Web Conferences

Wow, what an amazing piece of technology. After participating in a web conference I saw the benefits it can have in education for students and faculty. Students can be a classroom or a world away sharing learning. Faculties can meet when it is impossible to meet “face to face”. It is now possible for a teacher to teach students a world away, respond to their questions and model activities with minimal hardware and software requirements that are already available at many schools. For example, when a science department gets together to do a lab why not allow the teacher that is most skilled with that particular lab assignment teach all the students. The instructor could model the lab, take questions from participants and share feedback while the other teachers are monitoring the students and providing one on one instruction to individual students. Web conferencing would be a useful tool for administrators and teachers allowing communication during breaks. No matter where you are you could stay in contact with staff even holding meetings when needed on topics that have to be covered during summer breaks. This enables staff to stay in touch with one another and models for teachers how this technology can be used in their classrooms. While web conferencing can be a useful tool the same norms must be used as in “face to face” meetings. All members must act professionally for the learning activity to be successful. Norms must be set and procedures must be mastered for users to receive the full benefit of participation.

ACTION PLAN

Superintendent:
Dedicate financial and personnel resources to support technology in the classroom.

Communicate to Board of Trustees and stakeholders the vision of the school district and how it relates to the Long Range Plan for Technology, 06-20 (LRPT).

Review District data collection processes and determines need for improvement.

Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
Work in conjunction with principal and district technology coordinator to determine needed and required professional development activities for school employees.

Communicate to campus personnel districts vision and how it relates to the LRPT.

Dedicate financial and personnel resources to support technology in the classroom.

Monitor implementation of technology on campuses through the LYS walkthrough forms maintained on each campus and reported to central office.

District Technology Coordinator
Dedicate financial and personnel resources to ensure that each campus is in line with the districts vision as it pertains to technology integration.

Work in conjunction with principal and assistant superintendent to determine needed and required professional development activities for school employees.

Man and maintain a technology help line for teachers, administrators and staff to answer technology related questions.

Build and maintain a website where teachers can complete professional development activities on-line.

Allow for each student to have a district sign-on name with storage space that is accessible from any computer in the district.

Build a functional Technology Assessment for Teachers used to plan needed professional development activities.

Campus Technology Specialist
Maintain storage space for student’s access. Work with teachers to have a plan in place for lost passwords or help with student log-ons.

Communicate technology needs of teachers to principal and district technology coordinator. This includes professional development needs.

Service campus hardware, install software and ensure that technology is available for use in the classroom.

Campus Principal
Work in conjunction with district technology coordinator and assistant superintendent to determine needed and required professional development activities for school employees.

Dedicate campus financial and personnel resources that fall in line with the districts vision as it pertains to meeting the goals of the LRPT, 06-20.

Monitor implementation of technology on campuses through the LYS walkthrough forms maintained on each campus and reported to central office.

Research innovative technology advances in education and implement them on campus.

Implement a feedback system similar to the STaR Chart for the campus so that technology needs in the classroom can be met more regularly.

Work with SchoolNet to make reports for district common assessments and student data more accessible to all teachers on campus.

Annually review AEIS report and STaR Chart data. Plan courses of action with SBDM and CEIC team members.

Ensure that the implementation of technology in curriculum is listed on the CIP with LYS walkthroughs being the measurement tool used to determine success.

Work with committee team members to implement effective parent involvement strategies aimed towards increasing technological forms of communication and need.

Teachers
Complete district “Teacher Technology Assessment” built to determine professional development needs.

Work through online technology tutorials built through the District Technology Coordinators office needed to score proficient on the “Teacher Technology Assessment”.

Complete a minimum of 30 hrs of continuing education (professional development) activates in the area of technology implementation in the classroom.

Review LYS walkthrough information to identify needed areas of growth.

Communicate to campus principal and campus technology specialist technology needs for successful implementation.

Follow CIP, and District technology plan.

Don’t be afraid to try different technologies in the classroom. You will be supported.

Use District resources (i.e. Grants for Great Ideas) to implement your vision of technology in the classroom.

SBDM Team Members
CEIC Team Members
DEIC Team Members
Hold district and campus accountable for financial and personnel resources needed to follow district technology plan and vision as it pertains to the LYRP, 06-20.

Work with campus principal to implement effective parent involvement strategies aimed towards increasing technological forms of communication and need.

Help communicate technology needs of teachers in the classroom.

PROFESIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Professional development needs will be determined by needs evident and reported through teachers mastery of technology measured be the “Teacher Technology Assessment”, AEIS report, district and campus STaR Chart, LYS walkthroughs, and missed objectives listed on the Campus Improvement Plan (CIP).

Needs:

· Viable Teacher Assessment of Technology

· Professional development activities available on line through District Technology Coordinators office and local ESC.

· Stop purchasing out-dated equipment. Refurbishing of new-age technology devices not currently usable.

· Campus principals model technology use in the classroom through advanced professional development activities (i.e. blogs, wiki).

· Make SchoolNet more user friendly by allowing teachers to use saved reports. The SchoolNet software currently combines student TAKS data, benchmark data, and demographic information. This information can and should also be used to measure student progress by teacher.

What we will do different when compared to current professional development activities will be:

· Teachers will access professional development activates through the district intranet completing activities deemed needed by the Teacher Technology Assessment. This is done in lieu of all teachers sitting through the same in-service when half are already proficient in area being taught.

· All teachers and administrators must attend 30 hrs of professional development activities a year in this manner. This will be a daunting task for the office of District Technology Coordinator since they must continually produce quality professional development activities.

· Campus administrators must model appropriate technology use in the classroom through professional development activities.

EVALUATION
Evaluation Components:
· District technology report made every two years with references to amount of technology and personnel dedicated to each campus, computers per pupil, and computers per teacher. Plan also outlines campuses scores on the Teacher Technology Assessment, STaR Chart and AEIS reports.

· Achievement of Campus Improvement Plans as they pertain to measurable technology implementation through LYS walkthroughs and TAKS performance.

· Evaluate Campus spending per pupil on technology equipment and professional development of teachers.

· Review student, staff and parent questionnaires pertaining to technology use in the classroom and access of technology from home.

· Office of District Technology Coordinator maintains a record of teacher’s professional development activities and reports achievement of the 30 hr per year requirement.

Progress Of the Texas Long Range Technology Plan

Texas currently reports on the progress as it pertains to the Long Range Technology Plan, 2006-2010 annually. The most recent technology report has some very good news but points out that we still have far to go. Using the STaR Chart as an assessment of how campuses are moving towards more technology uses in the classroom has been a success. What the data shows is that there is some movement, albeit, small to developing and advanced tech the numbers will have to move faster as 2020 approches. The recommendations for support are extremely helpful for stakeholders to identify how they can help Texas educators and students meet this lofty goal. I found that I recieved the best information from the recommendations for leadership and recommendations for educational service centers. These help me better identify where the state recommends this aid come from. Information concerning how the Texas long range plan supports the goals of the NCLB but goes a step further providing the Technology TEKS students are to have mastered by the eighth grade. These coupled with what is expected in high school, classroom, and implementation throughout the curriculum help a campus form a vision and CIP that support both the Technology initiative and NCLB

STaR Chart Presentation

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STaR Chart Presentation

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Reflection of the Technology Draft Plan

Students and the needs of those students are changing more rapidly than in the past. The role technology will play in this transition will be the determining factor of success. The draft of the National Educational Technology Plan lays the framework and provides goals to drive local and state educational technology plans. The Plan states that “learning sciences have improved our understanding of how people learn” and follows with making recommendations to fund “research and the development of exemplary resources that implement learning science principles”. Student’s immediate access to information through technology must be embraced by current educators. The goals stated in this section refer to using the power of technology to “reach all learners anytime and anywhere” offering up the term on-demand learning. The goal of using learning sciences and technology together is to increase performance STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathmatics). With respect to professional development the Draft specifically acknowledges that support should be provided for teachers that can “empower and inspire them to provide more effective teaching for all learners”. As stated previously in this class many teachers are not comfortable themselves with technology due to the fact that most students are more knowledgeable on the subject. The most important part of any professional development plan is to make sure we are training teachers on how to effectively implement technology in the classroom and provide students with access. My only concerns with the Draft plan are that it acknowledges the need for professional development, infrastructure, etc., but neglects to cover the financials. I, like most, would be delighted by every student having a laptop and every teacher a smartboard. What I am waiting for is a report on how we are going to pay for it. With technology advancing as fast as it is how can school districts with minimal budgets stay technologically advanced?

Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020

Administration and Instructional Support

The area of Administration and Instructional Support listed in the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 outlines the role administrators serve to ensure the effective use of technology in teaching and learning. I reviewed STaR Chart data in the Administration and Instructional Support are and found that Texas as a whole is moving in the right direction. For example, 55% of campuses and teachers reported themselves at Advanced Tech. This number is up from 50.2% in 08-09. This is good news as the numbers in Early and Developing Tech is decreasing and the numbers in Advanced and Target Tech are increasing. Locally these numbers are also improving. Although not a positive trend for three years, are numbers were high, dipped for one year and then rebounded. As previously stated, I believe, this was due to a change in our leadership. Teachers were unsure where the administrator stood on some technology issues but that has all been alleviated recently with the amount of training and support provided on campus.

When making recommendations for improvement in the area of Administrations and Instructional Support one must also account for the extreme need of funding. While it is necessary for school leadership to direct funds and personnel to support this area they must do so in a practical manner. Administrators must understand that this is a long range plan. One can not move a campus where there is one computer in each classroom to a campus where there is one computer to one student. Understanding the larger role and implementing a shared vision on campus can improve the ability to move forward in this area.

Research 5301 Completion

Completing Research 5301 has been an eye opening experience for me. Before this class I thought administrators and school districts where wrapped up in what “outside experts” and newfangled programs could deliver. I understand now by districts and teachers (districts greatest single resource) working together and encouraging one another to form action research studies that “buy-in” and change will occur.
The interviews encouraged me rethink the way I perceive administrators. It was clear that each administrator was adamant about the role teachers’ play in change and effecting change on the campus. Dr. Chargois stressed the importance of educating future educators on how to conduct action research instead of just pedagogy. Through our readings and interviews I realized that the purpose of action research is to “change the way we deliver instruction” as was stated in Dr. Lewis’s interview. All three scholars stressed the importance of the classroom teacher when developing or solving action research problems. They also stressed the importance of teachers to be well versed in disaggregated data and find practical ways to change the way they deliver instruction.
Learning the way an action research study should be started was the most important part of this class. When I realized that I had to complete an action research study I was unprepared as a way to start. The lessons helped me to plan accordingly. By starting with a rationale I was able to identify more topics than what I could see on the outside. By stating many topics and then discussing them with my campus supervisor I felt prepared and more able to receive positive feedback and instruction. This encouraged me to prepare my PIP which was an invaluable tool for setting up an action research topic then revamping until I felt that I was prepared to start my plan. With the understanding that my PIP can be changed for effectiveness encouraged me to go farther than I intended in my study.
Learning how to implement the force field analysis, Delphi method, and nominal group techniques will help me improve my action research plan. I feel that these methods will provide feedback necessary to keep my action research study from stalling. I am particularly thankful for the extreme importance this class put on the CARE model.
Throughout this course I have noted that the importance of self reflection is an asset that administrators, teachers, and districts must employ to be effective educators. The ability to change what has always been done and work for better results is the only way to encourage value added instruction. I will keep my action research study moving by providing updates on my blog and encouraging feedback from my classmates.