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.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)