Blog Post 1: Technology Strengths and Weaknesses

To evaluate my technology based skills in the field of education, I referred to the International Society for Technology in Education standards to establish my strengths and weaknesses.  
As an educator, my major weakness is a lack of field experience.  While, I am proficient in computer and internet applications, I have little experience applying technology savvy lesson plans in a classroom setting.  One example of building student technology skills through classroom experience is to promote student creativity and participation in a virtual format.  Creative projects encourage students to produce original ideas and build higher thinking skills.  Although, I am currently working toward building my professional and leadership skills, I think this is an ongoing process.  I enjoy learning and I plan to continuously participate in academic workshops and graduate courses to further my skills in technology and education.  Lifelong learning will increase the depth of my understanding of technology and better prepare me to incorporate new technology into classroom projects.  
My strengths in technology outweigh my weaknesses.  Students today are inundated with technology and information.  As a library science student, I have the knowledge and skills necessary to foster proper digital citizenship in students.  Students must be informed of their ethical obligation to respect proper citation policies and use safe internet behavior.  Project interaction and class modules will help to build these skills in students.  As students move to the library for research and skills building sessions, internet etiquette skills should be reinforced.  Collaboration between teachers and students during digital projects allows for instant student feedback and an opportunity to focus on areas of concern.  
As an educator, I plan to use my experience with technology to build student technology skills by incorporating technology into regular class assignments.  Hands on technology experience will inspire higher levels of student confidence in digital formats and better digital citizenship skills.  Requiring digital projects in various lessons will allow students to build a virtual portfolio of their own and better prepare them for their future in college.  To improve my instructional skills I plan to obtain more experience applying digital lesson plans in the classroom.  It is also my goal to continually seek out new information and creative ideas to capture the attention of my students so that they look forward to learning more about technology and applying those skills. 

References

International Society for Technology in Education. (2013). International society for technology in education standards. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2