What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
It has been thirteen years since I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Education. A lot has changed in that amount of time. I would have never dreamed of taking classes online, much less completing my entire degree online. Since it has been thirteen years I really didn't have any preconceived notions about what the program would entail. I knew I would learn about technology but I really didn't imagine just how much technology I would learn about in just the first course. Mostly, I had envisioned an introductory class that would talk about concepts, how schools make decisions and have an overview of what technologies schools are implementing. This class did more than introduce technology. We didn't just get our feet wet, we actually dove into technology.
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 technology that I learned from this first course is very relevant to my current position as a second grade teacher. I few teachers at my school had blogs about their classes but I really thought that they were just over-achievers. I really didn't see how it would be relevant to second grade. After making a blog and a wiki, I can see numerous ways that I could incorporate this with my class. Also, I thought that making slide presentations would be more time consuming than they really are. Since I really didn't know what to expect from this class, all that the class did offer went above and beyond. I have been used to going into a lecture hall and listening to a speaker or having to complete a writing assignment. This course was more hands-on than I had thought it would. The content for this class was more in depth than I envisioned for a first class.
What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
The technology assignments at first seemed overwhelming. I worried that I would not be able to complete the assignments. I didn't realize just how much I knew and how much endurance I had. Getting started was the hardest part. Once I got started on the assignments it all kinda just came to me about what to do. There was not much that I did not achieve that I thought I would. The first week I made a lower score than I had expected because I was not using APA Style correctly. That has been the biggest obstacle for me to overcome. I was a little discouraged at first but decided I needed to step up my game. I didn't let that be a setback. As I completed the second week I paid very careful attention to my wording in my assignments and tried very hard to adhere to the APA Style of citing references. I am still having a difficult time with that aspect even with the book to help.
Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
When I looked at the very first assignment I was very overwhelmed by the amount that I had to accomplish. I am a full time teacher and mother of two. I really didn't know exactly how much time I was going to spend on the assignments. Getting started was slow but then as I got involved with the assignment it really flowed smoothly. The assignments built on top of each other and the instructions were explained in an easy manner. I didn't have too many problems completing the assignments. My only problem is that I try to use my work computer for some of my assignments and since I am at a school, several of the sites are blocked. I can not view any of the videos at school and I can not log into my blog. The issue is not with the course at all, but because the school has a very strict filter on the computer. I inquired about having some of the sites unblocked for my school use. Some sites I have been able to get access to but there are some that I will not be allowed access to at school.
What did you learn from this course...about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
Overall, this course has been very rewarding. I have participated in discussions through the discussion board and even through emails with my cohort. I am hoping to start a blog for my classroom this school year to help keep parents in touch with things going on in the classroom. I envision using it as a form of newsletter. This class has inspired me to integrate technology even more in my classroom. I have a SMART board available to me and I have never used it. I have plans to create some lessons using the SMART board that I hope to share with my campus in the near future. As I was meeting with my Site Mentor, she mentioned that there was a SMART board that no one was using. She has offered to have it moved to my room after the holiday break. I will be able to start using it right away with my class. I am very excited about that. I would have never thought of teaching with the SMART board because I would have been intimidated by it. After this class, I am confident that I will be successful with it and that my class will excel because of it. I am no longer intimidated by what I don't know.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Week 2 Web Conference
The web conference for week 2 was with Dr. Abshire. I know that I was signed on, but I am not sure of how to get my camera and mic setup for use. I could see everyone, but I don't think I was activated. That is something I need to get figured out.
During the session Dr. Abshire talked about the internship a little bit. In this week's assignment all we had to do was fill out the application and choose our Site Mentor. I chose the person who is in our district's technology department. Dr. Abshire also talked about making sure we keep a log of everything we do to use for a portfolio. It's aslo called a Vitae. In this, we will need to have the past five years of our educational and work background. I am very excited about starting the internship, but also very nervous about the extent of the work that will have to be done.
The web conferences are fun to watch. Some of the other students chat with each other during the conference and occasionally questions do get answered. APA style in our discussions on the discussion board has had the most questions. One question I failed to ask or hear answered was about using APA style in our blogs. When I wrote my blog about the technology plan, STaR Chart and E-Rate, I didn't think about if I was supposed to site them using APA style.
Overall, the web conferences are very informative and I enjoy getting face to face for a change. I can put a face with the discussions on the discussion board.
During the session Dr. Abshire talked about the internship a little bit. In this week's assignment all we had to do was fill out the application and choose our Site Mentor. I chose the person who is in our district's technology department. Dr. Abshire also talked about making sure we keep a log of everything we do to use for a portfolio. It's aslo called a Vitae. In this, we will need to have the past five years of our educational and work background. I am very excited about starting the internship, but also very nervous about the extent of the work that will have to be done.
The web conferences are fun to watch. Some of the other students chat with each other during the conference and occasionally questions do get answered. APA style in our discussions on the discussion board has had the most questions. One question I failed to ask or hear answered was about using APA style in our blogs. When I wrote my blog about the technology plan, STaR Chart and E-Rate, I didn't think about if I was supposed to site them using APA style.
Overall, the web conferences are very informative and I enjoy getting face to face for a change. I can put a face with the discussions on the discussion board.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Technology Plan Powerpoint
Introduction of E-RATE and your school district's technology plan.
Technology Plan Powerpoint
View more presentations from danachelette.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Summary and Reflection of the National Education Technology Plan (draft)
"Education is the key to America's economic growth and prosperity and to our ability to compete in the global economy." This is the very first line from the Draft Plan.
President Obama has a very aggressive plan for the future of our educational system. The main two goals of the plan are: To raise the proportion of college graduates from where it is now (around 41 percent) so that 60 percent of our population holds a two-year degree or four-year degree by 2020. The other goal is to close the achievement gap so that all students graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.
This plan is a five year actions plan that involves five areas of change. Learning is the first area. It states that we need to revise, create and implement standards and learning objectives with technology. Also to implement learning resources to use the power of technology to reach all learners anywhere and anytime. Next is designing and implementing assessments that give timely and actionable assessments to students, educators and stakeholders. To do more research to explore interactive technologies. Teaching is also an area of concern. We need to expand opportunities for educators to have access to technology-based content. To leverage social networking technologies to create educator communities. To provide all learners with online access and increase educators digital literacy.
Infrastructure was also addressed. Schools will need to provide sufficient access to the internet and adequate wireless connectivity for in and out of school. To ensure that every student and educator have at least one internet access device for use in and out of school. To support more open technology-based courses. To build state and local education agencies capacity for evolving an infrastructure for learning. Lastly, the issue of productivity. We need to define a common definition of productivity and ways to assess if it is being met.
The plan also calls for rethinking our basic assumptions of our own education system. Then the plan listed a few things that can be done to help with this. One was for the Department of Education to transfer technology from other sectors like business and entertainment into education and providing grants.
I have several positive and negative thoughts about this plan. First, I feel that there are many outside factors that are causing students to drop out of school that this plan does not address. Personal issues play a large role into some students decisions to drop out of school that have nothing to do with their education. If a school could provide more counseling opportunities students would feel they had more choices to stay in school. That is just one suggestion I have. I do feel that we need to provide kids in low budget schools with the same opportunities as kids in more affluent schools. This plan may help with that since it calls for all students to have a their own internet access device in and out of school. Also, the plan to transfer technology from businesses and from the entertainment industry to very inventive. There is so much money in the entertainment industry and with such high tech equipment that some students would never dream of being able to work with. One option would be to donate equipment that was being replaced to the schools in low economic areas.
In conclusion, all plans have to start somewhere and this is a good start. However, there are numerous areas that also need to be addressed. Starting with technology is a good start but it doesn't need to end there. Some students do not plan to go to college. They will go to a trade school. There used to be classes in high school that taught trades such as welding, farming and homemaking. Those things were cut when budgets were cut along with music and art classes. I believe high school should offer a wide range of classes beside technology classes. Technology is in everything we do but it is not the only profession that there is. These other areas do not need to be neglected.
As an educator, I have to meet the needs of the kids first. Those needs are more often emotional than educational. I provide more than an education, I provide emotional stability to students who have none. Before I can start class some days, I have to meet physical and emotional needs. The school provides nourishment along with books and computers. I hope that isn't forgotten in this digital age.
President Obama has a very aggressive plan for the future of our educational system. The main two goals of the plan are: To raise the proportion of college graduates from where it is now (around 41 percent) so that 60 percent of our population holds a two-year degree or four-year degree by 2020. The other goal is to close the achievement gap so that all students graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.
This plan is a five year actions plan that involves five areas of change. Learning is the first area. It states that we need to revise, create and implement standards and learning objectives with technology. Also to implement learning resources to use the power of technology to reach all learners anywhere and anytime. Next is designing and implementing assessments that give timely and actionable assessments to students, educators and stakeholders. To do more research to explore interactive technologies. Teaching is also an area of concern. We need to expand opportunities for educators to have access to technology-based content. To leverage social networking technologies to create educator communities. To provide all learners with online access and increase educators digital literacy.
Infrastructure was also addressed. Schools will need to provide sufficient access to the internet and adequate wireless connectivity for in and out of school. To ensure that every student and educator have at least one internet access device for use in and out of school. To support more open technology-based courses. To build state and local education agencies capacity for evolving an infrastructure for learning. Lastly, the issue of productivity. We need to define a common definition of productivity and ways to assess if it is being met.
The plan also calls for rethinking our basic assumptions of our own education system. Then the plan listed a few things that can be done to help with this. One was for the Department of Education to transfer technology from other sectors like business and entertainment into education and providing grants.
I have several positive and negative thoughts about this plan. First, I feel that there are many outside factors that are causing students to drop out of school that this plan does not address. Personal issues play a large role into some students decisions to drop out of school that have nothing to do with their education. If a school could provide more counseling opportunities students would feel they had more choices to stay in school. That is just one suggestion I have. I do feel that we need to provide kids in low budget schools with the same opportunities as kids in more affluent schools. This plan may help with that since it calls for all students to have a their own internet access device in and out of school. Also, the plan to transfer technology from businesses and from the entertainment industry to very inventive. There is so much money in the entertainment industry and with such high tech equipment that some students would never dream of being able to work with. One option would be to donate equipment that was being replaced to the schools in low economic areas.
In conclusion, all plans have to start somewhere and this is a good start. However, there are numerous areas that also need to be addressed. Starting with technology is a good start but it doesn't need to end there. Some students do not plan to go to college. They will go to a trade school. There used to be classes in high school that taught trades such as welding, farming and homemaking. Those things were cut when budgets were cut along with music and art classes. I believe high school should offer a wide range of classes beside technology classes. Technology is in everything we do but it is not the only profession that there is. These other areas do not need to be neglected.
As an educator, I have to meet the needs of the kids first. Those needs are more often emotional than educational. I provide more than an education, I provide emotional stability to students who have none. Before I can start class some days, I have to meet physical and emotional needs. The school provides nourishment along with books and computers. I hope that isn't forgotten in this digital age.
My review of a district's Technology Plan
RISD Vision Statement: To achieve advanced proficiencies evolving technologies to support life-long learning and success.
Each school district in the state of Texas must have a Long-Range Technology Plan. I chose to review the Technology Plan for Richardson ISD. Richardson ISD is a district of 34,180 students with 49.5 % of the district being economically disadvantaged.
RISD has six goals in it's Technology Plan. Goal 1: We will expect our students to achieve academic excellence. Goal 2: We will have students that develop individual and civic responsibility. Goal 3: We will ensure that students have a safe learning environment. Goal 4: We will recruit and develop a highly qualified staff. Goal 5: To have a high degree of school and community satisfaction. Goal 6: Demonstrate fiscal responsibility, efficiency, and effectiveness in all operations.
I am really impressed with RISD's technology advancements that they have already made. Their ratio of students to computers is 2 students to 1 computer. They have been really aggressive in implementing technology in the school district. It really shows how important of a priority the district has made in implementing technology.
RISD identified it's current technology needs. Technology Resources: To explore options for personal computing devices for students. Staff Training: To provide professional development to keep staff up to date on best practices for technology. Technical Support: All systems to be upgraded on a regularly scheduled basis and to provide a vigorous and reliable infrastructure. Existing Technology: Provide opportunities for students to develop higher order thinking skills through technology. Future Growth: To use technology to provide information to parents and community.
RISD has an overall three year budget of $20,532,843. For the 2010 school year $6,844.281. has been allotted. In this budget Teaching and Learning has the largest percentage, it is $13,807,417. over the three years. The E-Rate contribution of the budget is $200,000 per year. This is a very aggressive budget during hard economic times.
RISD has many ways of evaluating the progress of the Technology Plan. They use the STaR Chart as mandated by the state but they also use many other determining factors. The school district has their own campus surveys and documentation to use. AEIS-IT reports, Performance & Utilization reports, ERO statistics and many other student evaluations. The school district also performs informal interviews of staff and students.
Many different departments are in charge of professional development. RISD has an Instructional Technology department and also a Professional Development department. The department chairs are in charge of coordinating the professional development for the district.
I believe this district is really moving forward in the right direction as far as implementing technology for the students and staff as well. The budget that was created covers a wide variety of areas to be addressed. They also have sufficient funding set aside for maintenance and repairs. The website I used for review of their plan was http://www.risd.org/.
In reviewing this district's technology plan I see that RISD has made great strides to ensurre that it is keeping up with the demands of the future to incorporate technology into the classroom. Many school district's in the surrounding areas can use this district as a model as to what to strive for. All districts have room for improvement but this district seems to have tried to cover all areas so that there aren't as many.
Each school district in the state of Texas must have a Long-Range Technology Plan. I chose to review the Technology Plan for Richardson ISD. Richardson ISD is a district of 34,180 students with 49.5 % of the district being economically disadvantaged.
RISD has six goals in it's Technology Plan. Goal 1: We will expect our students to achieve academic excellence. Goal 2: We will have students that develop individual and civic responsibility. Goal 3: We will ensure that students have a safe learning environment. Goal 4: We will recruit and develop a highly qualified staff. Goal 5: To have a high degree of school and community satisfaction. Goal 6: Demonstrate fiscal responsibility, efficiency, and effectiveness in all operations.
I am really impressed with RISD's technology advancements that they have already made. Their ratio of students to computers is 2 students to 1 computer. They have been really aggressive in implementing technology in the school district. It really shows how important of a priority the district has made in implementing technology.
RISD identified it's current technology needs. Technology Resources: To explore options for personal computing devices for students. Staff Training: To provide professional development to keep staff up to date on best practices for technology. Technical Support: All systems to be upgraded on a regularly scheduled basis and to provide a vigorous and reliable infrastructure. Existing Technology: Provide opportunities for students to develop higher order thinking skills through technology. Future Growth: To use technology to provide information to parents and community.
RISD has an overall three year budget of $20,532,843. For the 2010 school year $6,844.281. has been allotted. In this budget Teaching and Learning has the largest percentage, it is $13,807,417. over the three years. The E-Rate contribution of the budget is $200,000 per year. This is a very aggressive budget during hard economic times.
RISD has many ways of evaluating the progress of the Technology Plan. They use the STaR Chart as mandated by the state but they also use many other determining factors. The school district has their own campus surveys and documentation to use. AEIS-IT reports, Performance & Utilization reports, ERO statistics and many other student evaluations. The school district also performs informal interviews of staff and students.
Many different departments are in charge of professional development. RISD has an Instructional Technology department and also a Professional Development department. The department chairs are in charge of coordinating the professional development for the district.
I believe this district is really moving forward in the right direction as far as implementing technology for the students and staff as well. The budget that was created covers a wide variety of areas to be addressed. They also have sufficient funding set aside for maintenance and repairs. The website I used for review of their plan was http://www.risd.org/.
In reviewing this district's technology plan I see that RISD has made great strides to ensurre that it is keeping up with the demands of the future to incorporate technology into the classroom. Many school district's in the surrounding areas can use this district as a model as to what to strive for. All districts have room for improvement but this district seems to have tried to cover all areas so that there aren't as many.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Technology Assessments
The Pros and Cons of Technology Assessments
There are many pertinent aspects that go into developing a technology assessment for school districts to use in designing their technology plans. Many of the criteria used in Technology Assessments have come from internal and external evaluators. It is very important that not just external evaluators are used. By using internal evaluators you are able to get a more precise look at the districts themselves.
There are many successful outcomes of assessments but there are also flaws to the assessments. They should not be used as the only source of information on how a district is performing. The questions that are asked are often vague and misleading. Fellow teachers are also not informed on many of the areas of the assessments such as budget and funding. For example, The STaR Chart gives you few choices to choose from when evaluating how your district is improving with technology. The questions on the STaR Chart do not have options for the survey taker to fill in exactly what technology has been purchased for that school year.
Over the course of the three years evaluated for one district the survey does not take into account the number of teachers that have been with the district for the same amount of time. There is not a line of questioning to take this into account. Perhaps the district had a large turnover that year and the employees were not aware of the technology that was purchased for the previous year. The employee may not have been made aware of technology that is available for shared use.
All assessments are going to have areas that do not truly reflect how a district is performing. There needs to be an understanding that this is just one of several tools to use to evaluate how a district is performing, not the only tool. As I was reviewing my school district's STaR chart I noticed several discrepancies in the overall outcomes in several areas. As a teacher, I knew that the school had purchased new ELMO's with projectors for every teacher in the district and also some interactive whiteboards to be shared on the campuses. However, on the chart we fell from Advanced down to Developing when just the opposite had happened. One teacher's perception of how technology is progressing is different than another teacher's perception. An online survey does not take into account one's perception of technology.
When the state is viewing these survey's, there is no way for them to know the mindset of the people who are filling them out. Unfortunately, states are not able to step foot into every classroom to make sure that technology is being integrated properly. They have to rely on assessments to some degree. I feel that more than assessments need to be used when evaluating if a district is meeting the state's requirements.
There are many pertinent aspects that go into developing a technology assessment for school districts to use in designing their technology plans. Many of the criteria used in Technology Assessments have come from internal and external evaluators. It is very important that not just external evaluators are used. By using internal evaluators you are able to get a more precise look at the districts themselves.
There are many successful outcomes of assessments but there are also flaws to the assessments. They should not be used as the only source of information on how a district is performing. The questions that are asked are often vague and misleading. Fellow teachers are also not informed on many of the areas of the assessments such as budget and funding. For example, The STaR Chart gives you few choices to choose from when evaluating how your district is improving with technology. The questions on the STaR Chart do not have options for the survey taker to fill in exactly what technology has been purchased for that school year.
Over the course of the three years evaluated for one district the survey does not take into account the number of teachers that have been with the district for the same amount of time. There is not a line of questioning to take this into account. Perhaps the district had a large turnover that year and the employees were not aware of the technology that was purchased for the previous year. The employee may not have been made aware of technology that is available for shared use.
All assessments are going to have areas that do not truly reflect how a district is performing. There needs to be an understanding that this is just one of several tools to use to evaluate how a district is performing, not the only tool. As I was reviewing my school district's STaR chart I noticed several discrepancies in the overall outcomes in several areas. As a teacher, I knew that the school had purchased new ELMO's with projectors for every teacher in the district and also some interactive whiteboards to be shared on the campuses. However, on the chart we fell from Advanced down to Developing when just the opposite had happened. One teacher's perception of how technology is progressing is different than another teacher's perception. An online survey does not take into account one's perception of technology.
When the state is viewing these survey's, there is no way for them to know the mindset of the people who are filling them out. Unfortunately, states are not able to step foot into every classroom to make sure that technology is being integrated properly. They have to rely on assessments to some degree. I feel that more than assessments need to be used when evaluating if a district is meeting the state's requirements.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
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