The main outcome that I envisioned achieving from this course was learning about the decision making process of administrators when it comes to technology in the school. I believe that I did achieve this outcome through my interviews with the principal, teachers, students, and the instructional technology department. Being a new teacher, I had little to no concept of the amount of research and data that goes into the decision making process. I believe that this outcome was in line with the outcome of the class. One outcome that I envisioned that I did not achieve with this class was the implementation of technology into the classroom. I thought that I would get a better feel for how technology is implemented into classrooms but this course took more an approach only from an administrator’s point of view. Looking at the class now, I realize that was the point of the course, but to start I would have liked to get more a view from a teacher’s standpoint.
I teach Physical Education, so many of the issues that were addressed in this class do not apply to my day-to-day teaching. However, the issues that effect my entire school are very relevant. We recently had an administration change and are going through many different changes in curriculum, budget, technology, and personnel. In this regard, the information that I gathered from this class has really given me an informed opinion about the direction that our school district should take. I have seen the new administration go through the decision making process of new software and I have been able to compare their decisions with the ones that I would make based on the STaR chart of our school.
The assignments in this class were very reasonable and achievable. I was able to complete every assignment, but I was not able to do so to the best of my ability. There are many factors that go into the success or failure of a class, and unfortunately for me, all of those factors were working negatively against my performance. I believe that one of the down falls of an online course is the lack of face to face interaction. While we had a two day grace period for each assignment, I would have loved to sit down with my professor and discuss the issues that were plaguing my school this year. The district had an administration change; my school had an administration change; my coaching staff had an untimely termination that forced much more responsibility onto the remaining coaches. These were all factors in me not being able to complete this course to the best of my ability and were the absolute reasons for me not being able to complete all assignments on time.
The main thing that I learned from this course is that I have a head start on most teachers when it comes to technology. This is only my second year teaching and I am naturally more able with computers and the Internet than teachers who have been in education for many years. In college I took several classes online and took care of all administration issues through WebCT. I have grown up with the Internet and therefore more familiar with it than people who started teaching when computers were not even invented. I am also involved with this program which is entirely online, and therefore have a great idea of what it takes to be technologically competent.
I believe that blogs have huge potential in education. The ability to share thoughts with millions of other students and teachers gives today’s students a huge advantage. The more ideas that students are introduced to give them a better idea of how society views different subjects and now just their teacher and fellow classmates. However, blogging poses a potential risk for students as well. When information comes from many different sources, it is difficulut for students to sort through the legitimate and the misinformed. I believe that blogging still has a long way to go before it is totally reliable, but I think that it is still a valuable tool for students today.
Blogging can also be beneficial to teachers when the communicate with the stakeholders of a school. If every teacher had a school blog, parents and students would be able to simply log onto the Internet and read what the teacher wanted to say. This would help with absences of both teachers and students, and also allow parents to follow what their children are learning in detail. If a teacher posted the day’s homework assignment on their blog, students would not be able to lie to parents and fall behind on work. Despite its dangers, I believe that blogging is a great tool for education.
Overall, I believe that this course was beneficial. While I personally did not have the best experience during this course, I believe that the material was very sound. As technology improves exponentially, schools will have a more difficult time keeping up. I believe that teachers must do all that is possible to try and stay even with students when it comes to the use of that technology and I think that this course helped in that regard.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
State Board of Education
Oversees the development of curriculum, budgeting, assessment, and technology.
Dr. Karen Garza, Superintendent of Schools
Oversees the operation and activities of all administrators; make sure they effectively coordinate and run technology operations within the district.
Director of Instructional Technology—Bill Landis
Create district goals and technology plan based on the technology competencies provided by the state board of education
Instructional Technology Specialist—Bryce Johnston
Assists with district goals and technology plan
Campus Principal—Kenneth Casarez
Implement proper management skills to appropriate funds and delegate roles for staff. Use leadership to promote technology and to evaluate the use of technology in the school
Teachers
Implement district policy and technology goals within the classroom and fulfill all technology competencies set forth by the state board of education
Instructional Facilitator—Terri Christensen
Provide support for the implementation of district policy and technology goals
Oversees the development of curriculum, budgeting, assessment, and technology.
Dr. Karen Garza, Superintendent of Schools
Oversees the operation and activities of all administrators; make sure they effectively coordinate and run technology operations within the district.
Director of Instructional Technology—Bill Landis
Create district goals and technology plan based on the technology competencies provided by the state board of education
Instructional Technology Specialist—Bryce Johnston
Assists with district goals and technology plan
Campus Principal—Kenneth Casarez
Implement proper management skills to appropriate funds and delegate roles for staff. Use leadership to promote technology and to evaluate the use of technology in the school
Teachers
Implement district policy and technology goals within the classroom and fulfill all technology competencies set forth by the state board of education
Instructional Facilitator—Terri Christensen
Provide support for the implementation of district policy and technology goals
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN
The goal of my professional development plan is to create professional development opportunities for teachers to assist in the use of technology in the classroom. The plan is based on the needs of my school according to the Texas STaR chart and based on personal experience and interviews with staff and students.
Internet Training
Provide staff with a comprehensive look at Internet use. Training will include search engine use, viruses, spyware, favorites, cookies, etc.
SmartBoard Training
Training will encompass the wide variety of uses of the Smartboard and how the technology works. Training will also be used as a forum to share different lessons used on the boards and help teachers become more comfortable with the technology.
Podcasts
Teachers will learn the term Podcast and how to use a Podcast. The training will focus on increasing the ways and effectiveness of communication between teachers, students, and parents.
Email
Communication is essential to education in the 21st century. Teachers will be briefed on proper usage of email and also proper etiquette for communicating with parents, students and administration.
Microsoft Office
Although thought of as a forgone conclusion; not all teachers understand how to use all of the tools that Microsoft Office has to offer. Teachers will learn Word, PowerPoint, and Excel as the basics for use of Microsoft Office. Teachers will also share lesson plans and ideas that are executed with the use of Office.
Technology Use Assessment
Teachers will meet and discuss the use of technology in their classrooms. Each teacher will complete a survey to get actual data usage for the amount of technology being used in each class.
STaR Chart
Administration will have staff meeting and go over the STaR chart for the school. The lowest scoring domains will be the emphasis for that semester for all teachers with regards to technology usage.
District Policy
Teachers will meet and go over the district technology policy and goals
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN EVALUATION
Review STaR
The data from the STaR chart will evaluate and discussed. The STaR chart will be looked at with the goal of measuring campus progress and determining future technology goals.
Administrator/Teacher/Student Surveys
The surveys would focus on the benefit of technology in the classroom. Each teacher would discuss the positive impact that new technologies have in their class. Surveys should be given ever grading term. The information will help with future goals and objectives.
Lesson Plans
Lesson plans will be turned in every week so that Instructional Facilitator can see how much technology is being used in classrooms and in what way.
Teacher Surveys
Teacher surveys will be completed and will encompass the use of technology in the classroom, needs for improvement with regards to technical assistance, and the direction that teachers would like to see technology go.
Student Surveys
Students will be surveyed to see the benefit of using technology in the classroom. Student will also give input on improvement needs and the effectiveness of their teachers when using technology.
Goals and Objectives
The previous semester’s goals and objectives will be examined and evaluated. After determining the success or failure of the previous goals and objectives, the future goals will be discussed and set.
The goal of my professional development plan is to create professional development opportunities for teachers to assist in the use of technology in the classroom. The plan is based on the needs of my school according to the Texas STaR chart and based on personal experience and interviews with staff and students.
Internet Training
Provide staff with a comprehensive look at Internet use. Training will include search engine use, viruses, spyware, favorites, cookies, etc.
SmartBoard Training
Training will encompass the wide variety of uses of the Smartboard and how the technology works. Training will also be used as a forum to share different lessons used on the boards and help teachers become more comfortable with the technology.
Podcasts
Teachers will learn the term Podcast and how to use a Podcast. The training will focus on increasing the ways and effectiveness of communication between teachers, students, and parents.
Communication is essential to education in the 21st century. Teachers will be briefed on proper usage of email and also proper etiquette for communicating with parents, students and administration.
Microsoft Office
Although thought of as a forgone conclusion; not all teachers understand how to use all of the tools that Microsoft Office has to offer. Teachers will learn Word, PowerPoint, and Excel as the basics for use of Microsoft Office. Teachers will also share lesson plans and ideas that are executed with the use of Office.
Technology Use Assessment
Teachers will meet and discuss the use of technology in their classrooms. Each teacher will complete a survey to get actual data usage for the amount of technology being used in each class.
STaR Chart
Administration will have staff meeting and go over the STaR chart for the school. The lowest scoring domains will be the emphasis for that semester for all teachers with regards to technology usage.
District Policy
Teachers will meet and go over the district technology policy and goals
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN EVALUATION
Review STaR
The data from the STaR chart will evaluate and discussed. The STaR chart will be looked at with the goal of measuring campus progress and determining future technology goals.
Administrator/Teacher/Student Surveys
The surveys would focus on the benefit of technology in the classroom. Each teacher would discuss the positive impact that new technologies have in their class. Surveys should be given ever grading term. The information will help with future goals and objectives.
Lesson Plans
Lesson plans will be turned in every week so that Instructional Facilitator can see how much technology is being used in classrooms and in what way.
Teacher Surveys
Teacher surveys will be completed and will encompass the use of technology in the classroom, needs for improvement with regards to technical assistance, and the direction that teachers would like to see technology go.
Student Surveys
Students will be surveyed to see the benefit of using technology in the classroom. Student will also give input on improvement needs and the effectiveness of their teachers when using technology.
Goals and Objectives
The previous semester’s goals and objectives will be examined and evaluated. After determining the success or failure of the previous goals and objectives, the future goals will be discussed and set.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
STaR Chart Analysis--Teaching and Learning
The STaR Chart is a Texas statewide plan for schools and teachers to assess their campus and its use of technology in conjunction withe Long Range Plan for Technology. The plan is divided into four domains that include: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure for Technology.
Of the four domains, I believe that Teaching and Learning is the most important to the success of schools and the Long Range Plan for Technology. Today's world is one where information is right at your fingertips. Students and teachers alike are able to access many different sources of information faster than ever before. With this change in availability of knowledge, it is my belief that the dynamic of education must therefore change. In the past, teachers were the gatekeepers of knowledge. Teachers taught and students listened. However, there is now a better way.
There may be better technology available to educators, but I believe that teachers must take that as a challenge to become better and not as an excuse to become lazy. It is very easy for educators to use technology to take the place of what they actually teach, instead of use technology as a supplement to what they teach.
The three other domains are important, but in the end education comes down to teaching and learning.
Of the four domains, I believe that Teaching and Learning is the most important to the success of schools and the Long Range Plan for Technology. Today's world is one where information is right at your fingertips. Students and teachers alike are able to access many different sources of information faster than ever before. With this change in availability of knowledge, it is my belief that the dynamic of education must therefore change. In the past, teachers were the gatekeepers of knowledge. Teachers taught and students listened. However, there is now a better way.
There may be better technology available to educators, but I believe that teachers must take that as a challenge to become better and not as an excuse to become lazy. It is very easy for educators to use technology to take the place of what they actually teach, instead of use technology as a supplement to what they teach.
The three other domains are important, but in the end education comes down to teaching and learning.
Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS
The Pre-K TEKS are the building blocks on which the rest of technology education occurs. Pre-K students are taught to use a computer to access information and also how to use a variety of software that will be crucial to education in later years. Most importantly, the Pre-K TEKS teach students the basic terminology and knowledge of basic technology that will be used in later grades.
A scaffolding curriculum is one in which the same concepts are covered in advancing years and with advancing depth. A good example from the Pre-K Technology TEKS is keyboarding. Keyboarding will be revisited and expanded in grades K-5. Student swill then learn about different input devices in 6-8, and finally the student will be held to speed and efficiency standards of keyboarding in 9-12.
A scaffolding curriculum is one in which the same concepts are covered in advancing years and with advancing depth. A good example from the Pre-K Technology TEKS is keyboarding. Keyboarding will be revisited and expanded in grades K-5. Student swill then learn about different input devices in 6-8, and finally the student will be held to speed and efficiency standards of keyboarding in 9-12.
Long Range Plan for Technology
As with some of the other students that I am in class with, I was not aware of the Long Range Plan for Technology until this class began. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised that Texas is taking concrete steps to making itself a state that uses technology efficiently and in all schools.
I believe that the greatest asset that technology can bring to education is increased communication. My school already has an online grade book implemented that allows parents, students, and teachers to access grades 24 hours a day. Increased use of email, grade books, and even web conferences is where technology can bring about the most benefit. As an education leader, I would strive to decrease the distance between teachers, students, parents, and administrators through improved technology.
The Long Range Plan for Technology also outlined the needs for changes in Texas education. As the state of society, the economy, and technology changes, so should education. Today's world is information driven and therefore the need for high-performance technology is imperative.
Overall, I believe that the Long Range Plan for Technology is well planned and on the right track. I believe that teachers, and especially administrators, must buy into the need for change and allocate all necessary resources to increasing the use and efficiency of technology in schools today.
I believe that the greatest asset that technology can bring to education is increased communication. My school already has an online grade book implemented that allows parents, students, and teachers to access grades 24 hours a day. Increased use of email, grade books, and even web conferences is where technology can bring about the most benefit. As an education leader, I would strive to decrease the distance between teachers, students, parents, and administrators through improved technology.
The Long Range Plan for Technology also outlined the needs for changes in Texas education. As the state of society, the economy, and technology changes, so should education. Today's world is information driven and therefore the need for high-performance technology is imperative.
Overall, I believe that the Long Range Plan for Technology is well planned and on the right track. I believe that teachers, and especially administrators, must buy into the need for change and allocate all necessary resources to increasing the use and efficiency of technology in schools today.
Technology Assessments
I recently completed two technology assessments. After taking the two assessments, I believe that I am above average with my technology skills.
The fist assessment was the Technology Applications Inventory, which consisted of four domains: Foundations, Information Acquisition, Solving Problems, and Communications. The domain that I scored the lowest in was Solving Problems with technology. I believe that being a Physical Education teacher hinders my ability to allow students to use technology in the classroom. However, I would love to have the funds and resources to improve in this area. I scored the best in the Foundations of technology, and I agree that my base knowledge of technology is above average.
The second assessment was the SEDTA teacher survey, which is a survey that asked questions to determine my technology use, the availability of technology at my school, and local policies related to technology. After taking this survey I realize that my school performs better than average with the use of technology. I also learned that I do not use technology in the classroom as much as I should.
My strength as a leader using technology is my basic knowledge of technology. I recently graduated from college and used technology extensively during my time there. I also try and keep up with new software and technology as it comes out in my personal life. My biggest weakness with technology is knowing the standards for use of technology in education.
Overall, I agree with these two assessments and they have helped me to determine that I must use more technology in my classroom, even though it is difficult to do so in Physical Education.
The fist assessment was the Technology Applications Inventory, which consisted of four domains: Foundations, Information Acquisition, Solving Problems, and Communications. The domain that I scored the lowest in was Solving Problems with technology. I believe that being a Physical Education teacher hinders my ability to allow students to use technology in the classroom. However, I would love to have the funds and resources to improve in this area. I scored the best in the Foundations of technology, and I agree that my base knowledge of technology is above average.
The second assessment was the SEDTA teacher survey, which is a survey that asked questions to determine my technology use, the availability of technology at my school, and local policies related to technology. After taking this survey I realize that my school performs better than average with the use of technology. I also learned that I do not use technology in the classroom as much as I should.
My strength as a leader using technology is my basic knowledge of technology. I recently graduated from college and used technology extensively during my time there. I also try and keep up with new software and technology as it comes out in my personal life. My biggest weakness with technology is knowing the standards for use of technology in education.
Overall, I agree with these two assessments and they have helped me to determine that I must use more technology in my classroom, even though it is difficult to do so in Physical Education.
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