Reflections on what I have learned in this course.
While I will be the first to admit that I certainly see the value of technology as an instructional tool, I don’t feel a lot of personal confidence in its use yet in my classroom. I have mainly been using the internet and other technology tools as investigative tools rather than as instructional tools. My expectations of what I would learn in this course really related to ways I could use the latest technology instructional tools in my classroom. What I really learned and experienced was how technology aids educators in the sharing of knowledge and information through the use of those technology tools. I also saw how important it is for the principal on a campus to keep open discussions with teachers and other stakeholders about the use of technology on a campus and the continued advancements in technology and how to integrate them into education.
As I work toward assuming the role of a principal on a campus I do see that I will need to be ahead of the curve on the latest technology tools that have value to education and instruction. As I reviewed our district’s Long Range Technology Plan and how it was integrated into our campus improvement plan I clearly see the role of the principal in technology integration. The organizational chart prepared in week 4 clearly lays out a picture of interaction and cohesion in the purchase of, integration into and support for the best technology tools onto our campuses. Modeling the best practices in the use of the latest technology is important for the principal on any campus.
The assignment for starting a blog was certainly challenging. I have been on blogs of friends as a social tool but I had never really seen the value in it as an educational tool. Posting documents, power point presentations and other valuable information on a blog and then making it accessible to other educators is wonderful. I loved the quote on the video presentations this last week that said students use the internet as a social networking tool while adults use it to check emails and do “business”. What a great descriptor of those two worlds and how the technology has different arms and different uses for different generations. As a member of the baby boomer generation who will be walking into a principal position, hopefully, at a high school where I will be modeling the use of the latest technology both as a social networking tool and as an educational tool it will be important for me to continue the learning curve in technology.
The course assignments were interesting and challenging but also sometimes seemed like busy work! The readings were most definitely useful, interesting and I actually passed a few of them on to other teachers and administrators in my building. The building of and use of my own personal blog was very interesting and I plan to attempt to use this as a sharing tool with other high school marketing teachers and eventually new principals. The discussion assignments were always interesting but as I expressed in earlier course evaluations, the great thing about an online course is that you can fit the assignments and course requirements into your own personal schedule. The requirements that students get the readings done early in the week so they could post their comments and then comment on other student’s comments really curtailed that freedom. Like most teachers, my school days are packed with lesson planning, research and grading and I usually wait till the weekend to do most of the online assignment work. While I do the reading through the week, time on the computer is difficult except on the weekends! I was able to complete the assignments but did not feel I produced the best work possible because of those expectations.
I did learn a lot about myself from a technology standpoint. While I feel comfortable with technology, I know that my students are far ahead of me and I will need to commit to working hard to stay ahead of them. As a campus principal I feel it is important that I am informed about the latest technology and how students are using it. The battle with cell phones and their usage in schools is a hot topic today. The discussion that we want to use technology to engage the 21st century learner and that those students have access to the use of technology that we “ban” from usage in the classroom is certainly a dilemma that will need to be addressed in the next few years. I believe I have solid leadership skills but I will have to work hard to integrate the leadership of technology usage in my future role as a principal.
The value of blogs in education is probably just on the threshold of exploding. Like a lot of new technologies our culture finds the social networking aspect of a new technology first and then others move it into another arena. The blog creation was a learning experience and I certainly see the value of it instructionally and as a communication tool. I have seen blogging as a way of sharing information to lots of different stakeholders in a school district or on a campus or even in a specific classroom. Through the use of blackboard technology teachers can set up blogging opportunities which are similar to open forum classroom discussions. Teachers and administrators will have to continue to develop guidelines for usage of those tools and teach students about what is acceptable and appropriate language and usage of those tools.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Organizational Chart
Organizational Chart
Holly
Technology Integration Specialist
Clear Lake High School
Responsibilities Include: Support the integration of technology into the instructional classroom by working directly with teachers in the development of technology resources and the integration of those sources into the lesson.
Dr. Chris Moran
Head Principal Clear Lake High School
Responsibilities include: Implementation of the district’s Long Range Technology Plan at the local campus level including support of technology use for instructional support.
Susan Wells
Director of Instructional Technology
Responsibilities include: Direction of the instructional part of the district’s Long Range Technology Plan and provision of support to local campuses for technology integration into instructional areas.
Chad Stevens
Chief Technology Officer
Responsibilities Include: Direction of all technology acquisition, distribution, security, hardware and software as well as implementation and monitoring of the district’s Long Range Technology Plan.Technology Integration
Holly
Technology Integration Specialist
Clear Lake High School
Responsibilities Include: Support the integration of technology into the instructional classroom by working directly with teachers in the development of technology resources and the integration of those sources into the lesson.
Dr. Chris Moran
Head Principal Clear Lake High School
Responsibilities include: Implementation of the district’s Long Range Technology Plan at the local campus level including support of technology use for instructional support.
Susan Wells
Director of Instructional Technology
Responsibilities include: Direction of the instructional part of the district’s Long Range Technology Plan and provision of support to local campuses for technology integration into instructional areas.
Chad Stevens
Chief Technology Officer
Responsibilities Include: Direction of all technology acquisition, distribution, security, hardware and software as well as implementation and monitoring of the district’s Long Range Technology Plan.Technology Integration
Staff Development Plan
Clear Lake High School
Professional Staff Development
Technology Integration into the Instructional Environment
District Goal #1: Improve Student Achievement
Campus Goal #1: Achieve an Exemplary Campus Rating
Strategy #3: Integrate technology into teaching and learning and student activities in all areas.
Tactic #3: Evaluate technology needs and continually provide staff development opportunities for all staff that emphasizes technology utilization in the classroom
Action Plan: To accomplish this goal a needs assessment was first done. The results of the needs assessment were then used to develop a staff development opportunity to address the areas in need to move toward accomplishment of the campus goal. The needs assessment indicated that the newest technologies were not being incorporated into the instructional environment by the majority of teachers.
Learning Objective: To increase the use of available technology in the classroom by demonstrating how current users are incorporating the technology in all subject areas.
Professional Development Time Needed: 2 hours (including, setup/breaks/rotation)
Activity
Purpose
Expected Outcomes
Time Needed
Teacher will demonstrate
Usage of blackboard technology in classroom and documentation of same
To show teachers currently not using blackboard technology how to incorporate the technology into their classrooms and document in their lesson plans.
Teachers currently not using the technology will begin usage and document in their lesson plans
30 minutes
Teacher will demonstrate use of Smart Board technology in the classroom and documentation of same
To show teachers currently not using Smart Board technology how to set up and use the technology in their classrooms and document it in their lesson plans.
Teachers currently not using the technology will begin usage and document in their lesson plans
3o minutes
Teacher will demonstrate use of Video Streaming technology in the classroom and documentation of same
To show teachers currently not using the Video Streaming technology how to locate, upload and use the technology in their classroom and document in their lesson plans.
Teachers currently not using the technology will begin use and document in their lesson plans
30 minutes
These three technology demonstrations will be done by volunteer teachers who have already seen the value of this technology in the instructional environment and are using it on a regular basis. Teachers will sign up to attend two of the three technologies offered and will rotate through. An evaluation of the usefulness of the training will be done by each participant at the end of the training.
During the annual PDAS, administrators will look specifically for the documentation of the increased use of these three technologies in each teacher’s lesson plans.
Professional Staff Development
Technology Integration into the Instructional Environment
District Goal #1: Improve Student Achievement
Campus Goal #1: Achieve an Exemplary Campus Rating
Strategy #3: Integrate technology into teaching and learning and student activities in all areas.
Tactic #3: Evaluate technology needs and continually provide staff development opportunities for all staff that emphasizes technology utilization in the classroom
Action Plan: To accomplish this goal a needs assessment was first done. The results of the needs assessment were then used to develop a staff development opportunity to address the areas in need to move toward accomplishment of the campus goal. The needs assessment indicated that the newest technologies were not being incorporated into the instructional environment by the majority of teachers.
Learning Objective: To increase the use of available technology in the classroom by demonstrating how current users are incorporating the technology in all subject areas.
Professional Development Time Needed: 2 hours (including, setup/breaks/rotation)
Activity
Purpose
Expected Outcomes
Time Needed
Teacher will demonstrate
Usage of blackboard technology in classroom and documentation of same
To show teachers currently not using blackboard technology how to incorporate the technology into their classrooms and document in their lesson plans.
Teachers currently not using the technology will begin usage and document in their lesson plans
30 minutes
Teacher will demonstrate use of Smart Board technology in the classroom and documentation of same
To show teachers currently not using Smart Board technology how to set up and use the technology in their classrooms and document it in their lesson plans.
Teachers currently not using the technology will begin usage and document in their lesson plans
3o minutes
Teacher will demonstrate use of Video Streaming technology in the classroom and documentation of same
To show teachers currently not using the Video Streaming technology how to locate, upload and use the technology in their classroom and document in their lesson plans.
Teachers currently not using the technology will begin use and document in their lesson plans
30 minutes
These three technology demonstrations will be done by volunteer teachers who have already seen the value of this technology in the instructional environment and are using it on a regular basis. Teachers will sign up to attend two of the three technologies offered and will rotate through. An evaluation of the usefulness of the training will be done by each participant at the end of the training.
During the annual PDAS, administrators will look specifically for the documentation of the increased use of these three technologies in each teacher’s lesson plans.
Evaluation of Staff Development
Clear Lake High School
Instructional Technology Integration
Professional Staff Development
Evaluation
Measurable Outcomes: Teachers will include documentation of the use of at least one technology instructional tool at least three times in each grading cycle.
Documentation: Lesson plans will include the documentation of technology usage and/or links to blackboard and video streaming sights.
Follow up Evaluation: Administrators will work through department heads to remind teachers of the technology documentation requirements for lesson plans. Department heads (who are the ones who collect lesson plans on my campus) will follow up with teachers who are not making the required documentation on the lesson plans.
Technology Specialist will have a sign out process for Smart Boards to document the usage by teachers as well.
Instructional Technology Integration
Professional Staff Development
Evaluation
Measurable Outcomes: Teachers will include documentation of the use of at least one technology instructional tool at least three times in each grading cycle.
Documentation: Lesson plans will include the documentation of technology usage and/or links to blackboard and video streaming sights.
Follow up Evaluation: Administrators will work through department heads to remind teachers of the technology documentation requirements for lesson plans. Department heads (who are the ones who collect lesson plans on my campus) will follow up with teachers who are not making the required documentation on the lesson plans.
Technology Specialist will have a sign out process for Smart Boards to document the usage by teachers as well.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Texas STaR Chart Reveiw
I gathered data from the STaR chart results for Clear Lake High School in Clear Creek ISD for three years. There are four areas of measurement; Teaching & Learning, Educator Preparation, Administration & Support and Intrastructure. While each area is important for the examination of the success of technology advancements on a campus I will examine the area of Educator Preparation. According to the state standards 74.2% of all campuses reporting in 2007-2008 are at the Developing Tech level and 19.9% are at the Advanced Tech level. The advanced tech level adresses the integration of technology into teaching and learning and the regular use of online resources. On these campuses 60% of the educators meet SBEC standards and 20% to 25% of the budget is allocated for professional staff development around technology standards. Our campus was in the advanced tech level for all three of the years I examined the data. While I believe our district does a very good job encouraging the use of technology in the classroom, I see greater allocation of resources to equipment and support personnel than I do to teacher preparation and and development. What time and resources are dedicated to teacher training and development are done during a teacher's conference period which is not a time when the teacher can really focus on learning new task. I believe if our campus wants to move forward in this area, to the target tech level, we will need to make a more conscious decision to dedicate professional staff development days to teacher training in technology and to make that training appropriate to the level of the teacher's expertise. Our campus is very large and like most campuses we have teachers who love technology and are very tech savvy and we have those who muddle their way through. For a training to be effective you must meet the teacher where they are and move them forward, so some assessment of current level would be necessary before the training is developed and implemented.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Readings Quotes and Comments
Week 2 Quotes
From Compliance to Commitment by Burns
“Not only did the scarcity of resources breed more collaboration within classrooms, it also yielded greater collaboration between classrooms as teachers started to leverage hardware resources across classrooms.”
What a great result! I think as teachers we are always feeling like there are not enough technology resources but this article and this quote remind us that as students work together and collaborate with limited resources, learning is taking place for the student and for the teacher!
From The Seven C’s of Learning by Richardson
“There’s a whole new world out there with a whole new set of skills that our kids need to learn to manage.”
This is the focus of CTE education on our campus and I believe across the state; “The 21st century learner”. It is our most important task, to prepare students to be successful, productive citizens in the next century and beyond.
From Document Management Tools by McLeod
“We academics tend to be document pack rats.”
How true! I wish I could get to the place where I had only electronic files and felt comfortable with that. I am beginning to do that with my personal documentation but I am only about halfway there!
From Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom by Prensky
“Change is the order of the day in our kids’ twenty-first-century lives.”
If we are going to be effective in the classroom with our students we have to embrace the idea of change and how quickly it happens and how easily our students adapt to changes.
From Assessing Your Assets by Holub
“The average school district looses more than $80,000 a year on lost or damaged IT assets..”
I experienced this first hand recently at my district when we got a virus that impacted the entire system. Since laptops had “deep freeze” on them they were not affected so they were doled out for daily use and when they were returned, batteries were on them, power cords were missing and half of them did not make it back to the carts for months! This is a perfect example of how IT assets are not used with respect for the cost of the tools.
The Case for Open Source by Guhlin
"A lack of standardization can also present a problem."
I have found that lots of the open sources are great tools they are difficult to manipulate, especially for students and with time constraints that sometimes forces students to give up on using the open sources, at least during class time.
Real Projects in a Digital World by Boss & Krauss
"Technology is the hook we use to get kids into significant projects and to get communities into significantly wanting to support those projects."
At the high school level the hook is showing students how the technology opens a world to them. The hook is developing challenging projects that allow them to use technology to complete them!
From Compliance to Commitment by Burns
“Not only did the scarcity of resources breed more collaboration within classrooms, it also yielded greater collaboration between classrooms as teachers started to leverage hardware resources across classrooms.”
What a great result! I think as teachers we are always feeling like there are not enough technology resources but this article and this quote remind us that as students work together and collaborate with limited resources, learning is taking place for the student and for the teacher!
From The Seven C’s of Learning by Richardson
“There’s a whole new world out there with a whole new set of skills that our kids need to learn to manage.”
This is the focus of CTE education on our campus and I believe across the state; “The 21st century learner”. It is our most important task, to prepare students to be successful, productive citizens in the next century and beyond.
From Document Management Tools by McLeod
“We academics tend to be document pack rats.”
How true! I wish I could get to the place where I had only electronic files and felt comfortable with that. I am beginning to do that with my personal documentation but I am only about halfway there!
From Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom by Prensky
“Change is the order of the day in our kids’ twenty-first-century lives.”
If we are going to be effective in the classroom with our students we have to embrace the idea of change and how quickly it happens and how easily our students adapt to changes.
From Assessing Your Assets by Holub
“The average school district looses more than $80,000 a year on lost or damaged IT assets..”
I experienced this first hand recently at my district when we got a virus that impacted the entire system. Since laptops had “deep freeze” on them they were not affected so they were doled out for daily use and when they were returned, batteries were on them, power cords were missing and half of them did not make it back to the carts for months! This is a perfect example of how IT assets are not used with respect for the cost of the tools.
The Case for Open Source by Guhlin
"A lack of standardization can also present a problem."
I have found that lots of the open sources are great tools they are difficult to manipulate, especially for students and with time constraints that sometimes forces students to give up on using the open sources, at least during class time.
Real Projects in a Digital World by Boss & Krauss
"Technology is the hook we use to get kids into significant projects and to get communities into significantly wanting to support those projects."
At the high school level the hook is showing students how the technology opens a world to them. The hook is developing challenging projects that allow them to use technology to complete them!
Friday, November 27, 2009
My Technology Readiness
During these assignments we have taken three assessments to determine our current level of knowledge about technology, our ability to implement technology into the accomplishment of the TEKS and to take a look at the future goals of technology in instruction. Because I teach in the CTE area of high school I have lots of access and support for the use of technology in my classroom. I scored fairly well on the first assessment in all four areas. The one area I have a weakness in is the creation of documents in a virtual setting. I do not have a lot of opportunity to work with those skills and thus the weakness. My students are incredibly competent in those areas and I make them part of assignments I give but I usually have to get assistance from the digital graphics teacher to give a good assessment of the use of the tools. The second assesment looked at how data regarding technology usage is gathered and used in our school and district. The teacher survey looked at how much we believed our campus and district were addressing the needs of the 21st century learner with the use of technology. The readings addressed issues such as the re-defining literacy in terms of the 21st century learner and the impact of technology. My district is most definetly looking at data and the impact of technology on the new learners, but the organization of education is a huge machine and does not move quickly or make changes easily. The third assessment was focused on our potential future role as an administrator and access and usage of technology. Our district has a large, very intricate data collection and storage system. While teachers do not have access to some data such as discipline, personal information, and other information; that information is shared with teachers on an as needed basis. I am familiar with the scheduling system and although I don't have access I have a fairly clear understanding of how it is built, accessed and used in the daily functioning of the campus.
The assessments were interesting and helpful to help identify areas of weakness but it was not as user friendly as I thought it should be. Some areas leave opportunity for answers that may lead to unclear conclusions.
The assessments were interesting and helpful to help identify areas of weakness but it was not as user friendly as I thought it should be. Some areas leave opportunity for answers that may lead to unclear conclusions.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
New Blogger
Well I have managed to set up a blog for the course assignment but I am not really sure what I will use the blog for. I do read other people's blogs but I am still a little uncomfortable with so much personal information being on the world wide web! I will assume that the course will connect all the students together through the blogs which will be an easier opportunity to share learning information with each other.
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