teachers we hear about something new and want to see it implemented in the school without first considering the suitability and compatibility with our system. If I were walking through this process again I would want to spend more time speaking with other teachers or systems who had implemented the same technology to see how successful their implementation had been. We often learn more from these conversations than just reading about schools far away.
The creation of this artifact impacted school improvement and student learning by evaluating new digital tools that could be used by the students and teachers to enhance lessons and projects with visuals designed and created by them. The manipulatives and products produced by the 3D printer would increase student learning during the daily lessons and activities in which they were used. This impact could be assessed by comparing the assessment scores of units when the 3D printer was used versus those when it was not.
During the summer of 2015 ITEC 7445- Multimedia Web Design course, I was asked to select and evaluate a digital tool or resource that I thought my school or district should purchase. This is a presentation I created to share with my administrators and technology leaders to encourage them to purchase a 3D Printer. The presentation goes in depth looking at the purposes of a 3D printer in the science classroom and what other schools have been able to do using one. Standards met and possible funding sources are also included as part of the PowerPoint. My contribution for this artifact was to research emerging technologies and select one that would benefit the students of my school and create the presentation to encourage the administration to approve purchasing the technology.
Technology is something that is constantly changing. For this artifact I had to research and collaborate with my colleagues and administrators to select and evaluate an emerging technology that could be used in the educational setting. After spending the school year encouraging my students to be innovative and find their passion to explore and make a reality, 3D printing seemed to be a logical digital tool that they could use to help bring to life some of their passions. Once I had selected the emerging technology I was interested in, I spent many hours researching how 3D printing is currently being used in all types of settings, focusing mainly on educational scenarios. I then collaborated with the technology specialist for my school to discuss the accuracy, suitability, and compatibility of a 3D printer with the current school technology infrastructure. This presentation includes the additional resources that would need to be purchased to accompany the 3D printer to make it compatible with the system infrastructure.
Determining a budget and what items to spend monies on is a sizable responsibility. Completing this emerging technology presentation allowed me an opportunity to walk through the research process that must be used any time there is something new being considered for purchase. I learned the importance of collaborating with others and ensuring that the purchase would impact as many stakeholders as possible and that there is a significant reason why it should be purchased. Often times as teachers we hear about something new and want to see it implemented in the school without first considering the suitability and compatibility with our system. If I were walking through this process again I would want to spend more time speaking with other teachers or systems who had implemented the same technology to see how successful their implementation had been. We often learn more from these conversations than just reading about schools far away.
The creation of this artifact impacted school improvement and student learning by evaluating new digital tools that could be used by the students and teachers to enhance lessons and projects with visuals designed and created by them. The manipulatives and products produced by the 3D printer would increase student learning during the daily lessons and activities in which they were used. This impact could be assessed by comparing the assessment scores of units when the 3D printer was used versus those when it was not.