Productivity and Professional Development

Teacher productivity and professional development was the focus for the reading this week. Administrative tasks are my least favorite part of being a teacher. However, I realize that I need to explore some more software programs that could help with my productivity. It seems that I have been stuck using the same old programs while other better ones have been developed. For instance, the programs that I use the most at school are Outlook for email, Microsoft Word to write parent letters, Excel to document trip payments and rubrics, Microsoft publisher to create concert programs, Pinnacle for lesson planning, and Grade2 as a grade book. The band and orchestra program also have a website but neither the band teacher nor I have updated it in probably over two years. I use technology on a daily basis but like Dr. Bazan said in his blog -“I'd not used it in my teaching.” 

            However, technology use is going to change next year in my district when every student receives a Dell Chromebook to use at school and at home. My goal over the summer is to explore some of the programs such as OneNote and Google docs and find ways I can implement them in my classes. I would like to try giving students an assignment in which they would have to collaborate outside of school by using one of these programs. I’m also interested in giving digital assignments and feedback. I am really excited that I will finally be able to use some of the music programs in my classes at any time and will not have to rely on access to the mobile labs. I will be spending a lot of time rewriting my lesson plans for next year to include more technology. Also, our district is considering a new program called Focus that will integrate our grade book, lesson plans, attendance, and other items making it more convenient for teachers.

            Another area I would like to improve, with the use of technology, is my communication with parents. I send home occasional parent letters but not much else. The author recommends using “multiple communication channels” with parents (Bauer, 2014). I found that not many parents would check the music website which is why I haven’t used it in a couple of years. The Parentlink system at our school helps teachers communicate more effectively with parents. With Parentlink messages can be sent to parents via email, phone calls, or text messages. This is a great tool for reminding parents about upcoming concerts and other events and important dates. Parent information is already provided in the system and the teacher only has to select the students, write the message, and choose the delivery method. This is the most direct way to communicate with parents without having to make time-consuming phone calls to each parent. I plan on using this system next year for all of my classes.

            The district lacks in providing training for teachers throughout the year. The last training I attended was the Kagan Cooperative Learning seminar. I wouldn’t consider the pre-school meetings professional development because we don’t learn anything specific to our curriculum. I wanted to learn and develop as a music teacher and that is why I decided to take the online music education courses. I am so glad I made that decision because I have learned a lot and grown as an educator. Even after I receive my Mater’s degree I will seek out other professional development opportunities to continue learning and evolving as a music teacher. There is nothing worse for a teacher (or their students) than remaining static in an ever-changing world.

Reference:

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.