Subject+Knowledge

=**//Subject Knowledge// Key Component #1:** The Master of Education candidate knows the subject he teaches and how to teach those subjects to all students.= = =

Component Reflection
It is imperative that today's teachers have both an expansive knowledge of content as well as intimate familiarity with 21st Century Teaching and Learning strategies. Fortunately, a number of organizations have spent considerable resources in the promotion and codification of the principles of educational technology. One such organization, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), has partnered with universities across the globe to train and prepare teachers and administrators to handle the demands of 21st Century education. This summer I will begin my certification in educational administration and leadership through a partnership between Johns Hopkins and ISTE. In addition to collaborations, ISTE also publishes the foundational work on educational technology standards--for students, teachers, and administrators. These standards, the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), are fundamental to my teaching and training in York City School District.

To look over the ISTE NETS, click on the link below:



To view the ISTE NETS standards in a more intuitive and impressionistic way, feel free to click on the link below to view a word cloud of the NETS standards I created using [|www.wordle.net].

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In my current position as the Technology Integration Specialist for The School District of the City of York, I design, develop, and implement training for district teachers and staff on technology, including, Microsoft Office Suite, web browsers, graphic organizer utilities, Web 2.0 tools, as well as various educational and language learning applications. I also design and implement training for staff on the use and maintenance of various technologies, including several generations of the Macintosh and Windows operating systems, LCD projectors, laptop and desktop computers, and wireless and wired networking, among others.

Through my career in public education, I have acquired much experience with, and knowledge of, instructional technology. From 1999 until 2004, I taught technology to grades Kindergarten through sixth grades at Cool Spring Elementary in Prince George’s County, Maryland; in 2004, I was promoted to the position of Technology Integration Specialist for the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program for Prince George’s County Public Schools, where I conducted technology training for the ESOL teaching staff. In 2008, I was hired by The School District of the City of York, Pennsylvania, my present employer. I currently teach two classes at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC): a hybrid online and face-to-face freshman writing course, as well as an online graduate course in ESOL Methodology.

In addition to my professional experience as a technology teacher, my academic background has provided a strong foundation in instructional technology. In 2001, I earned a master’s degree in Instructional Systems Development at UMBC, a master’s program that emphasized curriculum design using research-based models, pedagogy, and effective training techniques. In 2004, I completed ISTC 541: Foundations in Instructional Technology at Towson University, a 3 credit graduate course; in 2006, I participated in a 3-credit Maryland professional development course, Online Course Design.

In 2002, I was selected to participate in The Maryland Technology Academy, an intensive three-week 120-hour summer technology institute conducted by Johns Hopkins and Towson Universities. This 8-credit Maryland professional development course incorporated technology training in MS Office Suite, graphic organizing software, digital imaging software, HTML editing software, among others. The institute culminated in the creation of an online portfolio that showcased specific technology to improve student learning. The central technology piece I created for the institute was a non-linear presentation that hyperlinked to specific documents in MS Office Suite (Excel and Word), Inspiration (a graphic organizing software), as well as many websites; the combined document developed into a three-week unit exploring the community of Langley Park, Maryland, using various technologies. To preview one piece of the MTA final project, click on the link below: