Week Five Assignment

I must admit that I when this course was downloaded, I simply thought we would be discussing “instructional leadership” as in: relating as a leader to the instructors on your campus and guiding that instruction to be of the maximum benefit. Technology was not on my mind at all. I figured we would discuss TEKS and lesson plans and assessment.

Once I realized that the course would be about integrating technology in instruction, it took some readjusting of my expectations. At that point, I envisioned outcomes like: understanding how to promote the use of technology in the classroom, helping resistant teachers become comfortable using technology in their instruction and how technology can increase student learning.

I was successful in reaching my first outcome of being able to promote technology use in the classroom. I feel confident in my recommendation of integrating various technology in our instruction everyday. My Campus Instructional Technologist will be my greatest ally in this endeavor. I feel less confident about my second outcome of helping resistant teachers become comfortable using technology in their classroom. There are activities to incorporate for teachers of any an level of technology proficiency. My concern is that they may do only the minimum rather than be energized by the new tools. Lastly, my envisioned outcome of how technology can increase student learning and teacher efficiency was achieved. I re-framed my phrasing of this outcome. It may not be that technology increases student learning as much as it encompasses what needs to be learned.

My envisioned outcomes were all achieved, some more thoroughly than others. They each are completely relevant to the work I do in my school. Understanding how to promote the use of technology in the classroom is a vital skill every administrator must possess. Getting teachers to use varied technologies for all types of instruction and material will better prepare students for their subsequent school years and future employment. Helping resistant teachers become comfortable using technology in their instruction is a necessity because there will always be teachers needing support and encouragement to embrace change. Luckily, there are easily implemented activities employing technology that can be done with the support of your administrator and Campus Instructional Technologist. Technology absolutely increases student learning. You would be hard-pressed to find a job that does not involve technology. The cashiers at fast food restaurants must operate touch-screen cash registers, mechanics rely on calibration tools connected to a computer and stock clerk's manage stock on hand-held scanners connected to software. Today's learners not only need to learn and synthesize information, they must use and manipulate that information within a technological context.

The only outcome that was not fully achieved was understanding how to help resistant teachers feel more comfortable integrating technology into their instruction. I am not completely lost on this point. I saw things in the course, read in articles and heard in discussion several easily implemented technology activities that even a scared, opposing teacher could employ. Support from the eager technology experts that can be found outside the technology department (like freshly graduated digital natives, naturally gifted techies and those who happen to be great at one technological activity or another) can be paired with obdurate teachers to increase exposure, reduce fear and promote collaboration. However, I am concerned about those teachers that are so resistant to using technology that they may do the bare minimum to stay out of trouble, but do not embrace technology with enthusiasm that can be felt by their students. I wish their was a reading about dealing with Luddites in education.

I was able to carry out the course assignments with relative success. I am fortunate to have a techie husband. I enjoy using technology whenever I can because it makes my life easier. I have a family website that I maintain, which includes a blog. So, I was able to participate in all of the things the assignments called for.

I remembered what it was like to feel inadequate while reading some of the more technically complex articles. I thought to myself, “oh, I hope we aren't asked to do that in our assignment.” I also realized that I will not be able to master all things, nor do I need to. What I need to do is keep learning and striving, learn from my Campus Instruction Technologist and model for my staff.

Blogs are formidable force these days. With ease, anyone can share their views with the world. A feat unfathomable for a regular joe with little tech skills just a few years ago. Blogs in the classroom provide a portal to each other and peers across the world. The beauty of blogs is being able to connect intimately with someone (another class, an author, etc.) on your time... and they connect with your on their time. One of the greatest concerns about blogging in the classroom is security. We must be mindful of having children be identifiable online and posting student work. Student posts would also need to be closely monitored. Blogs can be an easy way to communicate with school stakeholders. Use a school blog to allow parents to hear from teachers, administrators or other faculty. A simple post can relay information in a timely fashion.

Week Four Assignment: Action Plan

Administrator of Technical Services
(purchase and distribute technology for the district)

Administrator of Instructional Technology
(teach CIT's how to implement technology effectively and provide staff development to all)

Principal
(encourage the use of technology in the classrooms and monitor proper implementation)

Campus Instructional Technologist
(assist teachers with incorporating technology in their curriculum and classroom)

Grade Level Team Leaders
(plan activities involving technology that enhance curriculum)

Teacher
(use technology in the classroom to increase student learning)


The principal plays a vital role in the integration of technology in classroom instruction. Administrative staff work closely with principals to share the district's vision of technology integration in classrooms. Principals must embrace and encourage this vision if it is actually expected to take hold in their schools. The principal shares these opportunities and practices with all of the staff, particularly with the teachers in grade level team planning meetings. The Campus Instructional Technologist's role is to help the teachers with the logistics of making the technology useful. The principal can rely on the CIT to model technology innovations for the staff, as well as help the principal stay up on current technologies and their uses. The principal must ensure that the CIT has the time to necessary to assist the teachers who need direction or help.

As I design a professional development activity, I want it to integrate pertinent subject matter and useful technology. I want it to be available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week from any computer that has access to the internet. It would need to be interactive and require the input of all participants. With all this in mind, I would start a wiki with my professional development participants. The wiki would be about using technology to include special education students served in general education settings. I would start the wiki by referencing relevant articles. Each participant would post four entries or updates per week for three weeks. After three weeks, each participant would post two examples of how they used technology to include special education students in their general education setting and the results of doing so. The wiki would later be used during new teacher orientation staff development as learning tool for newly hired faculty.

The professional development credit would be awarded after each participant completed a survey four weeks after the professional development concluded. In the survey, teachers would be asked how they could use a wiki with their students and how their participation in this professional development has affected their use of technology in the classroom, citing two examples. The survey will also ask for two projected uses of technology to include special education students in the general education settings. Four weeks after the professional development credit was awarded, the survey will kick back out and ask participants if they have employed either of the two projected uses of technology. Additionally it will ask for further reflection or anecdotes of how participating in a wiki has affected their teaching.

Week Two Assignment: Part Three

This is a presentation on the STaR Chart.

Week Two Assignment: Part Two

The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 is a detailed attack plan aimed at increasing teacher proficiency in and school's commitment to the integration of technology in the classroom instruction and learning. It provides goals and measurement of improvement. The plan separates four key areas: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation, Administration and Support, and Infrastructure. Let's focus on Key Area IV: Infrastructure for Technology. The broad idea of this key area is to provide students and teachers connectivity, access to equipment, support and maintenance. Infrastructure has to be part of the conversation of budget makers, instructional leaders and teacher training developers. The “who”, “when”, and “how” of integrating technology hinges directly on Infrastructure. There are six indicators for the key area: students per computer, internet access and connectivity speed, other classroom technology, technical support, LAN and WAN, and distance learning capacity. Local progress on this key area is classified as “Target Tech.” It has steadily risen a few points each year. State-wide progress mirrors that of our district. Infrastructure is the has the highest rate of Target Tech scores (6.7%), which has also steadily risen a few points per year. When reviewing the progress and trends of improvement in the key area of Infrastructure, I am struck that this is the area of highest Target Tech. To me, it speaks volumes about equipment not always being the biggest hurdle in improving the technological aspects of schools. Before analyzing this information, I would have assumed that the teaching and learning, educator preparation and administration and support areas would be most developed and just waiting for the fiscal ability to upgrade their infrastructure. When in reality, the opposite seems to be true. Perhaps this is because teaching and learning would follow educator preparation in the area of integrating technology into classroom instruction. Educator preparation would need administration and support. Now the question of which would need to come first: the infrastructure or the educator preparation/administration and support? Can they evolve simultaneously or would they have to fall like dominoes? I would hope that districts, schools and teachers would utilize their current infrastructure to the utmost all the while learning and preparing for future accessibility and connectivity.

Week One Assignment: Part 4

The Pre-K student guidelines for technology encourage the basic knowledge, use and operation of technology. They lay the foundation for student performance in future grades by including many of the same goals. Students gain basic understanding of hardware and use of software. This is known as spiraling or scaffolding of knowledge. Instruction is based on activating prior knowledge and revisiting skills in more complexity over time. The following is an example of a series of TEKS which students have multiple opportunities to master.

Preschool Guideline: X.A.2:

Child uses and names a variety of computer input devices, such as mouse, keyboard, voice/sound recorder, touch screen, CD‐ROM.

This directly corresponds to the following Kindergarten through 2nd grade Technology TEKS.

Chapter 126.2.b.2

The student is expected to use a variety of input devices such as mouse, keyboard, disk drive, modem, voice/sound recorder, scanner, digital video, CD-ROM, or touch screen.

Week One Assignment: Part 2

After completing the Technology Inventory, I realize that my strength is in using technology for information acquisition. I felt fairly confident about my skills while answering "yes" after "yes". But, I realized that I have a long way to go in the more technical uses of applications. However, comparing myself to my peers (since I am not a teacher, but a Special Education coordinator)- I feel that I use technology to often and well. I am an informal leader in the group for technological questions. Sure, I have a lot to learn but I am not nearly as resistant to its use as my peers. For someone who is not employed by the technology department, I am doing okay!

As I completed the SEDTA survey on a building level, I have the desire to describe our school/district to you. I am fortunate to be employed in the most wealthy community in the Dallas area and one of the wealthiest communities in Texas. Our technological means are far beyond what I have seen in other districts. We have wireless laptops for all of our students. We also have a Promethean Boards (interactive electronic board) with “Acti-vote” in each classroom. Each of our teachers has a website, most have podcast of classes, and some have twitter accounts for their class. Technology is a formal part of our grade level curriculum for each grade and students are assessed on their proficiency and ethical use of it. They utilize online-curricula. Not to mention, they have access to the latest technology at home as well.

What we do not have is collection of measurable data showing that this enhances learning or engagement. We do have an understanding of how technology should be used, but because it is so embedded in our daily instruction and routines, we do not collect data on the practices or mandate minimum uses.

Goals to improve my technological knowledge would be to attend staff development addressing the deeper knowledge of technology processes and how that knowledge can enhance my job performance.

I do agree with the surveys. Sure, I have a lot to learn but I am not nearly as resistant to its use as my peers. For someone who is not employed by the technology department, I am doing okay!