My journey for the last two years has been one that I never would have imagined. It started in February 2015 when I was hired for an administrative position as technology coordinator in Roanoke City Schools. It became a goal of mine early in my college career to come back to the school system from which I graduated and serve in some sort of technology role, but I never imagined what would lie ahead for me. Because of this career move, doors were opened for me to serve in roles that would have impacts in various ways throughout our district. These roles range from leading technology committees making technology decisions for RCS to facilitating professional development for teachers that has led to changes in classroom instruction. My role as a professional development facilitator is what led to my journey down the eMints road.
eMints was not completely new to me but I did not know all that it entailed until I made my first trip to Missouri for training. It was during that trip that I saw for the first how the foundations of eMints could have a profound impact on the culture of education back in rural Roanoke, AL. It would be through the eMints facilitator training that I would be challenged to influence just how a classroom in our schools would work. In some ways, this is more meaningful than choosing which computers our students use or the overall state of the network. I could now affect how teachers teach and students think.
The basic tenets of the eMints facilitator model has been a major player in my approach to professional development for our teachers. The tenets are facilitating high-quality PD, enriching with technology, coaching and mentoring, and collaborating and networking. The artifacts throughout this portfolio exhibit strides I have made to implement these tenets in my work. I have strived to implement high quality PD experiences for our teachers by exposing them to project and inquiry based lessons like the parachute design activity and BreakoutEdu. Working with technology committees in our district and being a part of “Appy Hour” have been ways I have worked to enrich our classrooms with technology. I have increased my presence in professional social networking circles to stay up-to-date with the latest technology initiatives. The coaching and mentoring part of the eMints facilitator model has possibly been the hardest and most humbling of any part. I have had the opportunity to support veteran and rookie educators through tech support or implementation of new instructional strategies. These educators have ranged from my former teachers to now my former students. In a way, the coaching and mentoring component has been the most powerful as I have learned from these teachers and I have tried to help them. Each tenet has made think differently about education as a whole.
Finally, I give credit to the two year PD4ETS journey I have been on for being one of the biggest game changers in my professional career. I have been challenged to evaluate my approach to educational practices for not only students but adult learners as well. I will continue to grow as a professional educator but I can say that my growth truly began when I started down the eMints path.
eMints was not completely new to me but I did not know all that it entailed until I made my first trip to Missouri for training. It was during that trip that I saw for the first how the foundations of eMints could have a profound impact on the culture of education back in rural Roanoke, AL. It would be through the eMints facilitator training that I would be challenged to influence just how a classroom in our schools would work. In some ways, this is more meaningful than choosing which computers our students use or the overall state of the network. I could now affect how teachers teach and students think.
The basic tenets of the eMints facilitator model has been a major player in my approach to professional development for our teachers. The tenets are facilitating high-quality PD, enriching with technology, coaching and mentoring, and collaborating and networking. The artifacts throughout this portfolio exhibit strides I have made to implement these tenets in my work. I have strived to implement high quality PD experiences for our teachers by exposing them to project and inquiry based lessons like the parachute design activity and BreakoutEdu. Working with technology committees in our district and being a part of “Appy Hour” have been ways I have worked to enrich our classrooms with technology. I have increased my presence in professional social networking circles to stay up-to-date with the latest technology initiatives. The coaching and mentoring part of the eMints facilitator model has possibly been the hardest and most humbling of any part. I have had the opportunity to support veteran and rookie educators through tech support or implementation of new instructional strategies. These educators have ranged from my former teachers to now my former students. In a way, the coaching and mentoring component has been the most powerful as I have learned from these teachers and I have tried to help them. Each tenet has made think differently about education as a whole.
Finally, I give credit to the two year PD4ETS journey I have been on for being one of the biggest game changers in my professional career. I have been challenged to evaluate my approach to educational practices for not only students but adult learners as well. I will continue to grow as a professional educator but I can say that my growth truly began when I started down the eMints path.