Web Conference Reflection

I attended the first web conference for this class and it was a little overwhelming trying to keep up with all of the questions. Many students were confused by what was expected of the course and were upset that the syllabus kept changing. This course fell before spring break and many students were asking if they could work ahead in order to keep up with the class. Several people were disappointed because they were told they would not be able to work ahead because there would be changes in the assignments each week. Overall, I found the experience did not benefit me as well as web conferences in other classes. Part of this may have been because there seemed to be so much confusion from week one and as the course continued. As I read over the web conferences for the following weeks there seems to be the same pattern. Students were asking for help at a rapid rate. I do believe that web conferences are very beneficial and serve a purpose of keeping students informed. Had I not attended the first web conference I would have submitted the wrong assignments or read a book that was not necessary.

Technology Action Plan

Please note: In transferring this information to my Blog, the format changed somewhat. The original information was in chart format.

PART 1: KEY PERSONNEL FROM THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION THROUGH CAMPUS IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBLE FOR INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP:

Superintendent of Schools -
Dr. Don Stockton
Responsible for providing the necessary resources and to make sure district and state goals are met.

Associate Superintendent of Schools-
Chris Hines
Assists the superintendent in the expected duties. Helps to ensure that all goals are met.

Assistant Superintendent for Technology
Dr. Scott Barrett
Responsible for making sure that all technology components are met. Responsible for hiring technology staff for the district.

District Technology Staff-
Responsible for implementing, troubleshooting, and guiding educators through technology processes. Creates professional development for district employees. Includes a staff of 50 employees.

Campus Principal
Dr. Christine Butler
Ensures that technology is implemented correctly and to the fullest extent. Models appropriate use of technology and must make sure that all stakeholders are using technology in the correct manner.

Campus Technology Liaison and Teacher
Wendy Jackson
Provides staff development training, helps teachers to troubleshoot and offers guidance. Also creates slide shows for daily morning announcements and uses broadcasting equipment fluently
.
Campus teachers
Implement technology in the curriculum, guides students in the use of technology and attends professional developments to learn the necessary skills. Models appropriate use of technology. Uses WOW carts to integrate technology. Keeps website updated and communicates with parents using technology as well as traditional methods.


ROLE OF PRINCIPAL:
In the flow of technology the principal has the most responsibilities. They are responsibile for making sure that technology is implemented correctly; that technical gliches are resolved quickly; are in charge of making sure the teachers are using 21st Century technology in their classroom and aligning campus goals with the state and district goals. They serve as the supervisor of all technology aspects on their campus. They must also actively monitor teacher and student ethics to make sure that teachers and students are not using incorrect websites or technology tools and not excluding monitoring cyberbullying. They must work alongside the Site Based Decision Making Committee to ensure that all of the necessary technology is available at their campus and if not, collaborate to find ways to acquire the technology.


PART 2: Based on last week's interviews, it was well noted that our district is proactive in making sure that educators are exposed to many varieties of professional development and general technology information. Our students are proficient in the use of technology and feel more at ease with computer usage versus veteran educators that did not grow up in a technology age time period. I myself have a lot to learn and am a digital immigrant, as defined in our readings last week. I struggle to learn new technology but am willing to learn in order to keep up with my students. One of my biggest triumphs has been working on my school website using WIX. I found myself enjoying the technology involved in creating a visually appealing website. The Lamar program has also forced me to learn many aspects of technology in areas I did not even realize existed. When working on my assignments I have learned about the many concepts of Microsoft Word, more than I ever expected I would. When I exit the Lamar program, I feel that I will have gained technology information that will allow me to move forward with my technology skills and continue to develop professionally and personally. And as a future administrator, I will feel more comfortable leading technology by example.

In order to develop a beneficial professional development, it is important to list the campus goals in regards to the CIP. The CIP is the guiding force of what the technological needs are for our campus.
• Increase student opportunities for utilizing technology across the curriculum areas.
• Within each grade level cluster, all Technology Applications TEKS are met.
• Provide hands-on training in use of new technology across the curriculum by offering Tech Thursday Staff Development to staff members.
• Provide opportunities for classroom integration of technology across the curriculum through the use of the WOW carts, mimios, etc.
• Increase student knowledge of 2.0 web tools.
• Incorporate technology in the specials rotation.
• Use the STaR chart to assess teacher needs.



PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING-BASED ON CAMPUS GOALS AND TEACHER NEEDS:

WHAT WHO AND WHERE TIME FRAME
REQUIRED
STaR Chart Evaluation-use to share the needs of the teachers and implement additional technology goals. All teachers, Administration/Library First faculty meeting of the school year, before students arrive.

REQUIRED
Websites-to teach or review the concepts of the district website as well as to learn about WIX. Teachers will be required to update their websites at this meeting. Technology staff will be on hand to guide teachers through the process. All teachers, Administration/School Computer Lab Staff Development on Wednesday. Month of August.
Email and E-bulletin Communication-use to teach proper ways to communicate to parents using technology. Also, incorporate proper email etiquette when writing to parents. Teachers/Computer Lab Tech Thursday in September.

REQUIRED
Basic Knowledge of 2.0 web tools-use to help teachers feel competent in teaching students to increase their knowledge of 2.0 web tools. In addition, use to assure teacher proficiency in incorporating this in everyday teaching and lesson plans. All teachers,
Administration/Computer Lab Two staff developments in September.

WOW carts-use to demonstrate how to use the Web on Wheels cart and implement into the curriculum for each grade level. Incorporate various subject matters and use hands on training. Teachers/Various classrooms Tech Thursday in October.

Mimios-use to demonstrate the advantages of using Mimios and how to use them. Compare to Smartboard and have proficient teachers demonstrate lesson plans they have created using mimios. Teachers/Various classrooms Tech Thursday in November.

Use of technology in the Specials content area-use to help teachers in special content areas to develop basic technology lesson plans that they can incorporate in the curriculum. Specials teacher will share concepts they have used and how each other to create new applications of technology. Specials teachers-Art, PE, Music/Music or Art classroom Staff Development Meeting in January. Instead of attending the normal staff development meeting, the Specials teachers will collaborate in another area.

PART 3: Evaluation Plan for Action Plan
In order to determine whether or not the action plan will be effective, it will be important to evaluate each professional development activity. Using feedback, reflection, assessment and student evaluation will allow administrators and educators to see if there has been professional growth in the technology areas identified. Below is the summary of how each area of the action plan will be assessed.
ACTION PLAN ASSESSMENT
STaR chart evaluation-goal was to increase teacher proficiency in technology and increase rating on the STaR chart.
• Increase in teacher proficiency on the STaR chart
• Increase in overall campus rating on the STaR chart
Websites-to understand how to update websites on a regular basis using basic technology skills.
• Administration monitoring to make sure websites are up to date
• Positive parent feedback
• Teacher reflection of ease in which they can use their website to communicate information
• Sharing sessions among teachers
Email and E-Bulletin-to use ethical and proper etiquette in sharing information with school stakeholders and answering emails. Teachers are to be able to create a monthly bulletin to send to parents about their classroom.
• Increased communication with parents and school stakeholders
• Teacher development of weekly bulletins and proper usage of email etiquette
• Administrator evaluation of how proficient the teacher has become using this type of technology
Basic knowledge of 2.0 web tools-used to allow teachers to be competent in teaching and implementing technology in the curriculum and daily teaching.
• Use of basic computer technology
• Teacher self-evaluation
• Observation of student use of 2.0 web tools
WOW carts-used to incorporate technology in the curriculum.
• Ease of use by teachers and students
• Ability to correctly use the carts without abusing the hardware and knowledge of how to implement correct practice of using the laptops
Mimios-used to create interactive lessons using the white board in the classroom.
• Ease of use by teachers
• Self-evaluation of teachers and administrators
• Use of basic computer skills
• Creation of innovative lessons using the mimio.
Use of technology in Specials area-used to help guide teachers in content areas of Music, Art and PE to incorporate technology in daily or weekly lessons.
• Creation of lessons by Specials teachers using technology
• Evaluation by teachers and administrators
• Use of basic computer skills
• Positive student feedback

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Blog #3 EDLD 5352 EA1210 National Educational Technology Plan

In the final blog for week 2 of our assignments, we were asked to write about the National goals and plans for schools. It was interesting to note the similarities of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology in comparison to the National Educational Technology Plan. Many of the words were common to each plan including infrastructure, professional developing, learning, assessment, productivity and teaching. The NETP has recommended five goals for states, districts, federal government and other stakeholders in the education system. Goal 1.0 focuses on the Learner and states that all learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that will prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society. Goal 2.0 focuses on Assessment and states that our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement. Goal 3.0 focuses on Teaching and states that professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all learners. Goal 4.0 focuses on Infrastructure and states that all students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it. And finally goal 5.0 focuses on Productivity and states that our education system at all levels will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff. In summarizing what all this means, one must focus on what is expected of the teaching and learning as well as the professional development. The NETP believes that in order to reach these goals teaching and learning must be connected teaching. Connected teaching occurs when there is innovative teaching, problem solving, creativity in the lesson plans, continuous improvement, assessments and flexible approaches to student learning. No longer is the teaching profession one of isolation but one of collaboration and connection. In addition, students are no longer simply sitting at their desks but actively participating in the lesson and allowed to grow as 21st century learners. In order for this to happen professional development for educators must be collaborative, consistent and continuous. Courses that expand upon prior knowledge allow educators to grow professionally and the added convenience of online learning allows educators to continue their education at their leisure. As an educator, I agree that no longer can we allow teaching and learning to be passive but rather proactive and innovative. Educators and learners of today will both be successful if they are working as a team to meet the needs of all individuals.

Blog #2 EDLD 5352 EA1210 Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology

In continuation of the discussion of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, Lamar students were asked to read the progress report from 2008. The first progress report was presented in 2008 as an assessment of how the state was following through on the expectations of the state. Upon accessing the report, it is easy to see that much time was put into this report by noting the length of the document which is 187 pages. To access this report one can go to the TEA website and search for the LRPT for the year 2008. Also including on the TEA website is the progress report for 2010. The 2010 report displays accomplishments from September 2008-August 2010. The information is very detailed and fully explains the various forms of collaborations and activities that are occurring by Texas public schools, regional education service centers and the Texas Education Agency. As a result of the plan, online learning, digital content, curriculum and student management systems, and online professional development has made a significant difference in how schools implement the recommendations of the Long-Range Plan for Technology. The ultimate goal of this plan is to prepare 21st Century learners to co-exist in a global marketplace and to educate stakeholders to create an learning environment that is positive and promotes success. The 2008 progress report indicates that all entities have embraced this plan and are making efforts to ensure goals are being met. Throughout the report evidence was sited that supported that schools that immersed technology into the classroom every day showed positive results over and over again. A few benefits of technology immersion with students showed higher levels of academic achievement, less discipline problems, increased creativity, more consistency and habits of mind became more organized and self-disciplined. In regards to technology immersion with teachers, teachers continued to grow in technology proficiency and had more collegial interactions on technology-based issues. Schools with supportive administrators generally supported technology immersion that offered more professional development and continually sought out stable means of providing innovative technology and resources to their students and teachers. In addition, region centers across the state provided additional means of resources for school districts to build upon the resources already in place.

Blog #1 EDLD 5352 EA1210 Texas Long-Range Planning for Technology

As part of the leadership course EDLD 5352 with Lamar University, students had to write an opinion about one part of the Texas long-range plan for technology. I have chosen to discuss the area of Infrastructure for Technology as it relates to my campus. To begin with, Infrastructure for Technology deals with the aspects of students per computers, internet access connectivity speed, other classroom technology, technical support, local area network wide area network and distance learning capacity. My current campus has made many strides to make sure that our students have access and training in the required technology curriculum as well as the students attend computer class once a week. The school district uses many versions of cloudware, which allows access to various types of computer programs without having to purchase software for each computer or campus. Technology is integrated daily into the lessons and the district offers professional development opportunities throughout the school year. Professional development is not only taught on the district level but during the Spring semester classes are offered once a week, at the campus level, for educators to learn about the latest technology or further develop their skills. In addition, professional development occurs during faculty meetings to allow for technology specialists, fellow educators and administrators to share information about new technology or useful websites that will help teach the 21st Century learner. The trend seems to be that school districts are proactive in providing technology skills to their students as well as encouraging educators to teach technology with ease to match the capabilities of the learners of today. Educators are highly encouraged by campus and district administrators to seek out further knowledge and to ensure that goals are met by 2020, technology classes are offered for free. All that is required of educators is dedicating time to attend professional development and incorporate the necessary skills learned into daily lessons. In my personal opinion, I feel that the districts must continue to offer training to educators in order to ensure that all goals are met in regards to the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology. Even though today's economy determines what funds are received, the state must continue to provide the means to meet all goals. By doing so the districts are bringing their educators into the 21st Century in order to match the skills of the present day learners as well as searching for innovative ways to teach the tech savvy generation of learners today.