I am impressed by the progress I have made professionally over the past seven years. I am grateful to the students, parents, colleagues, professors, my professional learning network, authors, advisors, and administrators who have contributed to my development, thus making me a more effective educator. I look forward to continuing my professional growth as I strive to successfully prepare students for the 21st century challenges they are sure to encounter. Professional learning and knowledge Through formal courses (nine university credits) and numerous workshops, conferences, network meetings, etc. , I have constantly increased my knowledge and professional learning. Ask any colleague what my area of ​​“expertise” is and chances are they will mention technology integration. I've always found this interesting, as just a few years ago the response would have been something along the lines of "He's the literate guy." The fact is that both are right. I made the leap into the realm of digital literacy, 21st century literacy. After having been fortunate enough to connect with teachers around the world via Twitter and the blogosphere, I concluded that not engaging students in various web applications and social media would be doing them a huge disservice. The same tools they interact with daily at home or elsewhere should be brought into the classroom to authenticate their learning experience. Furthermore, when used in a targeted manner, with specific learning objectives in mind, they are very effective learning tools. The two courses I have taken in this regard have allowed me to explore, experiment and create, thus successfully integrating technology, on a large scale, into my classroom. Digital Storytelling forced…middle of the paper…the state, district, and local assessments used in my classroom. I consistently use the Razinski Three-Minute Fluency Assessments, the Reading Development Assessment, the Fountas & Pinnell Reading Benchmark Assessment, and self-designed rubrics and checklists aligned with grade-level expectations to inform my instruction. Goal 4: Continue to expand my skills using technology. This year I collaborated with educators globally, via Skype. In October, via Skype, my class performed a poetry slam with another sixth grader from the Chicago area. My goal is to connect with more classes and experts on a global scale via Skype. Goal 5: All of my coursework is evidence that I have continued to develop my repertoire of teaching strategies, best practices, and content knowledge in the curriculum areas for which I am responsible.