I have finally joined the world of Twitter!  (It's about time isn't it?!)  I can't believe what I have been missing!  Throughout the last week I have had the opportunity to create, sustain, and cultivate my learning network and all I can say is WOW!  What an incredible amount of resources now at my fingertips.  

My first experience with Twitter actually began in 2012.  Although I set up a Twitter account I never really "dug" into what all it has to offer.  To the right is a snapshot of what my Twitter page looked like from 2012 until last week. I just did a shot of my personal information to show how very little I was doing on Twitter! Pretty sad looking isn’t it?!

Well…I sure have learned a lot about Twitter!  First of all I never realized how important creating a learning network is as an educator.  So many times I need new, fresh ideas in the classroom.  Of course I always talk to my grade level to get their ideas and insights but now I have teachers from different parts of North Carolina, other states and even outside the country to steal ideas from! 

In order to really build my page up I needed to do some “cosmetic” work.  My Twitter page was very dull and did not advertise myself as an educator.  Here is my updated information-what do you think?  

As you can see I went from following six people to forty-two!  I can only imagine how many more people I will be following and gaining valuable insight from in the days, months and years to come! 

I could not wait to get started tweeting.  In the beginning it was easier for me to retweet.  This is when you pretty much tweet what another person or organization has tweeted previously.  Here is my first retweet! 

Retweeting this allows me to share what I am learning with other professionals.  After retweeting I knew it was time for me to take the plunge and tweet out myself! 

This past week my school is having training through the Buck Institute on Project Based Learning.  So I thought why not see if they have a page?  I did a search and found exactly what I was looking for. How powerful is it to apply what you are currently learning?!  I figured this was a perfect way to begin my tweeting experience!  J

This is only the beginning in the world of Twitter.  It is so easy to use, a tremendously valuable resource and fun way to create, sustain my learning network.  Now I find myself constantly signing onto Twitter! 

ISTE Teacher Standards

                                

    The ISTE standards for teachers identifies the five standards which all teachers should meet in their instruction presentation. Below I have constructed a rubric for evaluating a colleague who works diligently to meet the needs of students through various modes of technology.  

    Each of the standards include four performance indicators. The rubric focuses on the amount of performance indicators this individual has met. Every rating includes strengths and weaknesses of the teacher and suggestions to strengthen his performance.

                                      Rating Scale for ISTE Standards:  Teacher Observation

	1:  Meets 1  of the performance indicators.	2:  Meets 2  of the performance  indicators.	3:  Meets 3  of the  performance  indicators.	4:  Meets 4  of the performance indicators.
Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student learning and Creativity			3- This teacher strives to engage students in real-world issues and problem solving methods while modeling innovative thinking and inventiveness. He encourage students to think outside the box and to use many different resources when presenting information. *Needs to work on engaging in learning with his colleagues face-to-face and in virtual environments. An activity which could aid in this area would be using Moodle.  Moodle is an interactive discussion thread which could engage students and peers. Activity: https://moodle.org/
Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments		2- This teacher designs and adapts relevant learning experiences using digital tools and resources such as the aquos board.  He provides a technology-enriched learning environment however the majority of the time it is centered to the entire class rather than individual students.  *One areas he needs to work on is with formative and summative assessments.
Standard 3: Model Digital Age Work and Learning			3- This teacher demonstrates fluency in technology systems and models effective use of current and emerging digital tools.  He does a good job communicating new and innovative technology to students. *He needs to work on collaborating more effectively with parents and community members.  An example of an activity which could be done to improve this would be to create a monthly newsletter to post on the schools website.  This could be posted on Glogster which will help to inform parents on what is going on in the classroom!  Activity: http://edu.glogster.com/
Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility		2- This teacher is a member of the Technology Team at our school so he models and teaches others about the proper digital etiquette.  *In this area he needs to work on addressing the diverse needs of all learners with student centered strategies.  He could also increase in this area of performance by developing and modeling global awareness with colleagues and students of other cultures.
Standard 5: Engage in Professional  and Leadership			3-This teacher participates and exhibits leadership within on school building.  As stated earlier he is a member of the technology team within our school system and is a member of the Media and Technology Advisory Council.  He is constantly sharing with others his knowledge of current research and professional practices. *This standard includes participating in not only local but global learning communities as well.  In one way he could increase his performance in this standard is by participating in global learning communities.

  

                                          

Conclusion:
This teacher is effective in integrating technology in his classroom on a daily basis. He does have areas in which he needs to go a little deeper to meet the needs of students, peers and community members.
All teachers need to take a look at the ISTE standards to ensure they are being an effective teacher who models and applies the standards throughout their daily instruction!