Week 5 Reflection

What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

When I first started this class, I thought I had a pretty good idea about what technology is and what technologies school district’s have. This course has shown me that I have a lot to learn about technology in education. I thought I would learn some basic uses of technology in the classroom, but I have learned a lot more than that through this course. I realize now that the technology that I use in the classroom is not good enough for a 21st century learner. I have learned about many new techniques and tools of technology, such as blogging or even using cell phones in the classroom. I don’t know when I would implement this in my class but I am looking forward to further professional development to increase my experience. Once I get this done, I can implement more technology in the classroom. As a future administrator, I now have a new vision of technology in a school district, so I achieved much more than I originally thought I would in this class.

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?

I did accomplish everything in this course and much more. All of the goals that I achieved are relevant in what I do in my classroom and in my district. I realized that there are many technological tools and resources out there for us as teachers and for the students to use. I need to do a better job of implementing this technology in my classroom for the students. I thought that using the web blogs as an educational resource was a great idea. I have never heard of teachers letting students use blogs for class work before this class. To me, that is an interesting idea that I would like to explore one day in my classroom. I realized that my school district and other districts also, must find the financial resources to put in technology to give teachers a chance to teach the students with it.

What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

There are some outcomes that I believe I still haven’t achieved in this course. Even though I have learned a lot, got some hands on experience in making power point presentations and blogs, I still don’t have full confidence in implementing it on my own. This is because I have a fear of the unknown, especially when it comes to technology. I realized though, that I will never get any confidence unless I start implementing this technology in the classroom. I just need to make sure that if I do get the confidence to implement this in my classroom, I need to make sure it fits the needs of my students. This is important for them, if not; they will never reach mine or their goals.

Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

I was mostly confident on my assignments during this course. I enjoyed the Discussion Boards, I like seeing what other people think of my posts and I enjoy replying to other people. The two weeks that were the hardest for me, was Week 2 and 4. Week 2 was hard because that was the first time that I had to do a PowerPoint presentation and I really didn’t know how to do it. I know that sounds bad. When I saw that we had to put up graphics and hyperlinks, I was scared that I wouldn’t able to do it correctly. But after a little practice I was able to make a pretty good PowerPoint presentation. In Week 4, I had some trouble with my Technology Action Plan, I was trying to put into a table and was having trouble doing it, and it was discouraging for a while.

What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

As I finished this course, I am definitely a technology immigrant. My students absolutely know more about this technology than I do. I need a lot more professional development in technology to build my confidence in implementing this technology in the classroom. I do believe that there are many new technology tools and resources out there that would definitely benefit my students in the classroom. If I ever do implement this in my classroom, I need to make sure that I tell the students the risks and dangers of it, especially when the kids get on the internet. The kid’s safety is the most important issue. I do look forward to the day where I can have this new technology for my students in the classroom.


What is the educational value of blogs and blogging to the 21st century learner?

This was the first time that I ever blogged and I believe it can be used as a great
technology tool for students if used in the right way. It is a great resource for us as teachers to use to communicate to the students and also their parents. It is very easy and quick, all people can use it. I do believe that blogging will become an important communication tool that 21st century students will use in the future. It has a lot of educational value for the students.



What are the concerns of blogs and blogging in education?

There are definitely concerns when it comes to blogging in education. If there is blogging in a classroom, it should be monitored closely by the teacher. We have to make sure that the students aren’t doing anything that they should be. Some kids might be putting inappropriate information on the blog, some students might be plagiarizing, and these are just some of the incorrect uses of the blogs by the students. Because of this, we must teach the students the ethical issues of using blogs. We can’t rely on parents to do this, because most parents don’t know the ethical issues or haven’t blogged before.

How can you use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders?

Blogging is a great way to communicate to an entire staff or parents of your students. It is quick and easy to do. It is a great way to keep everybody informed on what your assignments are or what your expectations are. I can post any important document that I want parents or students to see at any time. Instead of emailing parents, I could just use a blog to communicate to them. I don’t know when I would start using blogs in my class, but I definitely would like to try it one day, I think the students and parents would enjoy it. It would be a great tool for our 21st century learners.

Technology Action Plan

Objective: to improve the integration, services and development of technology into the classrooms at the Jr. High Campus. This will lead to increased higher scores on the Texas Star Chart.

Goals

Goal 1: To improve teaching and learning in the classroom through the use of technology at
our campus.

Goal 2: To improve educator development and preparation for our teachers through the use
of technology.

Goal 3: To improve administration and support services in our campus through the use of
technology.

Goal 4: To improve infrastructure for technology for the campus.

Teaching and Learning

Goal 1: To improve teaching and learning in the classroom through the use of technology

Action-

-The campus will provide Internet access to all instructional areas at the Jr. High.

-The teachers will integrate technology application TEKs into teaching and learning at the Jr. High level

-The students will demonstrate proficiency in the technology application TEKS

Educator Preparation and Development

Goal 2: To improve educator development and preparation for our teachers through the use
of technology

Action:

-The campus will provide on-going training in technology literacy skills including multimedia, streaming video, and Internet.

-The campus will provide employee’s access to TEKS, lesson plans, and other teaching tools via the network

-The campus will use the Texas Star Chart as a technology assessment tool.

Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support

Goal 3: To improve administration and support services in our campus through the use of
technology.

Action:

-The district will provide resources to the campus administrators to enable them to use the Texas STaR Chart for planning and measuring technology progress on their campus.

-The district will provide resources to enable administrators to search the AEIS for information on student performance, staff demographics, and school and district accountability ratings and finances.

-The district will continue to provide ongoing training on technology to the teachers at the Jr. High.

Infrastructure for Technology

Goal 4: To improve infrastructure for technology for the campus.

Action:

-The district will provide the campus high-speed fiber connectivity in all the classrooms.

-The district will provide a secure network for the Jr. High campus through the use of appropriate firewalls, content filters and virus protection software.

-The district will try to improve the ratio of students/teachers to computers at the jr. high campus.

T E X A S S Ta R C H A R T

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: The Texas STaR Chart Presentation for Bellville Jr. High School

T E X A S S Ta R C H A R T

View more presentations from Lamar University.

Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support Summary (Star Chart Analysis)

Skilled leadership that has the ability to share their vision and expectations with the district is important in implementing and sustaining a school technology plan. It is important that all students today get 21st century skills for the demands of the 21st century world. All administrators today need to understand all the possibilities that technology brings to education and make that technology an integral part of their professional activities. All administrators need to conduct needs assessments to see where the strengths in implementing technology at their schools is at. To have a successful implementation of a technology plan, it must be effective and efficient for the students and for the teachers. Another important factor is collaboration, this way the necessary knowledge of the technology is known by all. For this vision to be realized, it requires the district, campus and teachers who can advocate and articulate this vision. To maximize the teaching and learning of this technology, the leaders must plan effectively to create flexible and responsive learning environments. I believe the progress of this area has improved across the state, but it really depends on the school district. It is harder for some schools to implement a technology plan that could help all students in their campus or district. They just don't have the resources or money to provide for this plan. But overall, the trends are most schools are passing the stage of Early Tech and getting into Developing and Advanced Tech. Most schools in the nation and the state have a long way to go, but many are taking the correct steps in getting there. My recommendations for improvement include having a technology plan that supports student learning. The campus make create an environment that maximizes the teaching and learning among the faculty and the students. Finally, use data that is appropriate and effective in decision making.

Pre K Technology and TEKS

The Pre K Technology TEKS the students learn how technology effects and enhances our lives. The children learn that they are surrounded by technology and learn that they benefit from it. They will start handling and using certain technology devices, this would lead them becoming more experienced and independent in using the technology on their own. The Pre K Technology TEKS give out 5 end of year outcomes that the student needs to be experienced in. They include: 1. All students opens and navigates through software programs designed to enhance development of appropriate concepts. 2. All students uses and names a variety of computer devices such as mouse and keyboards. 3. The students can operate recorders and touch screens. 4. The students can use software applications to create and express their own ideas. 5. The students realize that all of this information is accessible through technology. In each of these areas, they give examples of child behaviors and provide examples for instructional strategies for the teachers. The Pre K TEKS lay a foundation for student performance in future grades by providing them the instruction and time to become familiar with the technology. They begin to learn the different varieties of technology and begin to learn how to access the technology. All of this interaction with the different models of technologies give the Pre K students the information and experience to use in the future.

Long Range Plan for Technology

The new information that I have acquired from this plan is that Texas has an ambitious vision to provide all students, parents and educators 24/7 the technology resources, tools and infrastructure for a 21st century world. For this become a reality, all educators must get the professional development, technological planning, resources and proficiencies for this plan to work. This means that educators must be educated in mentoring, monitoring and motivating the students in these technology areas. If this does happen, then the implementation of this plan will be successful because the students will able to evaluate, access, manage and use the information from a variety of media formats and from different resources. All of this is important because all students need to become a 21st century learner. A 21st century learner relies on technology as an essential and preferred component of their everyday lives. They will encounter different perspectives, cultures, and languages. The technology will give them the skills and behaviors to achieve their goals. In all three phases of this plan, their must collaboration between all parts of the educational system for this plan to be successful. Each part of the system, the TEA, SBEC, Regional Educational Service Centers, Local Education Agencies, Texas Higher Education, and the Parents, Educators and Community must come together to collaborate, encourage, implement and integrate this plan for technology. It this does happen, the success rate of this plan will go up. At the same time, the technology infrastructure must be put into place in all districts across Texas. Once this is in place then the educators can get the correct preparation and development to succeed. This new learning can help me as a new educational leader by giving me a starting point to see if the technology infrastructure at my campus is there. If it is, then do the educators have the professional development and experience to deliver it in the classroom. Also, am I getting instructional support from the administration. This is how it would help me as a leader.

Reflection of Technology Assessments

As I did the 1st assessment, Technology Applications Inventory, I realized that i didn't have much knowledge or experience in the four domains of technology. In the Foundation domain, 12 out 18 statements I had no knowledge of. The Information Acquisition domain, this was probably my best one, in this domain I answered 5 out 10 statements that I had some knowledge of. In the last two domains, Solving Problems and Communication, these were my worst two domains, I had knowledge of only 7 out of the 30 statements. This assessment has help me determined that I need to become more knowledgeable and more experienced in technology to improve my professional development for myself and for the students. In the 2nd assessment I realized that I need to use technology more in my classes for the students to achieve 21st century skills for technology. I need to make sure that this technology is impacting the student's technology literacy and that it is having a positive effect in the learning for that student. But before I begin to try to use this technology in the classroom, I need to get more experience and knowledge in knowing how to use the new technology. If I don't, I wont be effective in showing the students how to work the technology correctly for their benefit. Also, I think my district and campus needs to update and needs to give us access to more technology. I know this in not easy or cheap, but it should be something that our district should be looking into. As I finished these two assessments, I realized that I don't have many strengths to fall back on. I have many weaknesses, mostly from being inexperienced or having no knowledge of the technology, such as spreadsheets, multimedia or graphic peripherals. It is my job as an educational leader to get the necessary professional development to turn all of my weaknesses into strengths. I do agree with these assessments and with the outcomes, it has definitely shown me that I need to become more experience in these technology fields to become a more effective, efficient and positive leader.