SWOT+&+Goals

=SWOT Analysis & Goals=

I. Technology SWOT Analysis
__Strengths__ I am very comfortable with technologies such as cell phones, ipods, personal computers, email, and since my field experience in the classroom, have become much more confident in using things such as Promethean boards for teaching. Thanks to this course, I have learned about podcasting, making digital movies, glogs, and even game sites like Scratch that can be very beneficial in the classroom. All of these things I can now foresee myself using more confidently as an educator in school. Much of this has been new to me, but thankfully I am open to new ideas and welcome them. I no longer feel threatened or overwhelmed by technology.

__Weaknesses__ I tend to stick with the things that I already know work well rather than jumping into something new. I consider this a weakness in regards to technology. In the past I have been hesitant about learning new technologies for fear that they won't work right or I won't be able to incorporate them successfully, or even that they might not measure up to the tried and true way I have been doing things. I'm not as bad at this as I use to be, and truly do feel that I'm more open to trying out new technologies, but still have a way to go.

In response to the NETS-T assessment, a few of my weaknesses include:


 * 1) promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
 * 2) model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.
 * 3) provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.
 * 4) communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.
 * 5) exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.

__Opportunities__ There are many opportunities for improvement in technology advancement. I am always learning new things on my own personal computer, upgrading podcasts, learning about ways to store new files and open and retrieve old ones. The University has a number of computer labs that can be accessed on campus if I need them, and almost every class that I have taken since coming back to UWG last January has required the use of computer technology. My first class was a basic computer course, but it taught me all about powerpoint, excel, word, and the possibilities of each one.

Technology is also getting easier to use as it becomes more common everywhere. The small jump drive I use can hold a very large amount of files from classes, powerpoint presentations and research papers in a very small, compact clip that can fit on my keyring. This has been extraordinarily efficient when I have had to present a paper to class and needed slides for it. Rather than having to log on the internet, search my page, find the files and pull them up, the jump drive was plugged in and I was ready to go. Laptops allow us to bring our computers with us everywhere, there is virtually no end to the places we can go with technology, or the places it can go with us.

Today, companies are providing opportunities for training in new technologies, and there is an increase in employers wanting employees who know what they’re doing in this field. Very few jobs are exempt from this, including teachers. We will be surrounded in the classroom by computers, Smartboards, gaming technologies, podcasts, even digital methods of learning and testing. One day, some learning may be done partially online, particularly if students are sick or have to be out for some length of time. Obviously, there are no ends to our opportunities to become literate with technology, even to master it. Of course, the moment we do, there will undoubtedly be something newer we must begin to learn all over again. . . and so it goes.

__Threats__ One threat would be complacency. While we all want to start out learning the newest technologies and staying on top of everything, eventually we get comfortable with the way things are and lose flexibility to change. I hope this doesn’t happen to me after several years of teaching, and I plan on doing all that I can to stay current, but the danger is always there. One has to do what is best for the students, and that is not always the “status quo”. What worked great for one class of students may be completely outdated in just a few years. Another threat would be money and time. Some school systems are suffering budget cutbacks, and that means there may not be as up to date of materials as there once was. Is this any excuse to fall behind? Surely as teachers we are charged with staying current for the sake of all the souls in our classroom. If money or even time begin to run short, the best teachers will still find a way to incorporate or simply discuss the latest advances and relate them to their studies. Surely our kids are worth it.

II. Goal
__Goal #1__: __Learn how to exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.__ Leadership is one of the foundations of being a teacher, and being a leader that demonstrates the infusion of //technology// is essential in this day and age. I see the use of class wikis, glogs, even a classroom blog as excellent ways of bringing the students into the decision making process for the class. I must make every effort to not just use the technology, but make use of it through the children. They should be as comfortable using it as I am by the end of the school year- and continually wanting to learn more. By helping each other and getting better every day, my leadership skills and confidence will be passed on to them. After all, a teacher isn't someone who holds the "secret keys" to the technology kingdom. It is open to all, just as knowledge is- but we must provide them the path to reach it. I would reflect at the end of each year how this plan of incorporating and using technology is going, and promise to make any changes necessary for the next year. Each season, with every class, hopefully I will be getting better and better. . . along with my students.

__Goal #2__: __Be a better communicator with students and parents, including technology__ Communication is essential for any teacher worth his or her salt in the profession, and it is undoubtedly one of the first casualties of our digital age. My goal is to use technology to communicate ideas effectively with students, parents, and even colleagues, through the use of a class website or even a class facebook page. The point is to use technology to get us to places we never thought we could go. A sick student can have homework and notes sent through the class page or email, and even communicate concerns with the teacher or other peers that might not have been possible in the classroom. This will build each year, being refined as I go, but always looking to the ultimate goal of being the best teacher I can be. We all want to be remembered and valued for going one or two steps further than we had to- for taking the time when no one else would. Technology may allow us an even richer field to stay in touch and communicate with our school and the world, but we must first be willing to take the risk and step out of the box. I promise to always challenge myself to go further and further. If I can't keep learning thirty years on, how on earth do I expect my students to do the same thing?