Professional Growth Plan

Education is much more than simply dictating from a textbook. It is not only the teacher’s responsibility to cover the required curriculum but, more importantly, to inspire students and help them develop and grow as individuals. Education should be a community and students should know that their teachers care about them. My vision as an educator has always been to provide the type of environment where students feel safe, secure, and nurtured. Without this, it is nearly impossible for learning to take place.

The world around us is quickly changing and so are the students. Today’s classrooms are filled with individuals that are complex, energetic, and tech-savvy (Crockett, 2016). With this change, there is a shift in the types of jobs that are available. Most of the jobs that are in demand today, did not even exist ten years ago. This trend will continue. In fact, most of the children entering elementary school will end up working in jobs that do not even exist yet (Krueger, 2017). In order to succeed in this changing economy, students need both academic and technical skills. Schools should do their best to include all stakeholders in decisions and to provide students with these competencies so that they can be productive citizens in a challenging environment.

I feel that technology is an important tool for learning that can increase academic opportunities. This is where my strength and excitement lies. Technology can change the way that teachers teach, offering a variety of effective ways to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding through multiple means.

As I reflect, I love that I have become known as a ‘go to' person for technology questions because it is something that I really have a passion for. I strive to be a good leader and welcome opportunities to show my leadership capabilities. I have been instrumental in helping with scheduling issues, as well as facilitating professional development sessions in several areas including; Oncourse Systems, Reading A-Z, LinkIt, Google Apps, G Suite for Education, Google Classroom, etc. I provide ongoing technology support and professional development to staff.

I genuinely enjoy what I presently do and I am passionate about building upon the success that I have already experienced as an educator and an emerging educational technology leader. As I continue to grow as a leader, I find myself identifying most with transformational leadership. This leadership approach aligns the most with my educational philosophy because “transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms people. It is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals” (Northouse, 2013). I believe that a leader should inspire others and motivate them to want to do their best. I hope that through my passion, this is what I will help others to do.

I am ecstatic about the idea of developing myself further in the area of educational technology leadership and furthering my career in the public school setting, perhaps becoming a Supervisor of Educational Technology or more involved with data and testing coordination. In these roles, I envision being able to effect change and be an influential leader that will ultimately impact student learning. Ultimately, I hope to continue to give back, inspire and change the lives of learners, in whatever capacity I can.

Goals for the 2023-2024 school year:

Present at a technology conference.
Publish an article or chapter of a book.
Continue to stay on top of emerging and changing educational technology products.
Seek out opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Serve on my district's technology committee.

References

Crockett, L. (2016, August 2). The critical 21st-century skills every student needs and why. Global Digital Citizen Foundation. Retrieved from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/21st-century-skills-every-student-needs.

Krueger, N. (2017, June 16). Preparing students for jobs that don't exist [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/articledetail?articleid=1002.

Northouse, P. (2013) Leadership: Theory and Practice (6th edition). Los Angeles: Sag