Shannon Small 

       The future holds an infinite number of opportunities for each of us; we just have to embrace them and work for those things that are important to us.  As an educator, my future contains not only opportunities for myself, but also for my students.  I have many goals which encompass both aspects, and drive my continued learning.  As a lifelong learner, I strive to continually grow and achieve new skills.  Deciding on just a few goals is more difficult, as there are multiple which I plan to achieve in the future.  In the next few years, I hope to learn more about technology integration, additional ways to support students with special needs, and smaller leadership opportunities within my classroom and school.  These goals combine some of my smaller goals both personally and professionally.  While I enjoy my classroom position, I would like to work towards some additional leadership and support opportunities for teachers using technology, but especially helping students with special needs to be successful in school.  Endless opportunities to support these goals and a drive to become a better version of myself will pave the path of my future as an educator and learner.  

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       As our society continues to accept and integrate more technology into our daily lives, so does it in our education field and daily in classrooms across the country.  While I do not have students in my classroom all day, I spend a great deal of time working in general education classrooms with teachers and students, as well as with smaller groups of students with a variety of special needs.  I would like to find ways to better integrate a variety of technology into both of these settings.  In the general education setting I want to find technology that can be used and enhance the current academic instruction that is happening in the classrooms.  I plan to do more research and learning through the International Society for Technology in Education.  When it comes to special needs students, I am interested in finding more ways to use assistive technology to support their academic growth.  There are many options when it comes to assistive technology, and new advancements are adding to this on a regular basis.  There is also a need for differing tools and technologies based on student needs.  In this area, I want to do more research on topics dealing with assistive technology, such as through Understood.com.  Another resource would be the current assistive technology coordinator for our county schools and working with her to support the needs of my current and future students.    

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       Although I have a degree in special education, and have taught in this area for six years, I want to continue to learn and grow in this area.  New advancements, treatments, research and publications are regularly becoming available.  Taking opportunities to learn new information that can support my students in the classroom is an essential part of my job, especially as an educator who wants the best for my students.  One source that I plan to use is the Council for Exceptional Children’s website as well as attend their conferences when possible.  Another great source is the National Council for Special Education.  Along with continuing to learn about new research, I want to become more versed in the opportunities for my students after they complete high school.  One resource to help with this is Autism Speaks, as they have a wealth of information for individuals with Autism, as well as for students who have other disabilities.  Continuing to learn and be able to apply new information to my teaching will help my students to be more successful.  

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       Gaining leadership experiences  will help me to grow as an educator and individual.  A strong leader outside of the classroom also transfers to leadership within the classroom.  I would like to continue finding ways to have smaller leadership roles within my school.  While I do not want to move towards administration at this time, I would still like to broaden my scope of leadership outside the classroom.  One way I am looking to gain more leadership is to join one of the curriculum committees, as they look for possible new material to implement in upcoming years.  In gaining some leadership experience, one resource to utilize is the website TED Talks, with their many videos on various leadership experiences and beliefs about ways to better our educational setting.  

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       While these goals cover a wide range, their impact will greatly influence my teaching and future goals to use technology to support more students with special needs.  Technology is going to play more of a role in education as it becomes more widely available and used in schools.  I want to feel confident implementing newer technology in my classroom, as well as assisting other teachers with their implementation.  This is also one of the ways I can increase my leadership within the school setting.  Achieving these goals in the future will be a continual process as learning is never complete.  I can continue to work towards these goals and others that come up over the rest of my career in education.  To become a better educator for my students will always be a work in progress, as I anticipate remaining a lifelong learner.