Technology Assessment: School 2.0

School 2.0/Tech Self-Assessment (NETS-T 2) I used the School 2.0 website, an online resource for teachers who need extra resources for their NETS standards, to self-assess my knowledge on the NETS standards for teachers. This assignment was used to students with a way to use multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

During my technology assessment I found I needed extra help in NETS-T number 3, “Model digital-age work and learning.” In order to improve my skills I read, “Grow Your Personal Learning Network” by David Warlick. I chose this skill to improve on because I am going into elementary level teaching and technology is definitely less prevalent at that level. Assignments are mostly done using worksheets and projects with markers and paper. I am hoping to come into the classroom with fresh ideas and ways in which to implement technology into lesson plans. In the article I read, Warlick discusses PLNs as a great tool for the classroom. He talks about how having these resources opens up so many doors for educational tools that we didn’t have even just a few years ago. He also discusses the different types of PLNs including two PLNs that connect us with each other (these include things like ichat, twitter, facebook, skype) and the next kind of PLN connects us with content (such as youtube, teachertube, google reader). All of these types of PLNs connect us to our students, other teachers and the world around us. It helps us to develop an understanding of how to search for resources that can be used in our classrooms to help improve students learning. This made me feel a lot better about using technology in the classroom because it made me realize that using technology does not always have to be so confusing, it can be fun too!