Michael H. Gibbs
Thomas A. Blake Middle School
Medfield, MA 02052
mgibbs@medfield.mec.edu
July 9, 2012
Dear Dr. Graham,
It is with great satisfaction that I present to you this digital portfolio. This portfolio is representative of the educational technology skills and products that I have learned and developed since I enrolled in my first CIT course in the fall of 2009.
I began my teaching career in the fall of 1995, and did not receive my first classroom computer until 5 years later. Since that time, technology has indisputably become an integral part of education, and has transformed the instructional practices of teachers everywhere, myself included. Through my work and experiences in the Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instructional Technology program, I have been able to not only improve and enhance the uses of technology that were already in place in my curriculum prior to my enrollment in the CIT program, but I have also developed new skills, discovered new resources, and learned of new ways to integrate technology into the classroom to the benefit of learners of all styles, preferences, and abilities.
As a science teacher, I have found my experiences in the CIT program to be of particular value. Science includes many abstract concepts, from the minuscule sizes of atoms and their inscrutable to the naked eye behavior, to the grand scale of the structure of the universe. Through my increased awareness of, and efforts to integrate the use of educational technologies such as web-based animations and interactives, abstract scientific topics are made accessible to all students. Science is also a skill-based, cumulative discipline of study, and I have been able to utilize web-based assignments and review games that provide actionable student performance data that allows me to intervene when necessary and in a timely fashion.
My expanded use of technology has also enabled me to make my course, its materials, and information more accessible to both students and parents alike, via the use of my teacher website and online resources and assignments. The use of these resources has helped me to assure that effective learning continues to occur outside the hours of the school day.
The list of examples of how technology has impacted my teaching practices and my students' experiences in my classroom is lengthy; my portfolio and the articles contained therein will hopefully represent how my use of technology has enabled me to become a more effective teacher. I certainly feel that I have improved as an educator as a result of my experiences in the CIT program, and upon considering the many artifacts included herein that were developed as a direct result of my coursework in the CIT program, I hope that the considerably positive effect that my involvement in this program has had on my teaching will be readily apparent.
Dr. Graham, I thank you for all of the advice and guidance that you have provided that has been instrumental in helping me advance to the end of what has been a most meaningful and satisfying educational journey. The coursework and time demands have been challenging, but the experience has been both enjoyable and highly rewarding, and I am certain that my students have benefitted from the professional growth that I have undergone due to my participation in this program.
Most appreciatively and sincerely,
Michael H. Gibbs
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