Week 5 Assignment, Part 1: Course ReflectionsWhat outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
I anticipated that this Instructional Leadership Technology Course would provide me with the information that I would need to lead a campus in this new age of technology. I wanted to be exposed to any specific hardware that is currently being used in schools as well as the latest software that districts are employing on their campuses. I was also looking forward to finding out the ways that technology is being integrated into the classroom and how these methods are affecting student learning. The legal issues related to technology use were also of great interest to me and I was hoping to learn what I could do to limit my school district’s liability and what should be done to reduce possible misuse of campus technology.
This technology course did not address some of the outcomes that I had envisioned but at the same time it addressed some additional topics that will be very helpful to me as a campus leader. I had not anticipated learning all that I did about the Texas Long-Range Technology Plan, The Texas STaR Chart, and the NET’S for administrators. The information that I learned about how and what to use to evaluate my district and campus technology needs will be very useful. The required course readings exposed me to new and innovative ways to use technology in the classroom and reminded me that I must allow my teachers to take risks when they are working with new technology. As a leader I must give my teachers the confidence to try new learning techniques with their students. The course addressed legal concerns by introducing me to Acceptable Use Policies, firewalls, filters, and student education relating to proper internet use.
The actual course outcomes aligned with those that I envisioned. I was introduced to many more aspects of campus technology than I anticipated. My knowledge base regarding technology and how to implement it on my campus is much broader than it was before I took this course.
To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?
The outcomes of this course are very relevant to the work that I do on my campus. Learning more about the Texas Long-Range Technology Plan, the NET’S for administrators, and the Texas Star Chart will help me improve technology integration on my campus. There is an urgent need to have District and Campus Technology Plans that are updated and properly aligned with the educational goals of the district. I need to be able to properly analyze and evaluate data from various sources such as the Texas STaR Chart and AEIS data in order to determine areas of need for my campus. New and innovative ideas for integrating technology into the classroom are also very relevant to the work that I am doing on my campus. Many times I need to be able to help my teachers as they attempt new teaching strategies in their classrooms. I need to be familiar with both hardware and software that can help them be successful. I also should be knowledgeable with technology that can help me as an administrator perform my duties more effectively. Legal issues and the proper use of technology by both students and faculty members on my campus is also a very relevant issue that was addressed in this course. I am going to review our Campus Acceptable Use Policy and see what changes may need to be made in order to address current technology concerns. The use of technology such as firewalls and filters on our computers also needs to be re-examined to make sure that our campus is protecting our students from information that is not beneficial to the educational process. This course also brought up many points for me to consider as I look to implement new technology on my campus such as making sure that the software and hardware that I choose to purchase is compatible with existing technology. I also will need to make sure that the technology that I purchase will be flexible enough to perform all the services that I need it to for the price that I am quoted. I do not want to purchase technology that is outdated or not compatible with what I already have on my campus. I believe that it is very important that I make sure that we have a strong technology infrastructure on our campus if we are going to expect our teachers to implement technology in their classrooms.
What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
I did not receive as much information on specific types of hardware and software that are being implemented in successful schools. If I can be exposed to best practices related to technology that are being used on successful campuses then I believe that I can learn from these other schools. Some technology hardware and software was addressed in the articles that I read in this course, but I feel that if a specific section was devoted to this topic it would have been more beneficial to me. I also believe that I did not learn as much about the actual technology that is being implemented and used in the classrooms successfully by teachers. Exposure to the way that teachers in successful schools are using technology in their lessons on a daily basis would benefit me as an administrator on my campus. What type of hardware are these successful teachers using in their classrooms? What software are they implementing that has been successful in improving their student’s learning? These are just a few of the questions that I would like to see answered in more depth. The outcomes above were addressed in part in various places throughout the course, but I believe that if these topics were put into specific sections and studied in more detail it would be very beneficial. I will be able to achieve the outcomes I desired by putting in some more research time on my own. Being exposed to the topics in this course has helped me identify what areas of technology I need to learn more about in order to lead my campus toward the new age of technology. The outcomes that I desired will all be achieved after I have put in some research on my own.
Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
I was successful in carrying out all of the required course assignments. Some of the assignments were more difficult to complete than others due to various aspects of the assignments. The Week 1 assignments involved primarily self-assessments that were not difficult to complete and summarize the results. The LoTi Survey and the SETDA Teacher Survey required more time and effort to complete but the instructions were clear and I was able to complete the assignment with no problems. In Week 2 we analyzed the Texas STaR Chart and our Campus STaR Chart and examined the strengths and weaknesses of our individual campuses. Access to the STaR Charts was not difficult and then it was just a matter of reviewing the data and drawing my conclusions. The other parts of our Week 2 assignments involved posting data to our blogs. I had some difficulty at first in finding the proper online resources that would allow me to post my slideshow in my blog. The information was given to me in the course instructions but at times I still had difficulty using the suggested websites to perform the required tasks. This is probably not due to poor instructions from my professor but due to my lack of previous knowledge of blogging. The Week 3 report that required conducting interviews with administrators, SBDM members, students, and technology directors was one of the most difficult assignments that I had to do in this course. The report itself is not what made it difficult, but the time that was required to interview the participants. Finding time to interview staff members is very difficult during school. Administrators and teachers are so busy that conducting interviews is a difficult process. The organizational chart in Week 4 was not difficult but it was new to me and took me a little time to learn to use the software tools that were needed to create a chart. The Integrating Technology Action Plan took me some time to complete but once I had the data organized it did not present much of a problem.
Overall I felt that the assignments in this course were more difficult for me to complete than the other courses I have taken due to the time that was required for the assignments. I don’t know if this is due to this being a very busy time for me in school or if the assignments were more time consuming.
What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
The information that I received from this course included state and federal technology requirements for school districts, how to analyze data to develop a technology plan, hardware and software that are being used in the classroom, legal considerations for school districts, and setting up a proper infrastructure in a school. The use of several technology surveys also showed me personal strengths and weaknesses relating to technology as well as my school district strengths and weaknesses. I learned that I need to know more about state and federal requirements for technology in my school. I also am not efficient enough in the use of many technology tools that I should be including the use of powerpoint, blogging, and wiki’s. While I can use the technology to perform basic tasks; I am not as skilled as I should be. I understand that there are many areas of technology that I need to receive training on if I am going to be able to educate my staff and students in the proper use of some of these technology tools.
It will be hard for me to be a technology leader on my campus if I do not have a basic knowledge of both hardware and software that is on my campus or that is needed on my campus. This course has provided a lot of helpful information that has exposed me to technology needs and trends that I need to do further research on. I have also discovered many technology needs that I am going to have to address for my campus to continue to move forward in technology integration.
I believe that I have a good attitude toward technology and the use of technology on my campus. I have already began the process of integrating new technology in my classrooms but we are facing many challenges relating to teacher use of technology and having the proper infrastructure to support our technology. I am going to have to work closely with our technology director to address the infrastructure concerns on our campus. I want my teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms and into their lessons on a regular basis. If I am going to ask my teachers to use technology then I am going to have to make sure that I provide them with technology that works and an infrastructure that supports what I am asking them to do.
This course exposed me to many aspects of technology that I am going to be able to use to lead my campus toward a new age of technology. I have established a good technology base upon which I can build for the future.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
1st Web Conference Blues
I have just tried to make it through my first web conference and unfortunately I have not been successful. At this point I do not know if it is my error or if the entire conference was disrupted. I was cut off from the web conference and then was unable to get back in.
I can tell from just 15 minutes that I am going to need some practice to feel comfortable using this technology. The speed that everyone was talking made it hard for me to keep up with the conversation and when I decided that I wanted to say something it seemed that everyone was already on another topic. I will need some practice to feel comfortable and I believe that if there were fewer participants I could keep up better.
I believe that web conferencing could be a useful tool if used in the proper circumstance. Web conferencing could be used to meet with potential vendors as well as used for some professional development sessions. I also believe that the better the technology the more effective a web conference would be.
I can tell from just 15 minutes that I am going to need some practice to feel comfortable using this technology. The speed that everyone was talking made it hard for me to keep up with the conversation and when I decided that I wanted to say something it seemed that everyone was already on another topic. I will need some practice to feel comfortable and I believe that if there were fewer participants I could keep up better.
I believe that web conferencing could be a useful tool if used in the proper circumstance. Web conferencing could be used to meet with potential vendors as well as used for some professional development sessions. I also believe that the better the technology the more effective a web conference would be.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Summary: National Educational Technology Plan
The NETP has presented five goals that address learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The five goals are 1) all learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society, 2) our educational system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement, 3) professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all learners, 4) all students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it, and 5) our education system at all levels will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff. The NETP believes that time is of the essence in addressing these goals.
President Obama also has his own goals for education which include raising our proportion of college graduates to 60% and closing the achievment gap so that all students regardless of circumstances can graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers. Some of the areas where it is believed that we can have the biggest impact are adopting standards and assessments that prepare our students for college and the workforce, building data systems that measure student growth and success, recruiting and rewarding effective educators, and turning around our lowest achieving schools.
The plan calls for learning that is powered by technology. Teaching strategies will be different than traditional styles and students will be given more flexibility in the learning process. There will be a lot of group learning that occurs in engaging environments that is more learner-centered. Students may also take ownership of their own learning through the use of electronic portfolios. As we have learned more about how our students learn we must make sure that we implement this knowledge in our schools to improve student learning. Research and data does us no good if we do not use this knowledge to help our students.
Teachers should have access to student data 24hrs. a day to help them address the weaknesses that are revealed from student assessments. Teachers must be given the tools and resources that are needed to address areas of concern. The plan also calls for the building of online learning communities where stakeholders can interact with each other in group settings. These online learning communities allow us to have access to a vast knowledge base that we would otherwise be unable to take advantage of.
Teaches also need to have the training necessary to take advantage of the technology that is at our disposal. Many of our teachers know how to use technology but not how to implement it in the classroom to improve student learning. We must make sure that we take the time to train our teachers in the use of hardware and software in the classroom. Our leaders are going to have to allow teachers to have the time necessary for professional growth if we want to achieve the goals that we have set for our schools.
When studying the plan one of the things that comes to mind is that I believe that in order for us to achieve the goals that we are setting we are going to have to be willing to put the needed financial resources into teacher professional development. I believe that many times there is an unwillingness to spend money on teacher training, yet research shows that this is one of the most important elements to improving student learning. The professional development should be high quality and relevant to our educational goals. Teachers are also going to have to be willing to make changes in their teachings styles to move toward more learner-centered instruction. It will take a total effort of all stakeholders if we are going to reach the goals that the technology plan sets for our schools.
Another challenge that we are going to have to face is the situation that many of our schools are in financially. This is a time when we are facing major financial cutbacks in most states and finding the needed resources to meet our goals may not be easy. We are going to have to do a good job of managing our money and making sure that our allottment of resources is aligned with our stated objectives and goals. We are going to have to make tough decisions concerning school programs and what our priorities are going to be in our individual schools.
Overall I believe that the National Technology Plan addresses most of the major needs that we have in our schools and sets some important goals for us to strive to meet. There are major obstacles that must be overcome but I believe that we making strides toward the objectives and goals that we have set. We must continue to use research and data to push toward changing the learning climate in our schools.
President Obama also has his own goals for education which include raising our proportion of college graduates to 60% and closing the achievment gap so that all students regardless of circumstances can graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers. Some of the areas where it is believed that we can have the biggest impact are adopting standards and assessments that prepare our students for college and the workforce, building data systems that measure student growth and success, recruiting and rewarding effective educators, and turning around our lowest achieving schools.
The plan calls for learning that is powered by technology. Teaching strategies will be different than traditional styles and students will be given more flexibility in the learning process. There will be a lot of group learning that occurs in engaging environments that is more learner-centered. Students may also take ownership of their own learning through the use of electronic portfolios. As we have learned more about how our students learn we must make sure that we implement this knowledge in our schools to improve student learning. Research and data does us no good if we do not use this knowledge to help our students.
Teachers should have access to student data 24hrs. a day to help them address the weaknesses that are revealed from student assessments. Teachers must be given the tools and resources that are needed to address areas of concern. The plan also calls for the building of online learning communities where stakeholders can interact with each other in group settings. These online learning communities allow us to have access to a vast knowledge base that we would otherwise be unable to take advantage of.
Teaches also need to have the training necessary to take advantage of the technology that is at our disposal. Many of our teachers know how to use technology but not how to implement it in the classroom to improve student learning. We must make sure that we take the time to train our teachers in the use of hardware and software in the classroom. Our leaders are going to have to allow teachers to have the time necessary for professional growth if we want to achieve the goals that we have set for our schools.
When studying the plan one of the things that comes to mind is that I believe that in order for us to achieve the goals that we are setting we are going to have to be willing to put the needed financial resources into teacher professional development. I believe that many times there is an unwillingness to spend money on teacher training, yet research shows that this is one of the most important elements to improving student learning. The professional development should be high quality and relevant to our educational goals. Teachers are also going to have to be willing to make changes in their teachings styles to move toward more learner-centered instruction. It will take a total effort of all stakeholders if we are going to reach the goals that the technology plan sets for our schools.
Another challenge that we are going to have to face is the situation that many of our schools are in financially. This is a time when we are facing major financial cutbacks in most states and finding the needed resources to meet our goals may not be easy. We are going to have to do a good job of managing our money and making sure that our allottment of resources is aligned with our stated objectives and goals. We are going to have to make tough decisions concerning school programs and what our priorities are going to be in our individual schools.
Overall I believe that the National Technology Plan addresses most of the major needs that we have in our schools and sets some important goals for us to strive to meet. There are major obstacles that must be overcome but I believe that we making strides toward the objectives and goals that we have set. We must continue to use research and data to push toward changing the learning climate in our schools.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
2008 Progress Report on Long-Range Plan for Technology
The 2008 Progress Report on the Long-Range plan for technology shows that in the area of Teaching and Learning Texas Public Schools are progressing toward Target Tech according to the Texas STaR Chart. Twenty five percent of all campuses were at the Advanced Level while only 0.9% of campuses were at the Target Level. Trend data would indicate that there has been some improvement in the percentage of schools that are at the Advanced Level while other levels have remained the same of decreased by a small percentage. When analyzing the different focus areas it is revealed that in the area of Patterns of Classroom Use 74% are at the Developing Tech level. This shows that we need to expand on how we are using our technology in the classroom to improve student learning. We must attempt to incorporate technology into the use of higher level thinking skills. In Focus Area IV, Technology Applications; 70% of our campuses are rated at Developing Tech. We need to become more familiar with our TA TEKS and apply these to our teaching in the classroom. Focus area V, Student Mastery of Technology Applications also needs to improve more as we attempt to have a greater number of our students mastering the TA TEKS. I believe that we must attempt to move from more traditional styles of teaching toward more learner centered instructional styles that incorporate technology into our lessons. I know that many teachers find it hard to change the teaching styles that they have been using for years, but if we truly care about the future of our students then we must attempt to provide them with the best education that we can and that includes the up to date use of technology.
In the area of Educator Preparation and Development we see a great need to equip teachers with the tools and skills necessary to prepare our students to be successful in the modern world. We only saw very slight gains in the area of Educator Preparation and Development over the last few years. There needs to be more projects that are done on a regular basis that are technology based. We also need more schools that have consistent access to online resources and materials. More of our educators need to meet SBEC standards and our teachers need to be receiving more technology training through professional development opportunities. The data shows that fewer schools were at the Early Tech level which is a good sign but we must have more schools that are moving from Developing Tech to Advanced Tech.
The area of Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support is vital to the success of the school. We need strong leaders who are able to help integrate technology into our schools. These leaders must be able to not only build a solid infrastructure but sustain it as well. There were a few more schools at the Target Tech level in 2007-2008 than there were in 2006-2007. The largest increase that we saw was at the Advanced Tech level. I believe that we need to have a shared vision concerning technology in our schools and that we need to make sure that our faculty members all understand what that vision is. Our leadership is going to have to be willing to allocate the resources that are necessary for a solid technology infrastructure in our schools. We need to have well aligned technology plans that are understood by everyone and are supported by all stakeholders.
The area of Progress in the Infrastructure for Technology shows that we need to have access to the hardware and software that is needed to support student learning. We must also have access to high-speed internet and informational materials. More campuses achieved Target Tech and Advanced Tech levels in 2007-2008 than they did in 2006-2007. We need to continue to attempt to make gains in the technology that is available to our students and faculty members. Increased access to quality technology will improve student learning. We also need to have the proper tech support to keep our systems running smoothly and available on a consistent basis. If we are going to use technology regularly in our classrooms it needs to be dependable and function properly.
In the area of Educator Preparation and Development we see a great need to equip teachers with the tools and skills necessary to prepare our students to be successful in the modern world. We only saw very slight gains in the area of Educator Preparation and Development over the last few years. There needs to be more projects that are done on a regular basis that are technology based. We also need more schools that have consistent access to online resources and materials. More of our educators need to meet SBEC standards and our teachers need to be receiving more technology training through professional development opportunities. The data shows that fewer schools were at the Early Tech level which is a good sign but we must have more schools that are moving from Developing Tech to Advanced Tech.
The area of Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support is vital to the success of the school. We need strong leaders who are able to help integrate technology into our schools. These leaders must be able to not only build a solid infrastructure but sustain it as well. There were a few more schools at the Target Tech level in 2007-2008 than there were in 2006-2007. The largest increase that we saw was at the Advanced Tech level. I believe that we need to have a shared vision concerning technology in our schools and that we need to make sure that our faculty members all understand what that vision is. Our leadership is going to have to be willing to allocate the resources that are necessary for a solid technology infrastructure in our schools. We need to have well aligned technology plans that are understood by everyone and are supported by all stakeholders.
The area of Progress in the Infrastructure for Technology shows that we need to have access to the hardware and software that is needed to support student learning. We must also have access to high-speed internet and informational materials. More campuses achieved Target Tech and Advanced Tech levels in 2007-2008 than they did in 2006-2007. We need to continue to attempt to make gains in the technology that is available to our students and faculty members. Increased access to quality technology will improve student learning. We also need to have the proper tech support to keep our systems running smoothly and available on a consistent basis. If we are going to use technology regularly in our classrooms it needs to be dependable and function properly.
Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology: Teaching and Learning
Technology can be an equalizing factor when it comes to student learning. Through the use of technology our students can have access to learning opportunities that they may otherwise not be able to experience due to socioeconomic or environmental factors. Technology also can offer learning opportunities through distance learning. Students can take online or virtual classes that are not offered on their individual campus. These courses may be needed for high school graduation or for college-level credit.
Technology must become part of the student learning process. Students and teachers should have regular access to quality technology to help improve student learning. The more traditional teaching styles need to give way to more learner-centered teaching strategies. We will need better aligned curriculum relating to technology use as well as more professional development opportunities in the use of technology.
The use of technology to improve student learning has been steadily increasing in the classroom. Teachers are beginning to recognize the impact that the proper use of technology can have on student learning. More schools also have access to better and more current technology than we have had in the past. Our infrastructures are better and therefore the quality and practicality the technology has led to more teachers incorporating it in their classroom teaching.
Professional development in the use of technology is also becoming more prevalant on our campuses. As teachers are becoming more familiar with the use and applications of technology they are beginning to incorporate technology into their teaching. We are beginning to see more and more teachers who are recognizing the impact that the proper use of technology can have on improving student learning.
The recommendations that I would make for my school district in this area of technology would be to continue to improve the technology infrastructure so that both teachers and students can have better access to high speed communications. I also believe that we must continue to have professional development related to technology software and hardware and how we can incorporate these into our classrooms.
Technology must become part of the student learning process. Students and teachers should have regular access to quality technology to help improve student learning. The more traditional teaching styles need to give way to more learner-centered teaching strategies. We will need better aligned curriculum relating to technology use as well as more professional development opportunities in the use of technology.
The use of technology to improve student learning has been steadily increasing in the classroom. Teachers are beginning to recognize the impact that the proper use of technology can have on student learning. More schools also have access to better and more current technology than we have had in the past. Our infrastructures are better and therefore the quality and practicality the technology has led to more teachers incorporating it in their classroom teaching.
Professional development in the use of technology is also becoming more prevalant on our campuses. As teachers are becoming more familiar with the use and applications of technology they are beginning to incorporate technology into their teaching. We are beginning to see more and more teachers who are recognizing the impact that the proper use of technology can have on improving student learning.
The recommendations that I would make for my school district in this area of technology would be to continue to improve the technology infrastructure so that both teachers and students can have better access to high speed communications. I also believe that we must continue to have professional development related to technology software and hardware and how we can incorporate these into our classrooms.
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