I attended the Web Conference hosted by Dr. Attaway on Thursday, March 17th at 6:00PM. I made sure to sign on several minutes early as I had read that these Web Conferences have a tendency to fill up rather quickly. This was my first time taking part in a conference held over the internet. Overall it was a very good experience. During our conference we were able to see Dr. Attaway through the use of her webcam. We were also able to hear our classmates communicating with Dr. Attaway and other peers through their microphones and there were others who communicated through posting on the chat board. All 3 ways seem to work very effectively. However, the chat board can start moving very fast and it does sometimes become hard to keep up with. The other issue we seemed to encounter was the echo that was caused by having multiple people using their microphones and there being a delay in the sounds reaching everyone's computers at the same time.
We were able to touch on a number of topics regarding the class and the Masters program itself. Some of the topics covered regarding the class were whether or not we get credit for attending a Web Conference hosted by a professor other than the one we are assigned to. The consensus is that we will receive credit. We also touched on the Week 4 assignment and what the expectations of the chart and professional development template were to look like. It was determined that there is not a set format to use for either one, but up to each individual's discretion. A topic touched on regarding the overall program was about taking the LCE.
Overall, I really enjoyed this experience. It is something I would like to see my school implement in regards to staff meetings. I think it would give those staff members who are a little more shy a forum to speak up in. At the very least I would like to try them within my own department when we need to meet and then give feedback to how it goes to our Administration. But, I can see the Web Conference being the wave of the future. Before long a good majority of education could become web based.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
My Action Plan for Technology Implementation Staff Development
My Action Plan for Technology Implementation Staff Development
Job Title | Timeline | Professional Development | Evaluation |
Teaching and Learning | The teachers at Santa Fe High School are currently in the Developing Technology range which simply means that they need additional professional development opportunities, applied classroom activities and time in order to progress to the Advanced Technology level. | ||
Principal | Bi-Annually; once each semester | Departments and Teams include time each week for the integration of technology which would include discussion time as well as time for decision making regarding technology Include technology training specifically how to integrate, practice, feedback, and follow-up throughout the school year on Teacher In-Service days During the week of New Teacher In-Service training include technology training that introduces the new teachers to the STaR Chart, NETS-S, and other applicable technology. | The Principal will evaluate through classroom walkthroughs, formal observations, as well as by STaR Chart data |
Campus Technology Specialist | On a weekly basis | The Campus Technology Specialist will rotate on a regular basis to work with each department/team and class to plan, develop, implement, and assess the technology integration level. The Campus Technology Specialist will train teachers and students by modeling the expectations of technology use by both teachers and students. They will do this by showing the differences and demonstrating what true technology integration looks like. | The Campus Technology Specialist will evaluate through evidence of use in lesson plans and/or classroom observations. |
Subject Area Coordinators | Quarterly (Once every 9 weeks) | The subject Area Coordinator for each content area will include technology integration in their quarterly IPGs. They will also give examples and model lessons. | The Subject Area Coordinators will evaluate based on the amount of lessons and data uploaded to Eduphoria |
Instructional Specialists | Quarterly (Once every 9 weeks) | The Instructional Specialists will mentor teachers and demonstrate to them classroom planning and implementation of technology. They will also review data and provide feedback for improvement to each teacher. | The Instructional Specialists will evaluate through evidence of strategies used in lessons and data in planning. |
Classroom Teachers | Quarterly (Once every 9 weeks) | Classroom teachers will plan, develop and implement a technology-integrated lesson or unit. They will share their lessons with other teachers in their department or on their team. | The Classroom teachers will evaluate through STaR Chart data and through self assessment |
Educator Preparation | The teachers at Santa Fe High School are currently in the Advanced Technology Range which means they have received professional development opportunities regarding technology integration into the curriculum through the creation of new lessons and activities that promote higher order thinking skills. The teachers use technology as a tool to promote higher order thinking. | ||
Principal | Bi-Annually; Once each semester | The principal will allot the necessary amount of time for professional development opportunities. The principal will continually monitor professional development sessions that taken by the teachers and that are offered by the Specialists. | The Principal will evaluate by the number of professional development opportunities provided to teachers. The Principal will also evaluate the quality of professional development opportunities. |
Technology Director | Before the school year begins, Quarterly during the year (at the end of each 9 weeks), and after the school year is over | The Technology Director will meet with the Campus Technology Specialists to create campus technology goals and create professional development opportunities. The Technology Director will meet with the Campus Principals to ensure that the necessary time is allotted for teachers to participate in professional develop opportunities and to apply the concepts taken from these sessions. | The Technology Director will be evaluated on a yearly basis on the progress they have made |
Campus Technology Specialists | Quarterly (once each 9 weeks) | The Campus Technology Specialists will develop anytime, anywhere learning opportunities that will include but not limited to individual as well as collaborative activities. | The Campus Technology Specialists will be evaluated by the number of courses/professional development opportunities made available They will also be evaluated by the number of teachers participating |
Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support | The teachers at Santa Fe High School are in the Advanced Technology Range which means they have bought into the campus’s vision of technology integration to help students achieve at a higher level. | ||
Principal | To be checked both Annually as well as Quarterly (once per 9 weeks) | The principal will hold staff meetings that include the modeling of technology integration by the administration staff. This will also include one extended session each 9 week period that focuses on going more in-depth into the technology integration concepts. The principal during PDAS review sessions with each teacher will also discuss their use of technology and integration into their individual classrooms. | The Principal will evaluate by reviewing and analyzing the annual technology benchmarks |
Classroom Teachers | Bi-Annually; Once each semester | The Classroom teachers will self-assess and will take professional development sessions that deal with the integration of technology into the classroom. | Classroom teachers will evaluate by analyzing STaR Chart data |
Department Heads and Team Leaders | Quarterly (once per 9 weeks) | Department Heads and Team Leaders will develop and model ways to include technology integration into the classroom. | The Department Heads and Team Leaders will evaluate by looking for evidence in lessons, looking at teacher websites, and through professional communications |
Infrastructure for Technology | The teachers at Santa Fe High School are in the Advanced Technology range which means that teachers have both direct and wireless access to the internet throughout the entire school day. They are able to use it for attendance, lesson plans, and help requests, as well as a variety of other items. Each teacher also has a home drive that is accessible from anywhere within the district. They are able to save their work and other resources to this drive. It is backed up each night and is accessible along with public and shared folders, from home through a portal provided by the district. | ||
Technology Director and Campus Technology Specialist | Annually at the beginning of each school year | The Technology Director and Campus Technology Specialists will offer new teachers professional development opportunities that will include information about structure of storage and access of files from the different drives available on the district network. The Technology Director and Campus Technology Specialists will offer professional development opportunities that will be refresher courses on how to store/share/access files and resources from the district network. | The Technology Director and Campus Technology Specialists will evaluate by reviewing the of Technology Plan, STaR Chart, and LoTi survey results |
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Blog #3: National Educational Technology Plan
There were two main reasons the National Educational Technology Plan was written, first to increase college graduates and secondly to close the achievement gap. What better way to try and accomplish this with 21st Century learners than to integrate technology. With technology becoming such a driving force in today's world, educators have to use technology in order to engage today's students. Also, by engaging them through technology they are preparing them for life after school.
In the National Educational Technology Plan it takes one teacher's idea and connecting that idea to another classroom and that classroom to another one, etc thus creating a learning community. By being connected to technology, the teachers are providing effective instruction to their students in a manner that will benefit them in the "real world". However, in order for the teacher to be effective at this, the necessary professional development needs to be provided by either their campus or district. They also need to have the necessary resources that will allow them to provide these technology based lessons.
Technology also aids educators by allowing them to access various types of data and various resources that can help them develop creative lessons that will benefit their students. Students in the 21st Century have a unique opportunity to control their own learning. By providing teachers with the necessary technology it will help educators to create lessons that are more engaging and gives the educator additional options in ways to deliver their lessons.
With the integration of technology and with the increase in online learning it allows for differentiated instruction on a number of different levels. In the National Educational Technology Plan, they have improved a number of areas including assessment and the assessments are based on each student's strengths and weaknesses. Overall, this plan provides a way for our students to receive their instruction in a way that will benefit them long after they leave us and move to the "real world", and that way is the 21st Century way with technology.
In the National Educational Technology Plan it takes one teacher's idea and connecting that idea to another classroom and that classroom to another one, etc thus creating a learning community. By being connected to technology, the teachers are providing effective instruction to their students in a manner that will benefit them in the "real world". However, in order for the teacher to be effective at this, the necessary professional development needs to be provided by either their campus or district. They also need to have the necessary resources that will allow them to provide these technology based lessons.
Technology also aids educators by allowing them to access various types of data and various resources that can help them develop creative lessons that will benefit their students. Students in the 21st Century have a unique opportunity to control their own learning. By providing teachers with the necessary technology it will help educators to create lessons that are more engaging and gives the educator additional options in ways to deliver their lessons.
With the integration of technology and with the increase in online learning it allows for differentiated instruction on a number of different levels. In the National Educational Technology Plan, they have improved a number of areas including assessment and the assessments are based on each student's strengths and weaknesses. Overall, this plan provides a way for our students to receive their instruction in a way that will benefit them long after they leave us and move to the "real world", and that way is the 21st Century way with technology.
Blog #2: Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 Progress Report
After looking over this extensive progress report for 2010, it seems that the majority of educators and campuses in Texas are on the rise in how they are performing in the 4 areas of this plan. In Teaching and Learning a majority of teachers rated themselves Developing or Advanced Tech. In the Educator Preparation and Development a majority of teachers were still classified as Developing Tech. I was somewhat shocked by this particular rating. This is an area that the campuses and districts need to really focus on, because the stronger our educators are when it comes to technology the more our students will benefit. For Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support, again we have an area where teachers were rated in the developing and advanced tech for the majority. And finally the Infrastructure for Technology area the majority of campuses were in the advanced tech range. This is not a surprise, because of the big push for technology to be implemented into our schools, I feel that districts have no choice but to make sure they are up to date in this area.
After looking over the report, when I got to the Region Education Service Centers I was very intrigued by the different things they have done to help score higher in the ratings and to support their teachers in the area of technology. I focused particularly on what my Region Education Service Center has offered in regards to helping the state reach its goals for this technology plan. I currently teach in Region 4. I am going to touch on all four areas of the plan and what Region 4 is doing to help reach the goals of this extensive plan.
Teaching and Learning: In regards to this area of the plan Region 4 has several things in place to help teachers reach their goals in this area. Some of these include offering the Comprehensive Curriculum, Assessment, and Professional Development system also referred to as the CCAP. This is a comprehensive online instructional tool that allows teachers to integrate all of the educational components that are critical to student success. The ESC also coordinates and provides training for statewide initiatives. These are just some of the things the ESC provides in regards to Teaching and Learning in the Long-Range Plan 2006-2020.
Educator Preparation and Development: In this area the ESC provides alternative certification preparation through distance education, customized staff development activities that will help campuses and districts meet specific curriculum and staff development needs, and they provide assistive technology training.
Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support: The ESC provides a number of ways it supports educators in this area. They provide The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN) which helps with purchasing technology equipment. The ESC develops web-based applications that targets educators. They also review the PEIMS data and processes with the goal of helping districts focus on capturing all available state funds.
Infrastructure for Technology: The ESC for Region 4 provides internet access to 17 districts within their region; they also provide internet filtering and disaster recovery data back-up services to the districts in the Gulf Coast area. They also provide network development assistance for LEA local area networks.
These are just some of the many things that the Region 4 ESC provides to the districts, schools, and educators to help them with reaching the goals that have been set for us through the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020. The many different things that the ESC provides are definitely beneficial to the educators within our region it is just a matter of the district, school, and/or the teachers taking advantage of them.
After looking over the report, when I got to the Region Education Service Centers I was very intrigued by the different things they have done to help score higher in the ratings and to support their teachers in the area of technology. I focused particularly on what my Region Education Service Center has offered in regards to helping the state reach its goals for this technology plan. I currently teach in Region 4. I am going to touch on all four areas of the plan and what Region 4 is doing to help reach the goals of this extensive plan.
Teaching and Learning: In regards to this area of the plan Region 4 has several things in place to help teachers reach their goals in this area. Some of these include offering the Comprehensive Curriculum, Assessment, and Professional Development system also referred to as the CCAP. This is a comprehensive online instructional tool that allows teachers to integrate all of the educational components that are critical to student success. The ESC also coordinates and provides training for statewide initiatives. These are just some of the things the ESC provides in regards to Teaching and Learning in the Long-Range Plan 2006-2020.
Educator Preparation and Development: In this area the ESC provides alternative certification preparation through distance education, customized staff development activities that will help campuses and districts meet specific curriculum and staff development needs, and they provide assistive technology training.
Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support: The ESC provides a number of ways it supports educators in this area. They provide The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN) which helps with purchasing technology equipment. The ESC develops web-based applications that targets educators. They also review the PEIMS data and processes with the goal of helping districts focus on capturing all available state funds.
Infrastructure for Technology: The ESC for Region 4 provides internet access to 17 districts within their region; they also provide internet filtering and disaster recovery data back-up services to the districts in the Gulf Coast area. They also provide network development assistance for LEA local area networks.
These are just some of the many things that the Region 4 ESC provides to the districts, schools, and educators to help them with reaching the goals that have been set for us through the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020. The many different things that the ESC provides are definitely beneficial to the educators within our region it is just a matter of the district, school, and/or the teachers taking advantage of them.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Blog #1: Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology - Teaching and Learning
One of the four main areas of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology is the area of Teaching and Learning. This is an extremely important area because the 21st Century learner is going to have to have skills that will allow them to learn and communicate in a technology based world. In order to keep up with other people learners will need to have access to the different forms of technology 24/7/365.
As we are all aware there has been a lack of funding at the national, state, and local levels which has caused problems for the Long-Range Plan. If the Plan does not receive the resources and funding it needs to work, implementation of the Plan will be virtually impossible. And although funding has taken a hit, there has been an increase in implementation across the state, but there is still room for improvement in helping reach the goals of the plan. So, we need to continue to strive to increase the funding and providing the resources needed so we can help our students, otherwise it will take much longer than 2020 to reach our goals.
When looking over data I saw that at the State Level, Teaching and Learning was at the level of Developing Tech. At my school we are also in the category of Developing Tech. I feel this trend could be due possibly to financial resources from district to district. If a district has a bigger budget or even budgets more toward technology than a neighboring district, they more than likely will be able to afford more technology for their school and additional professional development opportunities. The larger budget will eventually cause there to be a huge discrepancy in the Teaching and Learning section of the Long-Range plan between these neighboring districts.
My number one suggestion for helping to improve this area is to develop sponsorships with technology companies such as Apple. By developing a relationship with a corporation such as Apple, would help the school districts to stay up to date on the latest technology and technology training. As we all know there are schools out there that have "ancient" technology and there are some that still have very minimal technology available to them. When the schools do not have up to date technology or no technology at all, we are putting those students "behind the eight ball" so to speak in competing with other students and their education. My recommendation for us to reach the Target Tech Level of progress for Teaching and Learning we have to make access to the various different forms of technology, resources, and services available to both our staffs and students. Both teachers and students must also have a desire to be lifelong learners of technology.
As we are all aware there has been a lack of funding at the national, state, and local levels which has caused problems for the Long-Range Plan. If the Plan does not receive the resources and funding it needs to work, implementation of the Plan will be virtually impossible. And although funding has taken a hit, there has been an increase in implementation across the state, but there is still room for improvement in helping reach the goals of the plan. So, we need to continue to strive to increase the funding and providing the resources needed so we can help our students, otherwise it will take much longer than 2020 to reach our goals.
When looking over data I saw that at the State Level, Teaching and Learning was at the level of Developing Tech. At my school we are also in the category of Developing Tech. I feel this trend could be due possibly to financial resources from district to district. If a district has a bigger budget or even budgets more toward technology than a neighboring district, they more than likely will be able to afford more technology for their school and additional professional development opportunities. The larger budget will eventually cause there to be a huge discrepancy in the Teaching and Learning section of the Long-Range plan between these neighboring districts.
My number one suggestion for helping to improve this area is to develop sponsorships with technology companies such as Apple. By developing a relationship with a corporation such as Apple, would help the school districts to stay up to date on the latest technology and technology training. As we all know there are schools out there that have "ancient" technology and there are some that still have very minimal technology available to them. When the schools do not have up to date technology or no technology at all, we are putting those students "behind the eight ball" so to speak in competing with other students and their education. My recommendation for us to reach the Target Tech Level of progress for Teaching and Learning we have to make access to the various different forms of technology, resources, and services available to both our staffs and students. Both teachers and students must also have a desire to be lifelong learners of technology.
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