Journal,+Module+2

====**Prompt: How the artifacts in your pre-competencies verification reflect your technology use as an educator? In light of your learning about TPACK, identify areas of improvement needed. **====

**Description: **
====One of the inherent attributes of using technology to create original content is that too much direction can inhibit the thorough application of skills and too little direction can allow for low quality work. But, then again, this is inherent in just about any type of assignment. In relation to this, one of my largest strengths is the variety of technology tools I use and the variety of the goals behind each technology usage. One of the areas that could use improvement is in terms of following through on all planned procedures for technology usage. ====

====The nature of my public speaking class is that I can allow students to choose their own topics. They can choose what to write about and can even sometimes choose what medium they use to express those ideas. However, with this much choice students sometimes pick their topics based on what is easy rather than what will be educational for them. This happens in every subject, but I have struggled with ways to make sure my students are truly growing through their assignments. ====

**Impact: **
====One of the ways I have tried to encourage more growth is through telling my students the objectives, giving through written and verbal directions, and then constantly monitoring and conferencing with individual students during in-class work time. However, one thing that seems to keep happening is that, despite the clear directions, my students come up with reasons as to why they can’t complete their tasks the way that they were assigned. I am a very pragmatic and realistic teacher: I know that I make mistakes and things don’t always turn out the way I expected. For a long time I was fine with adjustments to project requirements or due dates and what not, but the focus has shifted from legitimate reasons to change the project outline to the students basically just saying “we can’t do what you want us to do in the time given with the tools you have given us”. Now, I want to note that I put a lot of effort into my planning and the requirements are more than reasonable; when they can’t it usually means they don’t want to do something. There have become a lot of excuses and, since I didn’t notice the shift recently, I was allowing the excuses to change the projects. I don’t what to let this happen or my students will not continue growing. ====

**Intent: **
====The reason this directly applies to technology and the artifacts in my pre-competencies verification is what while I have been integrating more technology into my class my students have been making more excuses. Just like teachers who are resistant to adapting more technology, I need to find better ways to develop my student’s technology skills rather than just modify my objectives. This means that I won’t get through as many units but it will mean that we will get more done in terms of overall skill building. And that is ultimately what I want as a teacher anyway. I need to better differentiate between accommodating student needs and modifying project requirements. I am confident in my requirements and I need to be confidant in my ability to say “no” or, more recently “you didn’t follow the policy, you don’t get the points”. ====