5 Goals

5 Goals Surrounding Technology in the Classroom:

1. Learn something new every year
It's important to stay on my toes and keep progressing when it comes to learning.  There are new technology tools that are created every day that could help elevate a lesson, but I have to find them.  I think the first year of teaching is the easiest in incorporating these things because every lesson is researched and created from scratch. However, following years recycle old lessons and it's easy to simply use what worked the previous year. I want to reevaluate lessons every year and try to add something new to them.

2. Create a series of videos to reuse every year
Even though I just said I wanted to do new things every year, I think it's helpful to have some baseline videos in my back pocket that can be used to help students understand a lesson or concept.  I love the idea of screencasting something, especially to help absent students so I don't have to reteach things over and over again. It's also helpful for those who understand things better at home in their own space, which I can relate to.  I think a library of videos would be beneficial for a variety of reasons.

3. Assess in ways that engage every learning style, using technology
I would like to be familiar enough with technology that I could offer assignments that engage every learning style.  So assignments might have flexible ways of completing them, like one student could express themselves through a collage, or another could do it through an instructional video... but the idea is that students can work according to their strengths. I also love the idea that digital assessment is easier to keep track of and faster to access.

4. Stay informed and use technology students are familiar with
This goes hand in hand with learning something new every year, but I really want to go a step further than that and stay connected with my students in ways that are relevant to them. I would hope it would bring a little more enjoyment into the classroom if they have opportunities to use something familiar in between the times they're using new types of media. I think there's a balance that can be found there.

5. Try out flipped lessons
I think there's something exciting about doing assignments in a different way, for both the students and the teacher. By straying from the traditional way of lecture, students will hopefully be more curious about and engaged in the lesson material. I'm not entirely sure how a flipped lesson will work in a theatre classroom, but it's something I'm excited to explore!