Beginning in 2004, teachers who have been in the classroom for two years or less are eligible to apply for the New Teacher Michigan Certificate for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching with Technology (MCOATT for New Teachers). As with the other MCOATT awards, you will develop an electronic portfolio documenting your work that will be submitted to a panel of judges for evaluation.

The award is designed to encourage beginning teachers to experiment with technology integration and use that experience for self-examination of results while being recognized for their work. It provides an opportunity for those who have been awarded the Student Teacher MCOATT to further their uses of technology, or for those not able to develop a portfolio during student teaching to apply the skills learned in preservice teaching to their early years in the classroom.

The New Teacher Award has three steps (the template and materials you will need to apply for the award are linked below).

	Develop and teach two different units that integrate technology. One of these units may have been done during student teaching or at any time within your first two years in a regular classroom. The second unit must be done within a year of the first but after you have received your initial teacher certification.
	Before teaching the second unit, take time to answer some short questions about your first unit to reflect on the results. You will not need to document the first unit in your portfolio, but will need to include the answers to the questions. You can use a word processor to write your answers then later transfer them to your final portfolio. The idea is to learn from your first experience so that your second unit can be outstanding.
	After teaching the second unit, create your portfolio using the New Teacher template and submit it along with an portfolio form for the MCOATT award. Be sure you take a look at the template before teaching your unit so you know what information you will need to complete the portfolio. If you worked on a portfolio during an educational technology class or for student teaching using the COATT model, this will be a familiar process. You will create the portfolio on your computer using a web editor then post it on the Internet for judging.

Portfolio Materials and Information

New Teacher Application Form - submit this along with your portfolio. You can submit the form at any time during the year but check the deadline dates so you know when judging sessions will occur.

New Teacher COATT Portfolio Unit 1 Questions - after you teach your first unit, answer a short set of questions. You will use these answers in your final portfolio.

New Teacher Portfolio Template - use this to document your work. There are hints you will want to check before you teach your unit so you know what information to collect.

New Teacher COATT Rubric - this represents the criteria that will be used by the judges to determine which portfolios qualify for an award.

New Teacher Portfolio Form - you will need to submit this to let us kow your portfolio has been completed and is ready to be evaluated.

While there is not a portfolio manual specifically for the New Teacher award, you will benefit by checking out the Student Teacher Manual to get help on documenting your work.

Getting More Help

While the New Teacher Award does not require that you have a sponsor, you may find it useful to consult with one of the faculty at the institution where you did your student teaching (see list of COATT contacts) or send questions to the New Teacher Technology Consultants, a group of COATT faculty and teachers who have volunteered to provide mentoring to new teachers in technology uses.