Web Conference Reflection - July 28, 2011

The web conference this week was very good. Professor Borel went over some information about the TK20 requirement, Internship handbook, and the class website.

I think the web conference is a great way for us to clarify the instructions on upcoming assignments and get answers to our questions. It is also good to be able to chat with others from the class. While reading the comments in the chat area, I realized I was not the only one feeling overwhelmed by the assignments. Earlier in the week I had asked myself if I could keep up with the assignments once school started. I had talked with Professor Borel about my concerns on Tuesday. After attending the web conference this week and talking with Professor Borel I believe I can complete the program.

I am looking forward to the web conference next week when Professor Borel said we would go over the Principals Competency Chart.

Campus Technology Plan Presentation

Blog 3 - National Educational Technology Plan

According to the National Educational Technology Plan, “technology based learning and assessment systems will be pivotal in improving student learning and generating data that can be used continuously to improve the education system at all levels.” (U.S. Department of Education)

The National Educational Technology Plan lists five essential areas - learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. Each area has one goal listed with recommendations on how to achieve the goal. According to the plan the goals are:

1. All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and out of school that prepare them to be active, creative, and knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society.
2. Our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement.
3. 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.
4. All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it.
5. 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.

After reading the plan, I found it was well constructed. I liked the fact it addressed the “underserved”.  For Professional Development the Plan suggests 24/7 access to online collaboration, learning communities, and interaction with parents and community members, but I wonder how this would work.  As teachers we spend a lot of time preparing for our lessons now, so when would we be able to participate in the online communities and still have time for our families?

Resources:

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). National Educational Technology Plan 2010. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010.

Blog 2 - District Technology Plan

I think Mexia ISD’s technology plan is great.  They have encompassed all four areas of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology in setting up their plan.

Our district technology plan has four goals:

• Increase student learning and achievement through the seamless integration of technology into instruction in learning and teaching across the curriculum.
• Provide district-wide staff development programs to ensure effective use of emerging technologies with emphasis on instructional programs.
• Support the district-wide technology implementation and use through campus level planning, adequate staff and appropriate budgeting.
• Support instructional and administrative goals by providing and maintaining an adequate communication infrastructure, network connectivity, hardware, and software.

Strategies include maintaining subscriptions to software used by teachers, staff, and students; teachers incorporating more technology into their instruction; and students using technology to complete assignments.  Other strategies include setting up a sub-committee of the Technology Committee to help with campus coordination and setting up an Adult continuing education program (GED) access to the lab as well as upgrading, replacing, or purchasing equipment to upgrade the infrastructure.

Professional development opportunities will include teachers completing the PD 21 courses, training teachers to create and use websites, and workshops. 

The evaluation process will include the STaR Chart results to assess progress and a subcommittee of the Technology Committee evaluating the Plan four times a year. Some of the evaluation methods include monitoring of district web pages, staff members taking part in technology staff development, and yearly formal survey needs assessment of the staff regarding the technology in their classrooms.

Resources:

Mexia Independent School District. (2010). Mexia ISD Technology Plan for E-Rate Year 14.

Blog 1 - Technology Assessments

I think it is important to assess educators and students knowledge and skills of technology.  The assessments give us information needed to plan for ongoing instruction and staff development.  Assessing the students will help the teacher know what is needed and will help teachers to plan for the integration of technology in their lessons.  The assessment will also aid the teacher in grouping students; i.e., placing students who know Microsoft Word with other students who may not know it. 

I believe assessing educators’ technology leadership knowledge and skills is essential to improving the use of technology in our education system.  This assessment would aid the administration in scheduling professional development workshops.  Of course, the downside of this might mean the teacher finding out he/she doesn’t know as much as the student.  In some cases finding this out will inspire teachers to seek out workshops to improve their knowledge.  Whereas, in other cases I feel some teachers would not seek out the workshops because they might be intimidated by technology.  If professional development is held and the teachers become familiar with the programs, then I think they will include these programs in their instruction. 

When working on my internship I was in a third grade classroom where the teacher instructed the students how to make slides using Powerpoint for their vocabulary lists.  During small group time she assigned one word to two or three students.  Each student would either type the word, the definition, or choose the picture that best represented that word.  When they completed their slide the students saved the file and when the groups were finished, she had a Powerpoint for their vocabulary which could be used to review it.  I thought this was an awesome way to study vocabulary.

Web Conference 2

I attended the web conference on July 20^th.  During the web conference I met other students in the class.  I liked the fact we could ask questions and get answers just as if it were in a regular classroom, but with the benefit of doing it from home.  The chat window was great.  It allowed us to type information to others while listening to Professor Borel.

Professor Borel gave us information on the TK20, the new GRE requirements, and information regarding our degree program.  She also reviewed the requirements for the internship and the comprehensive exam final report.   In addition she gave us an idea of what we will be doing for the next three weeks. 

I am glad we have the opportunity to participate in the web conferences each week.  It helps me to hear the answers to our questions and I benefit from the questions others ask.