About the Author:
The mantra I believe in and have taught all fourth grade students for the past 12 years at Canyon Oaks Elementary School is "Everyone Does Better When Everyone Does Better," which I recently learned was a favorite saying of W.F. "High" Hightower. Like High, I want everyone reaching their highest potential, which is the reason it is a moral imperative for me to teach students to be a nurturing community within and outside of our classroom culture that is collaborative with strong abilities in communication, critical thinking, creativity, character, and citizenship wherever they are and at all times.
When I learned that my employer, the Napa Valley Unified School District, had teamed up with NapaLearns to help its teachers build professional capacity in 21st century skills vis-a-vis the Touro University California's Innovative Learning Master of Education program (TU-CA), I knew I had to enroll. The clincher for me to sign-up was listening to Dr. Pam Redmond speak about the high value placed on the social justice/equity aspect of student learning through this program. The topics of social justice and equity remain important to me because I myself was born into, grew up in, and experienced firsthand the traumatic hostile environment in which racism, prejudice, and discrimination were prevalent; I was born in San Francisco and grew up as a Pilipina-American in the Ingleside and Mission Districts during the 1960s, straddling cultures and languages. It is a moral imperative for me that all students feel they have a teacher who empathizes with their challenges and wants them to succeed to reach their goals by developing their 21st century skills of the six Cs (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship, and character) and the use of technology. They will also learn through my explicit instructions about having a growth mindset, perserverance, and skills necessary to overcome challenges!
Through this TU-CA graduate program, I have learned the importance of building capacity in my students through myriad pedagogical approaches, balancing explicit direct instruction with inquiry-based learning so they will learn to love to learn and how to learn. It is my intention to share this knowledge with my colleagues so ALL of our students will benefit in an equitable manner.
FUN FACT: I teach my students how to dance Salsa, other Latin dance styles, and Ballroom dancing to prepare them for the annual Spring Arts Festival Festival's Dance Presentation and Community Dance--which was dubbed a 4th grade rite of passage by our founding Principal, Mrs. Maren Rocca-Hunt back in 2005-2006. Students learn not only how to move for themselves, but more importantly, how to move safely, respectfully, and responsibly in a fun way with a partner and with the entire group ... the epitome of collaboration!
When I learned that my employer, the Napa Valley Unified School District, had teamed up with NapaLearns to help its teachers build professional capacity in 21st century skills vis-a-vis the Touro University California's Innovative Learning Master of Education program (TU-CA), I knew I had to enroll. The clincher for me to sign-up was listening to Dr. Pam Redmond speak about the high value placed on the social justice/equity aspect of student learning through this program. The topics of social justice and equity remain important to me because I myself was born into, grew up in, and experienced firsthand the traumatic hostile environment in which racism, prejudice, and discrimination were prevalent; I was born in San Francisco and grew up as a Pilipina-American in the Ingleside and Mission Districts during the 1960s, straddling cultures and languages. It is a moral imperative for me that all students feel they have a teacher who empathizes with their challenges and wants them to succeed to reach their goals by developing their 21st century skills of the six Cs (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship, and character) and the use of technology. They will also learn through my explicit instructions about having a growth mindset, perserverance, and skills necessary to overcome challenges!
Through this TU-CA graduate program, I have learned the importance of building capacity in my students through myriad pedagogical approaches, balancing explicit direct instruction with inquiry-based learning so they will learn to love to learn and how to learn. It is my intention to share this knowledge with my colleagues so ALL of our students will benefit in an equitable manner.
FUN FACT: I teach my students how to dance Salsa, other Latin dance styles, and Ballroom dancing to prepare them for the annual Spring Arts Festival Festival's Dance Presentation and Community Dance--which was dubbed a 4th grade rite of passage by our founding Principal, Mrs. Maren Rocca-Hunt back in 2005-2006. Students learn not only how to move for themselves, but more importantly, how to move safely, respectfully, and responsibly in a fun way with a partner and with the entire group ... the epitome of collaboration!
My TPACK Journey (Draft - still to be revised)
To help students succeed especially in the use of technology, I need to master the understanding of TPACK, so I can use technology in the "sweet spot" of teaching and learning where in the Venn diagram Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge are best applied effectively. At this point of my TPACK journey, I believe I understand it; BUT, I also need to continue creating opportunities for students to have computer/tech use that are at the modification and redefinition levels of the SAMR model rather than at the substitution and augmentation levels.