Mgbada_Felicia_SU2014

My name is Felicia Mgbada and I just finished a stressful but very enjoyable first year of teaching 10th grade ELA and 11th and12th grade rhetoric and composition, in the South Bronx. I am originally from Central Jersey but I currently live in Upper. Technology plays a big part in my world. I got my first personal laptop my sophomore year in high school. It was a bulky HD and my mom said it was strictly for school work. I did not start using it for social purposes until my senior year of high school. This is when I created a Facebook profile. Facebook is just about the only thing I can tolerate. I started keeping a fashion blog junior year of high school but just like my many attempts of keeping a journal, it faded away. So then, I got a Pinterest account, I was able to keep a fashion blog that way because it involved lots of pictures and very little words. My cell phone is everything to me. Up until the summer after college, I always had a regular phone with no internet plan so I always connected to my university’s wifi on my iPod touch and pretended I had two phones. The first summer out of college, I was finally able to purchase a smart phone and the data plan by myself. Since then, I forgot my Facebook and Pinterest password because I am always logged in on my phone.

Flip Phone --> HD Laptop --> Sliding Phone --> Facebook --> iPod --> Dell Laptop --> Twitter --> iPad --> Google Blogger --> Pinterest --> Samsung Galaxy 4s

The day I got my iPad was the happiest day of my life. I had been telling anyone who would listen how I wanted one so bad. Then I get a call from my mentor who said he would have my iPad shipped to me in college. I was shocked, ecstatic and speechless. The day my iPad came, I stayed in my room YouTubing different iPad functions and downloading free apps. In college, I carried my iPad everywhere and used it to take notes and assignments for every subject. I knew the best apps for math class and science labs. This was my baby and because I did not have a smart phone, my phone became insignificant to me. Now that I have a smart phone and I am out of college, my iPad seems inconvenient and I really don’t have any use for it again. When I carry it to places and try and force myself to use it, I just fall back on my smart phone. My iPad has been dead for over 7 months now. Lol, what a shame! !


 * 1) ** **Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity**

real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources”. The final project for first semester was creating a documentary that addressed and shed light on an issue in our country or  neighborhood. My students had to engage in a lot of computer based research and then create a digital representation of their research and reflections. Students were in collaborative groups and were able to share their individual digital talents while learning from each other.
 * Reflection: ** This past year, I would say that I “engage[d] students in exploring

creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness”. I tend to back away from things, especially technology, that I am not familiar with. I am aware that my students know a lot more about technology than I do so  I would like to learn how to create opportunities for my students to  show their digital knowledge, in an accessible way, without being limited by my simple digital literacy. I want to learn at least 3 different digital tools I can teach my class, which will have to pick from for an assignment.
 * Goal: ** In this class, I would like to learn how to “promote, support, and model


 * 2) Design and develop digital age learning experience and assessments **

classroom that I do not encourage my students to manage their own learning, create individual educational goals or assess their own progress. I need to work on this. I also think that it will increase student investment and by-in, which is something that I struggled with this year.
 * Reflection: ** Overall for this category, I think that I have so much control over my

learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources”. “Individual learning styles” is something that I was beat over the head with before I started teaching, but it is one of the hardest things for me to actually implement. I know that different students learn differently and also should be assessed differently, on some occasions. I want to have different digitally innovative assessments in my tool box, this way I would be able to provide my students with more options in the classroom.
 * Goal: ** In this class, I would like to learn how to “customize and personalize


 * 3) Model digital age work and learning **

before, my digital knowledge is very limited. There is a lot that I do not know about so I cannot expose my students to. Also, this past year, collaborating with parents, peers, students and community members using digital tools was not high on my priority list. I felt my students needed a lot more help in other area and digital tools was not even on my list.
 * Reflection: ** This is probably the category I struggle the most with. As I mentioned

technologically and digitally adept. Sometimes I wonder if it really matters that my students use these tools. I want to learn more about the benefits and how I can convey these benefits to my students and co-workers. Although I have a Twitter, I do not see any use for it so I would like to become a consistent Twitter user who who tweets at least 3 times a week.
 * Goals: ** In this class, I would like to learn the need and significance of being


 * 4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility **

the “appropriate documentation of sources". I stressed the importance of giving credit where and when credit is due on all their papers. I  also gave very harsh penalties when these rules were not followed. I  noticed a lot of my students just did not know the rules for citing  sources so this is something I had to teach from scratch.
 * Reflection: ** This is the most important categories. This past year, we worked a lot on

responsibilities that go along with these tools. As I am introducing my students to all of these digital tools, it is also my responsibility to  teach them proper digital manners, etiquette, and responsibility. Facebook and Instagram are not always used correctly by my students. I think that if I teach them etiquette in other digital mediums, it will be transferable to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The outcome of my learning would be: first become knowledgeable of the rules, then when my  class first begins digital projects, we will create class rules for the internet and school laptops. This will be part a a larger digital literacy training.
 * Goals: ** In this class, I would like to learn all the digital etiquette and


 * 5) Engage in professional growth and leadership **

to technology and digital resources. However, I did have the great opportunity to attend the NCTE conference in Boston this year. I got a very good digital resource for books and online assessments. I tried it once in my class but it was taking too long to teach and implement so  sadly, I let it go.
 * Reflection: ** My school did not have any professional development opportunities related

opportunities as it relates to learning and teaching digital resources and other technology. I would like to find at least 2 teacher resources about digital projects and assignments that includes instructions on how to use them. I would also hold myself accountable to developing at least one class project using these resources.
 * Goal: ** In this class, I would like to be exposed to more professional development

Here is my portfolio.