Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
The End
Honestly, I really did not know what to expect from this course, however I feel like I truly learned a lot. It sounded more like an instruction/curriculum course. I thought that since the class was called “Instructional Leadership” that it would be focused more on instruction in the classroom—not once did technology cross my mind. Therefore, the course outcomes did not meet my original expectations. I feel that because I did not learn how to become an “instructional leader,” that this is an outcome that I initially expected, but did not achieve. I guess not truly understanding what the course is about before going in to it does not allow one to have expected outcomes. However, once I read through the syllabus, it was clear that this was, in fact, a course based on technology! Once I understood what the course was actually about, I expected to learn more of how to use technology in the classroom, not necessarily why we should. But I have since learned that the how and the why are each important in their own way.
I feel that what I have taken away from this course has absolutely been relevant to the work that I do in my school. As a math and science teacher, there are many opportunities to use technology in the classroom. I have learned that the technology we use in my classroom barely touches the surface. Technology is necessary, and the kids know how to use it. Technology keeps our students interested and therefore they seem to learn more when technology is used. In Special Education, we have students using basic programs on computers, just to complete assignments. My students produce higher quality work when they use computers, and it is amazing how much faster a paper can be typed than it can be written. More than that, there are ways for me to communicate with my students other than pen and paper.
I must say that this has been one of my favorite courses by far, although it has been incredibly time consuming. The content was useful and the assignments, in my opinion, were left open to interpretation. It was interesting to see the different analysis from each of my classmates. We were able to take the assignment and pretty much turn it into our own. There were times though, that I did not think I would get the work done on time. It was often overwhelming, but I learned to buckle down and do it; and week after week, I everything completed on time. I do think that the readings, albeit short, were difficult to post about week to week. I do not feel that it was necessary to find something noble of posting about in every. single. reading. This was probably the worst of it for me.
What I learned is that there is a lot for me to learn. Because of my age, I feel as if I am ahead of the technology curve; however, my district is holding me back. There are so many opportunities for technology to be used, yet we do not necessarily have the resources or funding. I did not know that the reasons for using technology in the classroom were so abundant. While technology does take time to be put into place, and it takes time and training to teach people how to appropriately use it, once all of the glitches are taken care of, it is incredibly beneficial.
Blogs allow people to express the views and opinions freely. It allows blog users to communicate with a large number of people at once. Unlike email, the blog is not necessarily sent to someone, it is there for them to view at their pleasure on their own time. My biggest concern about blogs and blogging in education is security. In general, blogs are open to the public. And like we have learned, once information is out there, it is out there. Yes, it can be deleted, but it is always floating around in the digital world, and can eventually come back and haunt you. Another concern of mine is the danger that our students put themselves in when blogging, as well as when using facebook, twitter and myspace. These are all ways to communicate with those all over the world, and it opens students up to many unfortunate situations. The best thing we can do for our students and their families is teach them internet safety. Parents need to be made aware of the dangers their students face.
Blogging, along with other forms of technological communication, can be used to successfully communicate with school stakeholders. Communicating through podcasts, blogs and twitter allow users to express their thoughts, opinions, upcoming events, and other parts of information in a new way. Recently, our volleyball team made it to the state level. I was not able to go to the last round of games because it was during the school week, but I was actually able to follow the game on twitter! One of the parents kept the rest of us updated by “tweeting” the score during the entire game. It was really neat to know how the game was going because of twitter. Currently, our superindentent, as well as our principals, use the ConnectEd system to communicate with teachers and parents. They record themselves, and the message is sent to our school phones and cell phones. Using a podcast would be more relevant the 21st century learner.
Technology is here to stay. It is forever changing, and we must keep up with it. As teachers and future administrators, we are the leaders for our students. We must teach them the ways of the world, as our students are indeed the future.
I feel that what I have taken away from this course has absolutely been relevant to the work that I do in my school. As a math and science teacher, there are many opportunities to use technology in the classroom. I have learned that the technology we use in my classroom barely touches the surface. Technology is necessary, and the kids know how to use it. Technology keeps our students interested and therefore they seem to learn more when technology is used. In Special Education, we have students using basic programs on computers, just to complete assignments. My students produce higher quality work when they use computers, and it is amazing how much faster a paper can be typed than it can be written. More than that, there are ways for me to communicate with my students other than pen and paper.
I must say that this has been one of my favorite courses by far, although it has been incredibly time consuming. The content was useful and the assignments, in my opinion, were left open to interpretation. It was interesting to see the different analysis from each of my classmates. We were able to take the assignment and pretty much turn it into our own. There were times though, that I did not think I would get the work done on time. It was often overwhelming, but I learned to buckle down and do it; and week after week, I everything completed on time. I do think that the readings, albeit short, were difficult to post about week to week. I do not feel that it was necessary to find something noble of posting about in every. single. reading. This was probably the worst of it for me.
What I learned is that there is a lot for me to learn. Because of my age, I feel as if I am ahead of the technology curve; however, my district is holding me back. There are so many opportunities for technology to be used, yet we do not necessarily have the resources or funding. I did not know that the reasons for using technology in the classroom were so abundant. While technology does take time to be put into place, and it takes time and training to teach people how to appropriately use it, once all of the glitches are taken care of, it is incredibly beneficial.
Blogs allow people to express the views and opinions freely. It allows blog users to communicate with a large number of people at once. Unlike email, the blog is not necessarily sent to someone, it is there for them to view at their pleasure on their own time. My biggest concern about blogs and blogging in education is security. In general, blogs are open to the public. And like we have learned, once information is out there, it is out there. Yes, it can be deleted, but it is always floating around in the digital world, and can eventually come back and haunt you. Another concern of mine is the danger that our students put themselves in when blogging, as well as when using facebook, twitter and myspace. These are all ways to communicate with those all over the world, and it opens students up to many unfortunate situations. The best thing we can do for our students and their families is teach them internet safety. Parents need to be made aware of the dangers their students face.
Blogging, along with other forms of technological communication, can be used to successfully communicate with school stakeholders. Communicating through podcasts, blogs and twitter allow users to express their thoughts, opinions, upcoming events, and other parts of information in a new way. Recently, our volleyball team made it to the state level. I was not able to go to the last round of games because it was during the school week, but I was actually able to follow the game on twitter! One of the parents kept the rest of us updated by “tweeting” the score during the entire game. It was really neat to know how the game was going because of twitter. Currently, our superindentent, as well as our principals, use the ConnectEd system to communicate with teachers and parents. They record themselves, and the message is sent to our school phones and cell phones. Using a podcast would be more relevant the 21st century learner.
Technology is here to stay. It is forever changing, and we must keep up with it. As teachers and future administrators, we are the leaders for our students. We must teach them the ways of the world, as our students are indeed the future.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Texas STaR Chart
The Texas STaR Chart was developed around the Long-Range Plan for Technology, and includes four key areas: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure for Technology. The STaR Chart is a measurement tool that assesses the use of technology in the classroom. From the results of the STaR Chart, districts may update their technology plan, set benchmarks and goals, and continuously track the progress of each school, as well as the district as a whole. The STaR Chart is also used for planning and budgeting.
Leadership, Administration & Instructional Support includes six sections: Leadership and Vision, Planning, Instructional Support, Communication and Collaboration, Budget, Leadership and Support for Online Learning. Each level contains specific criteria which must be met to move up the “ranks.” The four ranks, in order from least to greatest, are early tech, developing tech, advanced tech, and target tech.
This area was by far the greatest strength for my campus, as we received 21 out of a possible 24 points. This past year, we reached “target tech,” which is the highest available rank. According to http://starchart.esc12.net, the “Target Tech” rank means that the plan for the campus is “focused on student success” and supported by the board and administration,” there is a technical support for every 350 computers, there is campus instructional support staff,” and “Technology Allotment, e-Rate, state and federal competitive grants and local funding are available.”
Compared to the other high schools in my district, Pearce is tied for highest rank in the area of Leadership, Administration & Instructional Support. Pearce has made the most progress from the 2007-2008 school year to the 2008-2009 school year.
At the state level, in 2006 – 2007, 54.9% of campuses fell into the developing tech category, while only 38.9% fell under the advanced tech level. During 2007-2008, there were 45% of campuses the fell under developing tech, while 45.5% found themselves in the advanced tech area. Clearly, there has been an overall increase in Leadership, Administration & Instructional Support throughout the state. Hopefully, we can all keep up with the times and continue to increase in the area of technology.
Leadership, Administration & Instructional Support includes six sections: Leadership and Vision, Planning, Instructional Support, Communication and Collaboration, Budget, Leadership and Support for Online Learning. Each level contains specific criteria which must be met to move up the “ranks.” The four ranks, in order from least to greatest, are early tech, developing tech, advanced tech, and target tech.
This area was by far the greatest strength for my campus, as we received 21 out of a possible 24 points. This past year, we reached “target tech,” which is the highest available rank. According to http://starchart.esc12.net, the “Target Tech” rank means that the plan for the campus is “focused on student success” and supported by the board and administration,” there is a technical support for every 350 computers, there is campus instructional support staff,” and “Technology Allotment, e-Rate, state and federal competitive grants and local funding are available.”
Compared to the other high schools in my district, Pearce is tied for highest rank in the area of Leadership, Administration & Instructional Support. Pearce has made the most progress from the 2007-2008 school year to the 2008-2009 school year.
At the state level, in 2006 – 2007, 54.9% of campuses fell into the developing tech category, while only 38.9% fell under the advanced tech level. During 2007-2008, there were 45% of campuses the fell under developing tech, while 45.5% found themselves in the advanced tech area. Clearly, there has been an overall increase in Leadership, Administration & Instructional Support throughout the state. Hopefully, we can all keep up with the times and continue to increase in the area of technology.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
My Assessment of the Technology Assessments
I have found that I am very undeducated in the area of true technology. Yes, I can use a digital camera, make an excel spreadsheet using formulas, and draw just about anything in word, but that seems to be where it ends! I had many “no” responses. However, I am a fast learner and with the proper training, I could be successful and understanding and using techonolgy. I work for a district that is semi-technology savy, and am embarassed at the lack of my ability.
Foundations and Solving Problems were my areas of greatest strength in the Technology Applications Inventory, closely followed by Communication. I was not surprise by this because I problem solve and communicate all day, every day. Information Acqusition was my area of weakness. I have not necessarily had the appropriate exposure to this area and expect for my knowledge in this area to improve in the future.
Upon completing the SEDTA survey, it is clear that my distrcit is not in the “top” of the class. No classrooms have enough computers for every student, except for computer labs and other multimedia rooms. In my math classes, we spend so much time teaching with distrcit provided worksheets and curriculum, and there is little room for technology. I wish we could figure out a way to include projects into the math classrooms at my school. There are so many great ideas out there, and it would be nice to allow students to use their technology abilities in their core classes. Overall, there is an incredible amount of growth and improvement that needs to happen within my self, my district and at my school.
Foundations and Solving Problems were my areas of greatest strength in the Technology Applications Inventory, closely followed by Communication. I was not surprise by this because I problem solve and communicate all day, every day. Information Acqusition was my area of weakness. I have not necessarily had the appropriate exposure to this area and expect for my knowledge in this area to improve in the future.
Upon completing the SEDTA survey, it is clear that my distrcit is not in the “top” of the class. No classrooms have enough computers for every student, except for computer labs and other multimedia rooms. In my math classes, we spend so much time teaching with distrcit provided worksheets and curriculum, and there is little room for technology. I wish we could figure out a way to include projects into the math classrooms at my school. There are so many great ideas out there, and it would be nice to allow students to use their technology abilities in their core classes. Overall, there is an incredible amount of growth and improvement that needs to happen within my self, my district and at my school.
Long-Range Plan for Technology
I have learned that the Long-Range Plan uses specific criteria of expectations for both the state and independent districts. One must realize that understanding technology is essential for increasing student achievement and performance. Students have got to be prepared for the “real world,” and for that to happen, we absolutely must integrate technology into the curriculum.
My new learning will help me help teachers to become better, more effective teachers so that students become functioning, well-prepare adults. Technology makes life simpler and enhances the work our students produce. There is always room for improvement and growth, and it is necessary to stay on the cutting edge.
My new learning will help me help teachers to become better, more effective teachers so that students become functioning, well-prepare adults. Technology makes life simpler and enhances the work our students produce. There is always room for improvement and growth, and it is necessary to stay on the cutting edge.
Technology Applications TEKS
Pre-K students should have technology integrated throughout their curriculum in an exploratory format. These days, kids are exposed to all sorts of technology from the get go. Technology driven opportunities should be provided in order to enhance the students’ learning. By integrating technology into the prekindergarten curriculum, technology becomes a part of the learning experience. A foundation is established when these experiences and technology are integrated and become part of the students’ daily routine. The performances from the students are enhanced and are beneficial for their future.
Basic technology use, such as a computer with a mouse and a keyboard, allows students to become familiar and comfortable with things that will be used as part of their everyday lives. During Kindergarten through second grade, students are expected to open and close a program, as well as create and save files (K-2, b.1.B).Once students enter the third through fifth grade, they should be able to save and delete files, and work with more than one application (3-5, b.1.B.). In sixth through eighth grade, students are expected to show mastery of the previous TEKS, as well as have the ability to chose and use the correct application, according to quality, appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficiency (6-8 b.1.C). In high school, students should (with mastery from the previous years) make decisions about the selection, acquisition, and use of software. Students go from learning to open and close programs, to using them for beneficial reasons.
Basic technology use, such as a computer with a mouse and a keyboard, allows students to become familiar and comfortable with things that will be used as part of their everyday lives. During Kindergarten through second grade, students are expected to open and close a program, as well as create and save files (K-2, b.1.B).Once students enter the third through fifth grade, they should be able to save and delete files, and work with more than one application (3-5, b.1.B.). In sixth through eighth grade, students are expected to show mastery of the previous TEKS, as well as have the ability to chose and use the correct application, according to quality, appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficiency (6-8 b.1.C). In high school, students should (with mastery from the previous years) make decisions about the selection, acquisition, and use of software. Students go from learning to open and close programs, to using them for beneficial reasons.
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