2013 Resolutions: Professional Growth & Technology Linky

It's that time of year....New Year's Resolutions! I don't like them! I'm not so good at them! (Is that a bad thing to confess?) I am  a procrastinator which makes it difficult to stay on task with promises made to myself. I manage to get things done though. I am extremely organized which I think helps with my off task behavior. I'm a good multi-tasker, too. I just can't seem to stick to things like diets and exercise or anything else that requires too much routine and structure! With that disclaimer, I will not make any organizational or fitness resolutions....I won't stick to the fitness ones, so I'm not even going to say I will. Why pretend right?? Since I'm pretty organized already I don't think I need to resolve to make any changes there! I did think about some Professional resolutions and Technology resolutions that I would like to accomplish this year! I linked up with some great ladies here at these blogs to share!

First of all...Professional Growth. I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself when it comes to professional development. Over the last 23 years, I have tried to stay current on educational research and best practices. I'm not one to repeat the same lessons year after year. (That would actually bore me to tears!) I like to keep things fresh and exciting. I find it sad when I see colleagues copying the same old worksheets, reading the same old books to the kids, and teaching with the same old methods and expecting the same results. Teaching is a profession that is ever changing and growing and staying current is vital to being a good teacher! If you are not already a member of professional organizations, you should join! NCTE and IRA are wonderful groups to follow. Their conferences are outstanding. If you ever get a chance to attend please do so! I also belong to the Florida Reading Association which holds a conference each year in Orlando.

Now my main focus for the upcoming year is on Common Core. CCSS is just starting in my county and I would like to become an "expert" on it. K-2 teachers are trained and implementing it this year and it's expected that grade 3-5 teachers be fully implemented by 2014. I'm not one to wait until something like this is here before I start learning about it. This past summer I was lucky enough to train with a teacher who is an expert in CCSS. She gave me a sneak peek into what I should expect and she's become my "go to" gal!  As part of my own professional development, I want to read and "study" two books that were recommended to me. One is Pathway to Common Core by Lucy Calkins (one of my teaching heros!) and Text Complexity by Douglas Fisher.

I have also started to become familiar with the Standards in 3rd grade and I'm using those to guide my teaching this year. I think I'm off to a good start when it comes to CCSS and I want to continue on this path, so that I am prepared for the "big day"! No surprises for me!

Technology is another part of this linky  and another goal that I have for the upcoming year. At the end of January, my BFF and I are heading to Orlando to attend the Florida Educational Technology Conference. I attended this one a few years back. I'm sure there have been tons of advances in using technology in the classroom since and I hope to walk away with lots of new ideas. Currently in my classroom, I have and use a Promethean board and a document camera. I have access to a laptop cart and the computer lab. One of my tech goals this year is to write a grant to get iPads in my classroom. (If you know of grant opportunities for this please let me know!) Though I LOVE technology, I have to confess that I have not utilized it with the kiddos as much as I know I should. Project based learning is a wonderful way to use technology and I plan on getting back into it when I return from winter break.

I know that these two goals are attainable for me! I love this profession and I want to be the best I can be at it! What are you goals for 2013? There are some wonderful Linkys going on to share your Resolutions! Link up with Amanda at One Extra Degree to share your professional plans and Kathleen at Growing Kinders to showcase your techno goals! You can also head on over to see Amanda at Teaching Maddness and Diane at Teaching with Moxie to link up and share! If we all encourage each other then maybe this year more resolutions can be reached!

❤Happy New Year!!❤