Friday, December 18, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership Assignment Week 4
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Web Conference Dec.2, 2009
This was my first experience at anything like this. The sound kept cutting out so we saw technology at its best. :) However, I did enjoy seeing faces and hearing Dr. Abernathy even tho I couldn't participate a lot of the time. It did create a desire in me to try again when I can buy better equipment, I have a cheap web camera and microphone. Dr. Abernathy was very understanding about our problems and it reassured me tremendously that I had chosen the right program.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Educator Preparation and Development in the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
The area of Educator Preparation and Development in regards to the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 is described best as the practical part of putting to practice what has been laid out and made available at the local level. On our campus, we are given multiple opportunities to take online and on-site professional development for technology in the classroom. We have excellent facilitators from the district that are more than willing to assist teachers. Some of the problems that we encounter are that the technology facilitators are not on campus and have to be scheduled to come and assist teachers, along with the lack of adequate computers to implement technology into curriculum on a regular basis. Across the district our campus demonstrates the lowest score among elementary campuses. At the state level, this strand is in the Developing Tech as the highest percent. This area is fairly consistent across the last 3 years on our campus. Any variation is attributed to a change in faculty. My recommendation to see this area improved is to allow more in-class support for teachers by allowing them time to implement and observe other teachers that have been successful in integrating technology into the curriculum. I have maintained that we cannot add technology to what we are already doing, we are going to have to use it to replace the ways we are instructing and assessing students on a day to day basis. If teachers are going to be expected to move to the Target Tech level, we have a ways to go to allow them the growth they need to experience. Lesson plans are going to have to be relaxed in order for teachers to feel less pressure while they are working their way through the implementation of technology into their lessons.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS
The Pre-K technology TEKS lay a scaffolding foundation for students as they begin their journey of learning. It is the responsibility of the teacher to provide time and technology for the students to use. As children are provided with models and a variety of software that will introduce them to advanced learning experiences, they will learn the terminology needed to describe their work. They will also learn fundamental actions, such as moves and double-clicks on the mouse to interact with software programs. They will become accustomed to using the audio as well as the video portions of the technology. This begins the scaffolding that will increase each year. In Reading, students will enhance their learning by improving vocabulary. This will increase each year as they add to their foundational skills. By third grade students will be able to use learned skills to begin saving and deleting files, use menu options and commands. Students continue upwards by using language skills including capitalization, punctuation, spelling, word division, and use of numbers and symbols as grade-level appropriate. Each year the student acquires more information that allows them to access needed information and solve problems more effectively. Each grade builds on the previous grade producing students that can compete in a world of technology.
Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology
Vision 2020 is not an option. For many veteran teachers, technology has been an option. We are past that segment now. To be included in the education field from this day forward, teachers must be willing to come aboard and change the teaching practices of years past. Vision 2020 is the beginning of a professional learning community focused on technology. Everything from instruction to communication is going to be centered around and measured by technology. We can not afford for educators, students, family or community stakeholders to be left our of the process. Even though there is a high need for student instruction, I believe there is an even higher need for educator and community instruction. Young people are already ahead in their use of technology, as an administrator I must be willing to take the steps necessary to bring the entire learning community up to standards for producing students that can meet the ever changing challenges facing them in today's technological society.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Response and Reflections of Technology Inventory and Survey
In comparing my responses to the Technology Applications Inventory and the SETDA survey, I am most aware of my ignorance about technology. Not only my lack of ability to use technology myself, but my ignorance about what is available and used at my district level. In the Technology Applications Inventory my strengths lie in solving problems and communication. I don't really feel that my problem solving assessment is really as accurate as it appears because even tho I am able to do many of the applications listed, I do not use them regularly. To be an educator and potential administrator in the state of Texas, I realize I must improve my knowledge and acquisition of technology to be proficient and marketable in education. The SETDA teacher survey is a disgrace for me to look at my lack of implementation of technology in the classroom. Even though my district provides technology instruction and ongoing professional staff development, there is little follow up to see that is adequately implemented in the classroom. I have received good professional development on available websites and how they could be implemented in my classes, but with few computers and no time to structure the lessons, I rarely use the information that is given to me. I agree with the assessments as to my strengths and weaknesses. I am in need of much more foundational education and information acquisition. I would have a difficult time carrying on an educational conversation with most individuals about technology terms and usage. I am fluent with basic communication but even developing this blog is a challenge for me. I hope to move to a higher level of competency by the end of this course.
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