Artifact 1

Competency 12.3- “Use computers and other technologies effectively and appropriately to communicate information in a variety of formats on student learning to colleagues, parents, and teachers- Produce materials such as desktop publishing products (e.g., brochures, newsletters, flyers, school newspaper)”

Alignment to INTASC Standards:
This artifact is a model of a newsletter that teachers can use to foster close relationships with parents and therefore meets INTASC Standard 10. The newsletter encourages parents' involvement in the classroom in order to support student learning. The newsletter can be used to communicate classroom activities to rest of the community so that the classroom can form a cooperative partnership with agencies and professionals around it. This newsletter is a great way to communicate needs and concerns with parents as well as sharing students' work and class activities with others outside of the classroom.

Context:
This artifact is a newsletter that I created as a way to communicate with my students’ parents throughout the school year. This particular newsletter was designed to be a newsletter that would go out to all parents at the first of the school year. It informs them of classroom operating procedures, tells about myself, informs of upcoming events, and encourages parents to volunteer to take part in their child’s classroom throughout the year. The letter is also used to inform parents of the curriculum goals to be covered throughout the school year. The newsletter was created on Microsoft Publisher and is used as a way to communicate to parents the things that they will encounter throughout the first couple of months of school. I used several images from clip art on Microsoft Word to make the newsletter more interesting. By entering a digital photo of myself I learned how to use a digital camera. I practiced transferring the digital images to the Microsoft document. I am going to be licensed to teach grades K-6 and will use my knowledge of Microsoft Publisher as a way to communicate with parents, students, and colleagues. The newsletter is a fun and creative way to teach and catch students’ attention on assignments they will do.

Impact:
This artifact meets competency 12.3 becuase it uses technology to communicate the events of classroom activities to parents. I will use Microsoft Publisher to send monthly newsletters to parents and students. This newsletter is a way to get parents involved in school events and inform students of expectations they will encounter throughout the school year. I plan to teach elementary school and use my knowledge of how to use Microsoft Publisher, clip art tools, and the digital camera to get students actively involved in education within the classroom.