Instructional Leadership Reflection

This class opened up a lot of new doors for me that I did not even know were out there. When I began this class 5 weeks ago I did not realize how much information I would gain as I went through the class. I have come away with a much better understanding of technology and its different uses within the school setting. If technology is used the right way, students can receive a much better education than they did just a few years back. I will have to admit this class was tough with all of the assignments, but I feel I came out of it with a lot better idea of the uses of technology than I had when I went into it. I feel that I can help fellow educators along in certain areas that a few weeks ago I could not have. I know now that the sky is the limit for technology, and it is important to stay ahead of the game.

What makes it more interesting for me is the fact that I can use so many of the ideas that I learned with what I do on a daily basis. I work with the ISS and DAEP students on a daily basis and a lot of time we have to rely on the web to find out the answers to some of the questions that students might have. I am a certified science teacher and sometimes can have trouble with questions about english, history, or math. Some of the information that was provided to me throughout the past 5 weeks can be put to good use as I maneuver my way through the web to help students out. I am the athletic director as well and with some of the new technologies that are out there, I can be much more efficient as I move through my daily activities. The key is making sure that you stay ahead of the game and continue to learn.

I guess what would be the bummer of some of the fantastic ideas is the fact that we may not have all the technologies that some schools are allotted. Although we are probably more fortunate here than a lot of other schools, we still do not have all the advantages as most. I understand the process of bringing in technology can be slow and costly, but hope I we can strive to make our school the most technologically sound school around. I would hope our district would push for the use of laptops by all students. I know it would come at a high cost for the district, but would be so beneficial for everyone involved. So many kids do not have the technology at home that is needed. I would love to see the day where students could check out a computer from school and take it home to work. Until this is done we cannot expect students to be able to do work via the web on their own time. Hopefully, we as a district can make this dream a reality.
This course provided many challenges along the way. I always find that when you first look at an assignment it looks overwhelming. As you begin to go through each of the different parts of an assignment, you start to realize that it was not as bad as it looked when you first glanced at the work as a whole. I will admit though a couple of the assignments throughout this class were very tedious and at times made you think about whether you would have the time to get the work done. I have learned how to break the work down during the week to make sure I have a sufficient amount of time to get the work done. Although at times over the past five weeks the work was somewhat difficult, I feel that I learned a lot and will be able to use so many more new ideas of technology. I can actually say I am a blogger now!

I guess you could say that I have always been somewhat scared of technology and the new advances that are out there. Okay, who am I kidding? I am probably not as much scared but more hard-headed than anything. I guess when you get stuck in doing something one particular way, you have a hard time trying something new. I am pretty good with the basics of technology, but now have a better idea of what all is out there and how much school districts can benefit from the latest of technology. If I plan to be a leader within a school district, I feel that it is important to learn as much as possible about the technology we use today and what we plan to use in the near future. I can honestly say that I have a whole new perspective on what technology can mean to the future of our children.

One new idea that I learned a lot about and that we actually created and used was blogging. I have known about blogging and knew of people that blogged but really did not how easy of a process it was. Like I said, I was able to create my own blog and learn some of the ins and outs of blogging. To me blogging can be an important tool within education. Students can use blogs from other people to learn important information. With as many people that are blogging today, there is a good chance you could find information on just about any topic you would like. Of course with blogging, just like anytime you use the web, security becomes a big issue. The use of blogs by students need to have guidelines and parameters in which they must stay in. The web and blogging is a great tool to be able to use, but we have to be careful with what we put out there with the understanding that not everyone on the web is innocent and nice.

All in all this class was very informative, and I came away with a lot better understanding of technology. I was able to build on some ideas of things that I already knew about, but at the same time learn some new things. I hope to build on my learnings from the past few weeks and become a better educator from the technological side of education.

Technology Action Plan

Professional Development Planning
Technology is an important aspect of the future of education so it is important that we continue to make advances. Within our district it is not as much about the needs, but it is about improving what we have in place right now. The three areas that I talked about in the week 3 report were the C-Scope curriculum, promethian boards, and INOVA.

These areas are great tools to use if they are done right. We have to continue with professional development in order to reach our full potential. It is important to send our lead teachers and administrators to training so that they can come back to the campuses to deliver professional development training. As we all know, it is impossible to attend the number of workshops that we need in a school year. It is important that we are in the classroom as much as possible. This is why it is important that the lead teachers and administrators are able to provide teachers with the information they need before school, during conference periods, or after school. They can receive the training they need and not miss critical teaching time.

In order to see what teachers are having trouble with, I would send out surveys to staff and see what needs and concerns they have. After reviewing the surveys, you could decide what types of staff development the teachers would need. I guess before I could plan a particular activity I would have to know exactly what areas we are having trouble in. Obviously not all teachers are going to need help in the same areas, so it would be important to meet all teachers concerns.



Evaluation Planning for Action Plan
The evaluation process for the areas of C-Scope, Promethian boards, and INOVA would have to be after the test results in the spring. C-Scope is a curriculum that is being used within the district. The best way to evaluate this is to review the unit assessments, benchmark assessments, and the actual TAKS test themselves to see if the curriculum is working. These assessments will not lie. They will tell if the curriculum is working or not.

The promethian boards can be evaluated by the students themselves. Survey the students to get their views on the promethian boards to see if they are making a difference to them with their learning. The students are the ones that are using these tools on a daily basis and would be able to tell you if they are effective. The main way to make sure they are being used properly is to provide as much training as possible on the different tools that can be used.

INOVA is a great tool that allows teachers to see all assessments a student has ever taken and shows the students weak areas. It will also project the probability of passing future assessments. You can monitor to see how teachers are utilizing the individualized plans from INOVA and see if it is helping student performance. The information provided by INOVA is hard to match and when used properly will help teachers to see what areas students need help in.

These three tools are very important for our district as we try to improve our TAKS scores. That is why it is so important that we evaluate each area and make sure the tools are being used correctly. All these areas will not be developed fully in one year, but if everyone will work together we can use these areas to be a very successful district.

Texas Star Chart Presentation

William Green EDLD 5352

Texas Star Chart Presentation2

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Educator Preparation and Development

Education Preparation and development within technology is important for the future of our students. With the vast changes in technology, it is important that educators stay ahead of the game with ongoing professional development or continuing education. The technology standards are now required of all beginning teachers. It is very important that the veteran teachers make it their responsibility to stay up to date with these standards. I feel that the progress within our district is great because we have the infrastructure to be very successful. I do know that is not the case in all schools across the state and nation mainly due to the funding. It is important that all schools have the same opportunity as everyone else. I would have to say the trend toward technology is to provide as many tools as possible to the kids and they will learn. I think this is a trend that is not only found within our district but across the state and nation as well. If you give the kids the opportunity to learn and be successful they as a whole will take full advantage of this and get the job done. I would have to say if there was one concern for me in the area of technology, it would be making sure the educators have the knowledge to pass on to the students. We have to improve in this area so that all students have ample opportunity to be successful. The bottom line is that the students will be successful in the future of technology as long as we provide them the opportunities that they need to reach not only their goals but our goals as well.

Spiraling Curriculum

A spiraling curriculum gives the kids a better chance by showing the kids new ideas over and over again. Instead of going over something one time and expecting kids to know it, this particular curriculum gives them a chance to learn it in a variety of ways. It is important to know that not all kids learn the same way so sometimes it is important to provide the information in a variety of ways so that all kids can learn. The TEKS are the required skills that all students need to master while in school. The TEKS follow this spiraling curriculum. When kids start elementary school they begin to learn new ideas throughout school. They build on objectives each year, they will repeat an objective and then build on it. This is a process that is ongoing throughout school until they have mastered all objectives. It is neat to see how kids can take something in elementary school and build on it throughout high school until they reach the results that not only they are looking for, but also the school district.

Pre-K Technology Application TEKS for Texas

It is amazing how much more advance our children are with technology at such an early age. The Technology Applications for students as early as Pre-K are amazing and hard to believe what they can learn. Pre-K students should be able to navigate through software programs and follow basic oral or visual cues for operating systems and listen to storybooks and information texts in electronic forms. These learning experiences should allow the students to improve vocabulary through audio, video, and graphics. The students will learn to use a variety of computer input devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, voice/sound recorder, touch screen, and CD-ROM. The child will definitely find it interesting to use the built in CD player to listen to songs and will be able to create writings and drawings using software. The best thing is how the child can learn new information through the interaction with technology. It is important that the students begin to learn these basics at such an early age so that they can begin to build on it through elementary and be proficient with technology by the time they finish middle school. What they learn as a Pre-K student is an important step. As they begin their schooling, they will be able to take that information and become more and more knowledgeable of the technology world as they move through school. The mastering of these skills will allow the students to improve from year to year and be well-rounded student of technology when they are ready to graduate.

Technology Long Range Plan for the State of Texas

The analysis of the Long-Range Plan for Technology gives you a good idea of what is in store for students now and in the future. It provides a vision that is easy to follow and explains what is expected to be accomplished by 2020. The need for the change is evident with the growth that we are facing and the way society is gearing toward the importance of technology. It is important that we meet these challenges head on. We must gear our efforts toward the 21st century learner. We have to prepare our students today for what they will face in the near future once they are in the real world. The great thing about the growth is the fact that teachers’ skills with technology are becoming better and they are excited about learning new things that they can use and they can provide for the students. This also allows for better communication with the parents. The main job we have as an educator is to make sure all kids learn. Kids come from many different backgrounds and may not all learn the same as others. We have got to find the best ways to reach students and make sure we don’t leave anyone lagging behind. The key cog in this Long-Range Plan is that the educators have the support of the administrators to get this done. The leadership is important to make sure the campuses have the infrastructure for technology to get the job done. Without the correct tools for technology, the plan will not work. A lot of planning went into this plan and the needs for technology are very evident. The hope is that everyone will do their part to make sure that this Long-Range plan is met by the year 2020.

Technology Assessment

Sometimes it is important to find out how much you know within a particular area. Technology is an important part of our present and future. That is why finding out how much you might know about technology is important. Therefore, the use of assessments are very important. The assessments that were provided allowed a person to have a much better understanding of where they may stand with regard to today’s technology standards. The Technology Applications Inventory assessment allowed you to see how much knowledge you had of technology. The SETDA Building Survey assessment wanted to see how much access your school has to technology. I feel that I have a good base of knowledge of technology and can help students along. My strengths would be the fact that I am willing to learn all areas associated with technology and feel that I have a gift of helping motivate students along through new learning experiences. My weaknesses would have to be the fact that I am quite a ways behind the newest technology and feel it would take a while to feel comfortable enough to lend my knowledge to students. I guess it would definitely be a “learn as you go” situation. I feel that today’s kids learn so much by teaching themselves that they have a good idea of technology even before they begin to learn in school. I honestly believe that a majority of the time when it comes to technology the students know more than the teacher. This is why it is important for teachers to find out their weaknesses and get busy learning to stay ahead of the game. I feel that the assessments, like the ones mentioned above, are great ways to see where you stand as a teacher. It allows a person to see where they are strong but also where they are weak and where they need to concentrate.