Watkins,+Teri+Jo-+Closing+Reflection

1. Now that you’ve had this #|professional development experience, how are you defining “new literacies?” How do you think your definition has changed or evolved this week? In my opinion, new literacies is a term that is used to describe the paradigm shift that we are facing in education today. As educators, we are having to learn "new things" and teach them in "new ways". If we do not accept our new roles then our students are going to suffer. We are also having to teach our students to compete in the global marketplace.

2. Describe some new literacies that you learned about this week? What did you know about these topics before the week began and how has your experience this week contributed to your understanding of these new literacies? I learned a lot about web 2.0 tools this week, in addition to the ones that I had been exposed to before. I use many web tools in my classroom (I teach in a computer lab). This week exposed me to many new ideas of how to creatively incorporate these tools.

3. In what ways are the new literacies prompted by technology? How do they affect one another? I feel that the new literacies go hand in hand with technology. Society has recently become very technology driven. This technology focus has forced us to rethink our roles in education, and consider how we can "step up our game' to increase student engagement and learning.

4. How do new literacies affect the way we think about academic]] content? Describe an examples of how some specific academic content is affected by changes in the ways we reading write and thinking (i.e. new literacies). I am constantly thinking of ways to revise my lessons to make them more active, engaging, and 21st century focused. I have also realized this week that new literacies is not just about technology. There are many other factors to consider such as globalization, inquiry-based learning, and diversity.

5. How do new literacies affect the way we think about our teaching practices? How do they affect the development of new teaching practices or approaches to teaching? New literacies affects the way I think about all aspects of teaching. Classes must move away from traditional teacher led environments and become more student focused. Teachers should be facilitators of learning and provide students with the proper tools to be successful. The NLI has helped me to realize that the world has become increasingly global and we must prepare our students to be able to compete in this new marketplace.

6. During the week, you learning about several conceptual / theoretical frameworks for understanding the new literacies including, project-based inquiry, TPACK, Bloom’s revised cognitive theory, online identity, and #|global literacies (i.e. cultural competence, cultural awareness, cosmopolitanism). Describe your personal perspective on new literacies as it is informed by these conceptual and theoretical ideas. PBI, TPACK, and Bloom's revised cognitive theory provide a model of what new literacies teacher instruction should look like. Again, we must move away from traditional teacher/lecture/worksheet methods of teaching. Engagement is the key concept. We must teach students in the ways that they prefer to learn. It is also important for students to be active participants, and take ownership in the process.

7. How does the design process you learned about in your design studio work and the video digging deeper session support your understanding of the creative process? First of all it helped me understand that the creative process takes time. When you have a group of individuals working collaboratively that also adds another dimension. Everyone has different ideas on how to proceed with the process. You have to have an open mind and be respectful of the opinions of others.

8. You learned this week about how to manage, and in some cases create, your online identity. What action steps will you take (are you taking) to manage and further extend your online identity? Currently, I have more of a personal online identity rather than a professional one. I would like to take steps to get myself out there professionally. I would like to become more active on Twitter, and possibly create a professional blog.

9. If you had one more day in the Institute, what would you like to learn more about and why? I would like to learn more about Google Forms and Documents and how to use them in education. It just seems like there are SO many different things you can do with these tools. I hear a lot about them, but have never had any personal hands on instruction using them.