Professional+Development+Plan

Having been one of five of Alvin Independent School District’s Instructional Technology Specialists for the last five years, I was looking forward to several more years in that position until the state of Texas experienced serious budget issues. In an effort to reduce costs, three of the five ITS positions were eliminated in May 2011, and I will be returning to the classroom as a technology teacher this year. Since none of us can foresee the future, I’m unsure of whether those positions will be restored in the near future, so I’m planning to be very flexible in my expectations. As the education system continues to struggle to provide students with 21st century skills that will prepare them for the workplace, my ultimate goal is to obtain a position as a technology integration specialist or technology trainer for a corporation. For the first year of this professional development plan, I will be teaching technology skills to sixth through eighth graders while I complete my Masters in Educational Technology Leadership. My campus principal will continue to serve as my mentor. I haven’t been a classroom teacher in five years, but I am really looking forward to working with junior high students again. I will need to attend a 3-day training course on the Synergistics curriculum, as that is one of the courses I will be teaching. With the experience I gained as an Instructional Technology Specialist, I have a unique perspective on technology lessons and projects I want to share with them. Since I will be in the classroom every day, I won’t have as much time to train teachers on technology integration as I’ve been able to in the past, which was the responsibility that gave me the greatest satisfaction. I really enjoy helping teachers use available technology to their students’ advantage, and also helping our students obtain the necessary technology skills they will need to succeed as adults. And even though I will be in a full-time teaching position, I will increase my leadership skills through completion of my internship plan. I also plan to spend as much time as possible keeping current with new technology, so that I am both flexible and prepared when new opportunities present themselves. Year two of the plan might find me still in a classroom position, but I will continue to stretch and grow in an effort to prepare myself for future positions. I realize that I need to learn as much as possible about data analysis and disaggregation. My Master’s degree action research plan covers ReadStrong, a campus reading initiative that has the possibility to affect every junior high campus in our district, and I will have the chance to study the data obtained by my campus during the 2011-2012 school year. I will also learn to use the new interactive projectors that my district will be purchasing. The classroom I am assigned to doesn’t have an interactive whiteboard installed, and I will need to use as many other resources as I can to provide my students with a quality education. An opportunity that I am considering for year three is the Texas Virtual Academy, a tuition-free public charter school that provides online education to Texas families. Our school district is one of those whose students are eligible for the program. I would like to learn more about how this works, and whether something like this would be a good fit for a teacher with my background. At the moment, TXVA offers enrollment to students in grades 3-11, and will add 12th grade during the 2012-2013 school year. I’m interested in learning about the technology component to their curriculum, and if it’s something I might like to get involved in.
 * Three-Year Professional Development Plan **