• How can you use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders?

Blogging can be used to communicate with school stakeholders very easily. Because it is online it already has many advantages because of the convenience factor. Anyone with internet access can log in and respond to posts. This allows individuals the ability to participate in discussions and give ideas and opinions even if they are not able to attend school meetings and events. I believe staff can easily participate as well because they can add their thoughts and ideas to discussion threads. Ultimately it proves to be a great way to connect stakeholders without having formal sit down meetings and taking up everyone’s time. Someone can post an idea or thought and see what others think about it while never having to actually meet with anyone. I really feel it is a time saver and promotes individuals to share new ideas. People may feel more apt to share something because they do not have to speak in front of anyone, just type their ideas for others to read.

• What are the concerns of blogs and blogging in education?

The major concerns of blogging in education are the possibility of students responding inappropriately. Because it is on the internet there is really no way to monitor what gets said on the blogs. Of course the site creator can log in and delete student’s posts but unfortunately this is sometimes too late and the damage is already done. Teachers need to be very strict with policies dealing with what is said on the blogs. Students need to be trained on online etiquette so they understand what is appropriate, and inappropriate behavior while using blogs and other services similar to them. Grades can also be lowered for talk that is not positive in nature and appropriate for the learning of all students. For the most part I believe teachers can stop the negative behavior from happening if they are constantly monitoring and reminding students what expectations they have.

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

There is so much educational value to blogging in the twenty first century. It allows students the ability to not only use technology but to become very familiar with it. Blogging allows students to gain a firsthand knowledge of how technology can be used to help them in their everyday lives. Blogging allows students to communicate and comment on anything they choose to. This can be so valuable in the classroom because it can be done anywhere. If the student is at home and would like to comment on a book he/she is reading in class they are able to do this. The teacher can post questions and reflections for the students to answer and for others to read and review. The possibilities are endless with blogging. Students are also able to create their own blogs to use. It is amazing how simple and quick it is to create your own blog. This would be a great project idea to research different topics, or just a daily share time where students could post and respond to other student’s thoughts and ideas. The best aspect about blogging is that it gets student’s involved with technology in a fun enhancing way that will promote higher level thinking and encourage technology use among students.

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

This course has really taught me to not “dog it until I try it.” I did not like technology before the course and did not want to use it in my classroom. I did as little as possible just because I did not understand how to work many technology tools and it was just an uncomfortable foreign area to me. As I started learning about the benefits of technology in the classroom it became very evident just how important it really was. Also, as we created our blogs and participated in different activities that required us to branch out and experience technology first hand it really opened my eyes to the importance of this incredible tool we have available. As a leader I realized there are things that teachers are going to be resistant to. It is my job to show them the benefits while making sure they feel comfortable with themselves as teachers before expecting them to start anything in their classrooms. I am so happy I was able to experience this course and to learn so much about technology. I can’t wait to start a new project with my students incorporating many different tools that all involve the use of technology.

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

I was very successful in carrying out the course assignments. I really feel that this was so successful for me because I had many resources to learn more information from. Much was learned from the class but also from the technology specialist at my school and other friends in my district that deal with technology tools in the classroom. They had great ideas and guided me through many questions and projects I had to complete. It is very helpful when you have someone to guide you through the process to make you feel comfortable doing it alone without any one there to help. Teachers tend to not try things they are unsure about and technology seems to certainly be one of these problems. One of the obstacles however was the lack of knowledge I had dealing with many different technology tools. I was not aware of the many uses and the simplicity there tools brought to their users.

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

The area that I still feel uneasy about is the amount of training I have received in technology tools. As much as I want to incorporate all the technology into my classroom, I want to feel comfortable doing it. I do not want to fear the tools that I am using not working in my classroom when I am in the middle of a lesson. This seems to be a fear for most teachers and why most teachers do not use much technology in their classrooms. They feel it is unreliable, and at times I have to agree with them. As much as I enjoy technology and the great things it does for students learning, it can sometimes be a huge pain. When I am in the middle of lesson, the last thing I want to happen is for the computer to freeze or shut down and then I lose all my teaching information. I really think this fear is what keeps teachers distant from technology still today. I would like there to be more training for teachers so they feel comfortable using technology all the time in their classrooms.

• 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 think what I have learned from this class is very relevant to what I do in my own school because I work at such a high technology campus. Our principal expects teachers to use technology on a daily basis because we have so much available to us. It is nice to have the tools to enhance my teaching by using the technology as a supplement to my daily lessons. I feel as if I have learned new information that will really help me this year because of the required use of technology at my school. I feel more comfortable using some of the tools and I actually am feeling very encouraged to start blogs and other communicating pages on the web for students to share ideas and talk about different topics covered in class. The relevance of what I learned will really assist me not only as a classroom teacher but also as an administrator too. I understand the importance of technology in the classroom and I know what a reasonable expectation is for teachers. When I am an administrator I want my teachers to use as much technology in their classrooms as possible, but what is considered doable in their busy schedules.

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

By taking this course I had hoped to learn more about technology and different ways to incorporate it into my classroom and also into my school when I am an administrator. Technology is such an important tool and we must find ways to use it in our classrooms on a daily basis. Our students are surrounded by it and our world relies so heavily on it, it truly would be a disservice to our kids to not use it when we are instructing. I feel as if I really have been given a strong knowledge after completing the course because I now understand the importance of technology in the classroom and how it can really improve student’s motivation and interests in the classroom. I also have now realized how important it is for them to become comfortable using technology and what a great help it can be in our everyday lives. We must continue to use technology whenever possible so that students become very familiar with it and it becomes second nature to them. They will spend the rest of their lives around technology tools and they need to be able to use these tools to help them in their professions.

Technology Organizational Flow Chart

Organization and Development




Curriculum Development




Director of Information Technology





Principal/School




Instructional Technology Specialist





Teachers


Description of each:

Organization and Development-Prepare an annual budget that is supportive of and aligned with the district strategic goals and objectives

Curriculum Department-Create an instructional management system to ensure all students meet or exceed the state standards

Director of Information Technology-Provide the technology hardware and training required to integrate technology into the curriculum as a tool for teaching and learning

Principal/School-Develop implement and evaluate focused, sustained professional development for all staff

Instructional Technology Specialist-Develop meaningful professional development for all staff as well as provide a support system that facilitates the use of technology hardware and software in the classroom

Teachers-implement technology into daily lessons



Professional Development Plan:

Goal: Incorporate more technology into classrooms during instruction and to make sure students are given an opportunity to use the technology on a daily basis.

Based on my findings from the week three surveys the students at my school have many technology tools available to them to use in their classrooms but teachers are not taking advantage of them and allowing the students to use them. Teachers need to first be trained to use each of these tools so that they can adequately instruct the students to use the different resources available to them. Students should also be given plenty of opportunities to engage in learning by using the technology themselves.
In order for this to implement this vision successfully, my school must provide ongoing professional development that is meaningful to the teachers and staff. They have to believe they can use the technology in their classrooms and must be given adequate time to learn how to use it as well. The technology specialists need to prepare model lessons for the teachers so they can see the tools being used first hand. Students need more opportunities to explore technology themselves, not just by watching the teacher use it during their lessons.
One training, I would suggest would be the use of Promethean boards in the classroom. This is something the teacher and student alike can use together while learning new information. The teachers can have students come to the boards to participate in games and activities while the class also participates and learns. Teachers need to have trainings that encourage them to incorporate the Promethean boards into daily lessons, but also to have students participate in the lessons. It would be nice to have a monthly training that introduces new websites, games, and lessons for teachers to use in the classes that are aligned with the curriculum.
Teachers will then be required to present at staff meetings new lessons they have discovered or taught in their classrooms. This will give other teachers even more examples and resources for them to use in their own classrooms. Constant training is required to keep all teachers up to date and make sure they are familiar with the programs so they can give the best instruction possible. All teachers will be required to provide new examples for the staff as an evaluation tool allowing the principal the ability to see what technology the teachers are implementing into their classes. The Instructional Technology Specialist will also provide a report to the principal describing the Campus Staff Development Action Plan detailing what the teachers will be trained in, who will attend these trainings and how often.

STaR Chart Presentation

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STAR CHART

For my blog entry I choose to discuss Educator Preparation and Development. This key area includes; Professional Development Experiences, Models of professional development, Capabilities of Educators, Access of Professional Development, Levels of Understanding and Patterns of Use, and Professional Development for Online Learning. I choose this key area because I feel very strongly that is indeed the most important area and one that must be rated as an advanced tech in order to improve technology integration in schools. Teachers must be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to teach their students how to use technology appropriately and correctly. Our world relies on technology and our students must be familiar with it in order to succeed in the real working world. It is the job of educators to make sure this happens and to make sure we are providing them with tools that will help them succeed in the future. Progress is certainly being made as we hire more technology specialists for schools. These specialists are able to devote their time to training teachers and helping students gain the necessary skills to be successful with technology. However, some districts and even states do not feel technology warrants this much attention and it is placed on the back burner. This thought will eventually hurt their students because they will not have the tools necessary to compete in the work force because they will not have technology proficiencies that are a must in the work force. I think the best way for us to improve this problem is to continue to hire well qualified individuals and allow them to work with our teachers individually so they may become comfortable with using technology in their classrooms. Also, I think more time in the computer labs would be very beneficial for students as well.

Technology TEKS

The technology TEKS outline what a student is to master in each grade level. The state has done a fine job of spiraling the TEKS so that each grade level is a building block for the next. For example, students in kindergarten may learn how to type their names into a word document allowing them time to practice with a word processing program but also typing skills as well. The next year the students begin typing their spelling words giving them more opportunity to master typing skills and becoming more familiar with the word program. This continues until the student is able to perform multiple tasks in Word and can create complex documents. This foundation allows students the ability to function in a high technology world and also to master skills that will help them to be successful as they enter the working force.

Long Range Plan

After reading the Long Range Plan I feel like it outlines what the students of tomorrow really need to accomplish in order to be successful individuals in life. It also details what teachers need to gain in order to teach these students the skills necessary for their success. I do however hesitate when I say that this will be done by 2020 because many schools do not hold these technology standards at a high regard. They push technology to the back burner and focus on straight academics. In reality, technology should be one of those core academic subjects because it is the fuel of our world. Without it, nothing would operate in today’s society.

Assessment Reflection

After taking the two assessments I thought about several different things. I have always considered myself to be a dummy when it comes to computers and technology. However, after reading through the assessments I have decided that I know more about computers and technology then I had anticipated. Because I have grown up during this technology era, things don’t seem like a big deal. For example, using the internet or checking email, texting on a cell phone, or even working a word processing program, are all things, for some individuals, can be very scary. It helped open my eyes as to how much I really do know about technology and where I need to start when learning more. I still have some weaknesses and these areas I am certainly trying to work on and improve my knowledge so I can incorporate more technology in my classroom. The second assessment was very helpful for me to gain an idea as to how much technology I actually use with my students and also how often I do so. It would be a great survey for campus principals to use when determining what staff development sessions the teachers need in order to use more technology in their rooms. I think meaningful classes are key when presenting the trainings and with this survey, we can see what areas need attention and what areas the teachers seem to have a pretty good grasp on. There is no sense in having a training dealing with email when 90% of the teachers feel very confident using email. I will use a survey like this when I become an administrator to help me determine the biggest need at my campus when dealing with technology.

Requisite Technology Skills Assessment