Professional Standards for Michigan’s Teachers

It seems somewhat ironic or appropriate that I am choosing this topic to discuss the same week NBC has launched it’s much hyped “Education Nation” and the documentary, “Waiting for Superman” hits select theatres around the nation. My U.P (Upper Peninsula) community no longer has a local theatre so I will be waiting for the DVD. But through this media frenzy, much of the blame, I feel is shoved right into the teacher’s lap.

Teaching is one of the few professions that provide, by law, that one must participate in professional development to renew a license. I whole-heartedly agree that a teacher must participate in lifelong learning in order to be engaged in the classroom. We are all in this class to become better teachers.

The standards set forth by the State of Michigan are thoughtful and important. It provides guidelines to establish professional development that is rich and valuable to teachers. I believe this course addresses each point of Standard Seven: Technology Operations and Concepts, in a way that maximizes the student researchers’ knowledge base as well as providing an environment where each participant can use the assignments to become more competent in the use of technology.

      I felt, at first, the assignment about plagiarism (Section a. Understand the equity, ethical, legal, social, physical, and psychological issues surrounding the use of technology in K-12 schools and apply those principles in practice) was not very valuable because I teach mainly elementary age, but as I moved deeper into this course work I saw its importance: Students from the moment each touches a mouse must learn to acknowledge the sources of information each has found.

I think the most important part of these standards in my daily teaching life is Section E: Implement curriculum plans that include effective technology-enhanced methods and strategies to maximize student learning.

I struggle each week to create valuable technology-enhanced lessons for students grades Young Fives through the fifth grade. It is extremely important that my students have experiences that go beyond “playing games”. Technology is so much more than just the Internet so it has been very valuable to compare and contrast the use of technology in our lesson plans. I am ever mindful that students are enchanted with technology and just surfing the web for sources opens one up to potentially dangerous and erroneous data. But it does provide a vast and engaging platform for teachers to use standards and methods like those described in our text to reach all students.

Student researchers, like ourselves, who have taken this class have found its course objectives aligned with the Michigan Standards for Professional Teachers. We have taken the time and a have the ambition to become better teachers. Through this course and the many more we will take in the coming two years have the potential to be the “Superman” every one is waiting for.

Bibliography:

Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers. Adopted by the Michigan State Board of Education, May 13,2008. (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/SBE_approved_PSMT_May_13_2008+coverpg_258601_7.doc) Retrieved from September 27, 2010.