As part of my Innovative Educator Certificate I will be taking three elective courses. I decided to focus on the Technology Tools strand. My reasoning is that I want to get really comfortable with the tools first. I want to see what is out there and available, plan a lesson with one or two tools, and then keep the ones I like and trash the ones that don’t stick. Once I get a feel for the equipment and apps, then I will look to apply more advanced strategies in the coming months and years.

Here are the three electives I am choosing, in the order I am planning on taking them:

• Twitter for Educators
• Web 2.0 Tools for the Classroom
• Cloud Computing in the Classroom

I am planning to enroll in the electives on the recommended start dates on the Spring 2016 IEC Calendar. Here are the dates:

• Twitter for Educators- Weeks 3-15 (May 15th enroll/August 6th completion)
• Web 2.0 Tools for Classroom- Weeks 16-23 (August 7th enroll/October 8th completion)
• Cloud Computing in the Classroom- Weeks 24-29 (October 9th enroll/November 19th completion)

Looking at my Twitter for Educators timeline, it looks like more than enough time to complete it. Knowing myself, I will probably finish ahead of this proposed schedule, but I do like seeing my plans written down and it certainly seems feasible.

I am already a Twitter user. My professional development has skyrocketed since I have really began to use it. I would like to learn more about the features on the site, since I still very much feel like a rookie when on Twitter. The Web 2.0 Tools for Classroom intrigued me since I’ve been wanting to do portfolios for my students in the classroom- blogging seems like the way to go for that. Finally, Cloud Computing sounds like a lot of GAFE that I use already in my classroom. I am always wanting more practice and knowledge in different cloud-based apps.

I think I have a good plan setup, and I’m excited to get started.