Grad Diploma Fall 2009 -

1. My Sharona, I Mean…
My Portfolio
(November 2009)

2. Contents
1. Statements – my learning this semester
2. Elaboration - dissecting the statements
3. Evidence – experiences from this semester
4. Self-Assessment - use of the capacities
5. Connection to Educational Theory – “Big Picture”
6. Goals – where am I going next semester
My baseline portfolio (summer 2009)

3. iStatements
• About myself - I am learning to use technology
that can help me get organized and become
more efficient as a teacher.
• About technology - I am learning about how
technology can be used to support critical
thinking and active learning in the classroom.
• About the teaching & learning process - I am
learning to assess the usefulness of different
technologies in the classroom.

4. Elaboration
About myself, technology & the Learning Process –
• critical thinking is important to me because I want to get the
most out of my students. I want them to find social studies
relevant, become interested in the topics discussed in my
courses, and want to seek out more knowledge.
• Technology gives me an interactive tool to help students find,
sort, and present information in a hands-on manner. I am
acutely aware of different learning styles and want to support
students in finding as many different ways to access, retain,
and present information.
• I have seen low-achieving students engage in topics and
become enthusiastic when presented with computer-based
projects and assignments. Ultimately I want to be inclusive
and help students attain success.

5. Evidence
1. My learning:
• To support organization:
iGoogle – home page, Calendar, To Do list,
Voicenotes – on cell phone
• To support learning: You Tube, Google Reader,
Google Docs (presentations), Powerpoint
2. Student learning:
• Assessments & Criteria: rubistar
• Projects: Google docs, prezi.com, voicethreads,

6. Self Assessment
1. I am participating in and helping develop learning
communities to support my teaching practice by
presenting my explorations of iGoogle to my SS
department and school colleagues.
2. I am engaging in a critical cycle of action-
reflection to understand and develop my practice
by using voicenotes on my cellphone.
3. I am using, evaluating, and integrating existing
and emerging technologies into my practice by
incorporating them within student work.

7. 4. I am drawing on educational theories, research,
and philosophies to inform my use of
technologies by looking at research on the use
of Powerpoint and other presentation apps to
better understand how best to use this
technology as a teacher and for student
projects.
5. I am participating in new media interactions in
education by using Google docs with students
and it will be my focus for next semester –
create a moodle or wiki for my classes.

8. Connection to Educational Theory
• Constructivism at work:
1. Google Docs – Exit Passes; create own
meaning at the end of a lesson.
- Goal of lesson and exit pass sandwich info
2. Projects – pose questions or ask them to tell
me what they think their interpretation is
rather than give them answers.

9. Goals
• Questions that have risen –
1. What is actually useful and supports critical thinking?
2. How much is ‘bells and whistles’ and which is useful?
3. Privacy issues in schools?
4. Copyright and licensing issues in schools?
• Next – I will…
1. Use technology to improve communication between
myself and students and parents – wikis, website or
moodle.
2. Use technology to engage students to the social
studies curriculum – websites for games, projects,
multimedia.