My focused PLN goal is to develop a “toolbox” of ideas and technology resources to support students and teachers in developing the ISTE Standards. I realize that this goal is very broad, and I will refine it over the course of my learning. After examining the Microsoft Educator Center, Apple Teacher, Google Educators, and ISTE Professional Learning Networks, I have decided to join the Microsoft Educators Center. The main reason for this is because our school district has officially adopted Office 365 as a learning and teaching platform, and all students have managed accounts. Though I do use several Google apps in my teaching, we are not allowed to require students to have a Google account and must provide alternatives if their parents do not want them to use Google products, so I did not select Google Educator. I wanted to look at the ISTE Educators Network, but I hit a paywall right away and could not figure out how to access a free trial. Apple Educator piqued my interest, as I am a Macbook user, but our school only has a limited number of iPads and 8 older Macbooks. Since we have 3 carts of new laptops and the learning commons has a PC lab, I thought joining Microsoft Educators Center would allow me to gain the most skills to reach the most students. Microsoft Educators has several different paths containing self-paced module content and courses from beginner to advanced. Teachers can also earn badges for completing courses. Some topics that stood out to me are: a course on digital citizenship, support and tutorials for Teams Classroom, Flipgrid, and OneNote, and a whole section on student-centred learning. I liked that each module has a detailed description including an estimated time commitment. I think that the modules and courses will help me in working towards developing an ISTE Standards “toolbox.”
References:
Cook, Rebecca J., et al. “Online Professional Learning Networks: A Viable Solution to the Professional Development Dilemma.” Journal of Special Education Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, June 2017, pp. 109–118, doi:10.1177/0162643417696930.
“Microsoft Educator Center Review for Teachers.” Common Sense Education, Common Sense Media, 22 Apr. 2020, https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/microsoft-educator-center. Accessed 15 April 2022.
“Section 1: Students.” ISTE Standards. International Society for Technology in Education, 2019. www.iste.org/standards. Accessed 15 April 2022.
“Section 2: Educators.” ISTE Standards. International Society for Technology in Education, 2019. www.iste.org/standards. Accessed 15 April 2022.
Lexi,
ReplyDeleteMy goal is similar to yours in that I would also like to learn about new types of technology to incorporate into my teaching, and I like your 'toolbox' analogy as it will really be about finding the net tech to fit the job. I think your method of starting with a broad goal will allow you to create smaller goals as you go along (such as learn about Flip-grid), and it sounds like the PLN you've chosen is the best one to help you reach your goal.
Good luck on adding tools to your toolbox!
Lexi
Scarlet
ReplyDeleteHi, Sarah! I chose the Microsoft Educator Center as well. I found it the best interesting and easy to approach. I also agree that there are several different paths containing self-paced module content and courses from beginner to advanced which was great for beginners to not feel overwhelmed and for people who are already knowledgeable in tech to have a challenge. I also thought that digital citizenship was a great piece too as it is so important nowadays with all the students carrying phones and iPads around. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Chelsey:
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
Like yourself, Lexi, and Scarlet, I've also chosen the Microsoft educator center as my PLN growth opportunity. I found that it was the easiest site for me to navigate and find what I needed. In addition to that, like you, my district does have complete access to Microsoft office and is using it more and more because it doesn't have the FOIPPA constraints that google can have.
I think given your goal of creating a toolbox, the wide variety of useful content and content formats will be a great fit for allowing you to achieve your goal.
Brandy
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
Thank you for sharing your description of the Microsoft educator center. I chose to add this to my PLN plan as well, since these products are available to use through our school district. I generally gravitate to Google products, but I know there is some Microsoft functionality that is better or unique as compared with Google. Gaining a broad understanding of the various products will help me to support all staff, whether they are Google users or microsoft users.
Thank you for sharing all the different elements of Microsoft. Reading your description has me excited to delve deeper!
Reading your comments certainly gives me food for thought. The pros and cons that you considered when evaluating each network are helping me to evolve my framework for analysis. Although our district uses primarily Google in the classrooms, Microsoft is also available. There are things I like and dislike about both.
ReplyDeleteTéa
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! Personally, I am more of a Google Educator user. Google has always been a good platform for collaboration with others as multiple people can work on the same document. What is the Microsoft equivalent to google drive?
Hi Téa! In Office 365, the equivalent to Google Drive is One Drive, but users can also collaborate directly on files by sharing them (a notification goes to email) or posting them on Teams. That's how a lot of students and teachers at our school collaborate.
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