When I first heard the title ‘Instructional Leadership’, I thought this class would be quite different that what it actually turned out to be. I believed that it would be more curriculum based and not technology related. I believed that this class would prepare me for learning, evaluating, and training others on instructional strategies. As an administrator, one must be highly aware of the needs of the campus. An administrator must recognize and address the needs of the campus. This includes using the strengths of the campus to address those needs successfully while trying to improve the weaknesses. As an administrator, he/she must consider what is needed, the weaknesses of the campus and the overall strengths in planning staff development to meet those needs, address the weaknesses and improve on the strengths. I feel that this course did not meet my overall expectation or vision. While I find technology extremely important to the success of a campus, I felt that this course did not address the needs of campuses – finding practical ways and strategies to incorporate technology in the classroom. In my opinion, this course dealt mostly with recognizing the importance of technology in schools, a fact that we all don’t disagree with. Now the question becomes, how do we use technology?
As to my outcomes that I envisioned, I believe the course covered quiet comprehensively the importance of technology on a school campus and the need for it to be incorporated into the classroom. I believe that this course somewhat touched on how as an administrator to address those needs, but what lacked was the practical application. I believe that this course lacked the exposure or experience with possible instructional strategies and applications for technology. I did find it somewhat helpful to research the district and campus goals along with the Campus Improvement Plan in relation to technology. I would have liked to then taken that information and used it in a more practicable way. The question I would like to have addressed is what strategies and techniques can be used to meet those needs goals.
As stated before, one outcome I did not achieve was exploring a more applicable approach to technology in the schools and classrooms. I would have like to focus more on methods and techniques for implementing technology and improving instructional strategies in the classroom and addressing such things as dealing with teachers with little technological experience and skills. I would have liked to explore deeper into various content areas and addressing the needs to those areas. Each area is unique and different in terms of what they need to be successful, strategies, and methods. I would have like to at least touched on different areas, assessing those needs and then developing strategies to help them within their content area. This includes using technology and ways each content area can use technology to cover TEKS and meet the needs of the students.
I was successful in carrying out the course assignments. I am capable to reading directions, following the assignment rubric and incorporating the necessary information for a particular assignment. In that way I was successful. The question then becomes did I find the information I acquired helpful and relevant to my course of study and did I find it useful to me for future reference. While some information gained such as district and campus goals and examining the Campus Improvement Plan was helpful and will find useful, much of the information I presented in the course assignments were not helpful. While I find it important to reflect as I move through a processes or class, I felt that this class used a substantial amount of reflection, but not much ‘meat’ to reflect upon. I would have liked to done a bit more practical assignments then reflect on that and its usefulness in future settings. What discouraged me was that I felt that this class was a bit more research based rather than concrete application.
Another aspect in connection to this course that discouraged me was the discussion board process. While I do recognize and appreciate the importance of the discussion board, I felt the process was tedious and non-helpful. I did really see a practical meaning to posting separate for each quote. I also had difficulty responding to others on the board for each of their quotes. I recognize that not all people work the same as me and I found myself getting that requirement done that the last minute. While I had my quotes posted by day 2, others did follow the same path therefore I found myself at the mercy of others to complete an assignment.
The skills analysis and surveys did not really help me much. I realized that I had a fairly good grasp of my technological skills. I really did not learn much about myself. The other aspects of the surveys dealt with campus and district aspects that I had no knowledge on and therefore was unable to accurately and intelligently answer. I felt that this class did not successfully cover the positive and negative aspects of technology, at least none that I was not already aware of – lack of skills of some, protection and security issues, and budget. One area that I did become more aware of was the connection between state goals and the goals of the district and ultimately the campus. While I was mindful of the connection between the three entities, I did not quite grasp the ‘trickle down effect’ it has on each layer.
One value of blogs in terms of education is the opportunity to share with students and colleagues in a more worldwide arena. I think this would be useful to connect students and teachers from other areas to discuss and experiment with instructional strategies. This was my first opportunity to use a blog – while I did find it interesting and one some level helpful, I did realize that it can’t be helpful if people are unaware of its existence. That may be one area to address; how do we use this tool efficiently and effectively in the classroom? I do recognize its usefulness and value in terms of sharing viewpoints and suggestions. This can be particularly helpful with schools with limited resources and materials.
In terms of using the blogs with students, access to inappropriate materials and pictures is always a concern. It is troublesome to find a way to access the usefulness while still adhering to the security aspects of the schools and districts. It will be a struggle to strike the balance between the two. The legitimacy of the information may also prove difficult. If using the information on the blog for research purposes, you are relying on the truthfulness of the information. If the information is not particularly honest, this can cause problems. It will be important to explore the rights and duties of the schools and district when using blogs in the classrooms. As I stated in a previous assignment, security, privacy, and ethics should be incorporated into the technology curriculum as well as in staff development for teachers.
This may prove to be useful as well. Like the discussion board, blogging can serve as a good venue for sharing ideas and collaborating with other colleges within the district or beyond. Blogging can also be used in the classroom a means for evaluation and assessment. I would think blogging would be useful when sharing ideas and communicating with parents. While we must always be mindful of the privacy aspect of students, it would be a great tool to share with parents such things as homework issues, ideas that worked at home with specific skills or help ideas and information regarding a course. Since files can be uploaded to a blog, teachers can upload course requirements, syllabuses, and general information regarding a particular class. In terms of student needs and benefits, blogging can provide an additional opportunity for students to practice communication modes and writing skills.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Action Plan - Week 4
The superintendent is the head of the district and therefore accountable for the decisions and actions of the district. Our superintendent believes that technology integration by both teachers and students is critical for success of the students. This is evident in his decisions and goals in the area of technology. He supports technology learning opportunities for both teachers and students.
There are several associate superintendents for various areas such as facilities and planning, human resources and business services that serve under the district superintendent. Technology and school services is one of these areas with an associate superintendent who helps implement the goals of the district superintendent. Also included in this area are curriculum leaders for both elementary and secondary schools, academic coaches for various content areas such as math and science and administrators and teachers. TEKS objectives, TAKS scores, information gained from STaR chart surveys plays a key role in defining goals in the area of technology. Those in the area of curriculum and instruction work together with those in the area of technology to develop the goals of the district. District coordinators along with the curriculum leaders and academic coaches share district goals and information with the individual campuses. Those in each content area work with technology to provide valuable information and training in the area of technology and implementing it into the various content areas. Campus needs are addressed for both materials and resources as well as training. On the campus level, the principal, director of instruction as well as technology support work with teachers to ensure that materials and resources are available as well as training so that teachers are able to integrate technology in the classroom.
Principals along with the director of instruction and technology team meet to address concerns regarding technology on the campus and develop strategies to help teachers incorporate technology in the classroom. The District Action Plan addresses technology at all levels and in all content areas. The principals, academic coaches and coordinators are responsible for implementing the goals outlined by the district. The District Action Plan also incorporates technology goals for teachers to use technology in the classroom to support instruction. The district supports the use of technology by both teachers and students. The district goals are then incorporated into the Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) where technology is listed as an important strategy to support and promote student success and increase achievement.
On my campus, technology is expected to be used by all teachers. Technology is designed to support the different learning styles of students. This is vital in the area of special education, especially in my area of deaf education. Technology provides the visual representation that is needed by deaf students to understand key concepts and develop vocabulary. My campus uses such things as smart boards, COWS and software to provide the opportunity for students to become active participants in a lesson and increase understanding and achievement.
My action plan addresses technology use in a self contained special education setting – specifically in the area of deaf education and the connection to increased TAKS scores. It is my goal to develop a plan that involves incorporating technology in the classroom and providing the needed professional development to reach this goal. The goal is to use technology to provide differentiated instruction in order to improve student achievement. The Campus Improvement Plan includes those who will support the goals of the plan.
The goal of the CIP in the area of special education is to ensure the students’ competence reaches or exceeds grade-level standards in all content areas and increasing proficiency on all TAKS (Campbell CIP, 2008-2009). Special education teachers, academic achievement specialists and intervention teams along with campus administration will support the goals of the action plan. Strategies that are data driven will be evaluated and specific interventions will be set in place. The action plan will address a specific item in the Campus Improvement Plan – fill the gaps in the area of Math and Language and increasing background knowledge and vocabulary instruction. Those students who have been identified as ‘at risk’ will attend pull outs beginning in January for 12 weeks. Students will attend 1 pull out (a PE class) each week that will focus on Math and Language (Reading) designed at increasing vocabulary and background knowledge. The students who have been identified as ‘at risk’ are those students who in previous years have not passed TAKS. The goal of the pull out aligns with the goals outlined in the Campus Improvement Plan in the area of special education – to increase the percentage of special education students demonstrating proficiency on all TAKS Performance Assessments by double digits.
1. Three (3)Retired Teachers in the content areas along with interpreters will be used for the pull out beginning the 2nd week in January.
- The teachers will work with students on specific objectives using such technology support as smart boards and COWS (computers on wheels station) along with software designed to increase vocabulary in the core contents.
- Academic coaches will work with the teachers and provide training on specific TAKS strategies using differentiated instruction and incorporating technology to support instruction in the classroom for both teachers and students.
2. Teacher Training: Support the pull out with classroom strategies.
- Smart board: Activities and games will be provided to teachers in addition to training using the activities and equipment. These activities will be created by the team as well as the academic coaches in the content areas. The technology support staff on campus will provide training for teachers on the use of the equipment in the classroom.
- Video Camera: In the area of deaf education, academic helping teachers and the technology coach with the assistance of the teachers will provide study guides for content areas that emphasizes the vocabulary. These CD study guides can then be ‘checked out’ by the students to be used at home as well as teachers to use in class.
- Computer Software: TAKS tutorials and vocabulary development in content areas will provide continual practice to students in the classroom. These will support what is covered during the pull out sessions.
3. Teacher and Student Evaluation
- Retired Teachers will monitor and assess the weekly activities of the students and monitor weekly the development of vocabulary and core concepts of students. Practice test scores will be evaluated and specific objectives will be identified for future pull out sessions.
- Modifications: Based on going evaluation of students in the pull out, modifications will be made in the pull out setting. Evaluations will also guide what changes and modifications need to be made to resources used in the classroom.
Data will be collected to help identify specific objectives that need to be addressed. The Campus Improvement Plan will then use that information to implement a program to increase achievement on those objectives. Technology plays a crucial role accomplishing the goals of the district and campus. Currently on my campus, administrators are doing mega monitoring in all classrooms to assess the use of technology along with other strategies and its effectiveness in improving student achievement. Administrators can then determine which teachers are successfully implementing technology in instruction and areas in need of continual training. In the district appraisal system, technology use in the classroom is one area that is evaluated. Administrators communicate to the teachers the district goals in the area of technology and how it is evaluated and used in the classroom. Staff development is provided at both the campus and district level on the uses of technology in the classroom and its effectiveness on student achievement. Staff development is based on the goals and objectives outlined in both the District Plan and Campus Improvement Plan as well as student data.
2008-2009 Campus improvement plan for campbell middle school. (2008). Retrieved
(December 3, 2009) from http://schools.cfisd.net/campbell/index.stm
Profile: overview of cypress-fairbanks independent school district. (2009). Retrieved
(December 3, 2009) from http://www.cfisd.net/aboutour/profile01.pdf
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 - Educator Preparation and Development (23-28)
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
Educator Preparation and Development (23-28)
Description: There is a vision for education professionals to be proficient in technology to be able to model appropriate use for students and to meet the requirements to deliver instruction in technology. Teacher preparation programs will ensure that beginner teachers will have a broad understanding of technology. There are a list of recommendations to the TEA, SBEC, ESCs, LEAs, Teacher Preparation programs and to the parents, communities and the private sectors to better prepare and support educators to deliver instruction in technology applications.
Teachers need the skills necessary to prepare students to work and live in an environment that is heavily embedded with technology. Teacher preparation programs need to be designed to provide future teachers with the skills needed to pass on to the students. This seems to be a challenge for the state to provide resources and training to teacher preparation programs. With more colleges and universities offering distance learning, it is making it possible for teacher training to be availabe anytime and anywhere. In addition, furture educatiors are using technology for their own learning which means they already have the technological skills. These types of learners will be more likely to use technolgoy in their classrooms.
According to the Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, “Texas educators and librarians showed slight gains in the area of Educator Preparation on the Texas Teacher STaR Chart when comparing the past two years – from September 2006 to August 2008” (TEA, 2008). Teachers are becoming more and more aware of the significance of technology for both themselves and students. Administrators are also aware of the significance of training in this area as well. Districts need to be aware in terms of budge allocation and integrating technolgoy into the core curriculum.
My recommendation would be that teachers and teacher preparation programs work to meet the standards set by SBEC. This includes using technolgoy in classroom situations as well as evaluating and analyzing data. Teachers should strive to use different applications and programs to meet the diverse needs of students.
Educator Preparation and Development (23-28)
Description: There is a vision for education professionals to be proficient in technology to be able to model appropriate use for students and to meet the requirements to deliver instruction in technology. Teacher preparation programs will ensure that beginner teachers will have a broad understanding of technology. There are a list of recommendations to the TEA, SBEC, ESCs, LEAs, Teacher Preparation programs and to the parents, communities and the private sectors to better prepare and support educators to deliver instruction in technology applications.
Teachers need the skills necessary to prepare students to work and live in an environment that is heavily embedded with technology. Teacher preparation programs need to be designed to provide future teachers with the skills needed to pass on to the students. This seems to be a challenge for the state to provide resources and training to teacher preparation programs. With more colleges and universities offering distance learning, it is making it possible for teacher training to be availabe anytime and anywhere. In addition, furture educatiors are using technology for their own learning which means they already have the technological skills. These types of learners will be more likely to use technolgoy in their classrooms.
According to the Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, “Texas educators and librarians showed slight gains in the area of Educator Preparation on the Texas Teacher STaR Chart when comparing the past two years – from September 2006 to August 2008” (TEA, 2008). Teachers are becoming more and more aware of the significance of technology for both themselves and students. Administrators are also aware of the significance of training in this area as well. Districts need to be aware in terms of budge allocation and integrating technolgoy into the core curriculum.
My recommendation would be that teachers and teacher preparation programs work to meet the standards set by SBEC. This includes using technolgoy in classroom situations as well as evaluating and analyzing data. Teachers should strive to use different applications and programs to meet the diverse needs of students.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Technology Application Standards TEKS
I found that the TEKS were amazing for Pre-K. The amount of knowledge that is expected at this level is great. Pre-K students are expected to start, use, and exit programs, use a mouse, keyboard, and sound recorder. They are also expected to use technical terms such as ‘printer’ and ‘CD-Rom’. They are required to follow cues to operate programs. I also like the fact that different multi-media forms and software packages with the use of audio, video, and graphics were incorporated to enhance and support learning.
One example of a TEK in which students have multiple opportunities to master knowledge or skills is ‘starts, uses, and exits’ software programs. Despite the variety of software programs that are available, almost all start from the file menu. Many programs like MS Office are similar so the programs function similarly as well. This is also true with other products such as Adobe.
Another example is the use of a variety of input devices. All programs require input. Students will use a mouse and keyboard with almost every program.
A third example is the use of technical terms. Students will continue to hear, use and understand such terms as ‘mouse, keyboard, printer, and CD-Rom’. With the continued use of technology in the classrooms even at this early age, most kids will have multiple meaning to such words as ‘mouse’ and will know what to associate with the word ‘keyboard’.
One example of a TEK in which students have multiple opportunities to master knowledge or skills is ‘starts, uses, and exits’ software programs. Despite the variety of software programs that are available, almost all start from the file menu. Many programs like MS Office are similar so the programs function similarly as well. This is also true with other products such as Adobe.
Another example is the use of a variety of input devices. All programs require input. Students will use a mouse and keyboard with almost every program.
A third example is the use of technical terms. Students will continue to hear, use and understand such terms as ‘mouse, keyboard, printer, and CD-Rom’. With the continued use of technology in the classrooms even at this early age, most kids will have multiple meaning to such words as ‘mouse’ and will know what to associate with the word ‘keyboard’.
Long Range Plan
From the Long Range Plan, I determined that there needs to be a concerted effort on the part of TEA to be implemented at the district and campus level. Teachers feel there is a need for additional training and support in the area of technology both in the areas of integration into the classroom and the continued development of personal technology skills. ESCs and LEAs will help teachers to become proficient in technology applications. Administrators and the state will find the resources and create an infrastructure to support all levels of learning. This will also require more financial support from the state to fund technology both product and training. In addition, the state should develop guidelines to assist teacher preparation programs to build and increase technology skills both in the areas of integration into instruction and teacher’s knowledge base. I agree with the overall vision of a technology plan that is developed in phases which should be based on such things a overall knowledge base as more teacher enter the field and funding that is available. I also feel that as a future educator, it will my responsibility to ensure students are prepared to meet the needs of society. With so many businesses and industry using a variety of technology and requiring a minimum technology base knowledge, it is our role to prepare students to be equipped to meet those needs and become proficient.
Technology Skills Assessment
The two surveys taken and viewed were the Technology Applications Inventory and The SETDA Teacher Survey. Both surveys were in reference to technology availability and use both in your school and district.
The first survey was the 'Technology Applications Inventory'. This survey asked a series of questions in 4 areas or domains: Foundations, Information Acquisition, Solving Problems, and Communication. The questions were clear and concise and were simply answered by either yes or no. By the types of questions asked, I believe that the survey was designed to identify my personal strengths and weaknesses in the area of technology. I believe that his survey was helpful in that it helped identify areas I personally could benefit from continued professional development. It also help identify areas that I successfully incorporate technology into my instruction and those areas that I could use more technology support.
The second survey was the SETDA Teacher Survey. Unlike the first survey, this survey was extremely long and troublesome. The questions were hard to follow and wordy. Many questions addressed areas in the school or district such as staff development planning and budget in which I have no knowledge. On many occasions, I was forced to answer “I don’t know”. As a result, I did not find this survey helpful at all in identifying areas of strengths or weaknesses.
The first survey helped identity the teacher’s skills and level of familiarity with technology. This made it easy to clearly identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. As a teacher, the survey confirmed my strengths with technology. I have a broad understanding of many areas and programs. Of course some I am more knowledgeable and skilled, but I do have exposure to a wide variety of software programs. One of my weaknesses was in the area of incorporating technology use in my classes. While I do use technology such as smart board for instruction, I don’t use as much technology for student product. Another area of weakness is using technology for data analysis. While I am knowledgeable with some aspects of spreadsheets and putting data into a spreadsheet document, I do show weakness displaying that data as charts and graphs.
As a future administrator, I would recommend teachers taking the technology inventory. I think this tool would prove useful for identifying areas for staff development. I would NOT recommend the SETDA survey for teachers. I do not believe that the data collected from this survey would be significant enough to justify the time for teachers to take the survey.
The first survey was the 'Technology Applications Inventory'. This survey asked a series of questions in 4 areas or domains: Foundations, Information Acquisition, Solving Problems, and Communication. The questions were clear and concise and were simply answered by either yes or no. By the types of questions asked, I believe that the survey was designed to identify my personal strengths and weaknesses in the area of technology. I believe that his survey was helpful in that it helped identify areas I personally could benefit from continued professional development. It also help identify areas that I successfully incorporate technology into my instruction and those areas that I could use more technology support.
The second survey was the SETDA Teacher Survey. Unlike the first survey, this survey was extremely long and troublesome. The questions were hard to follow and wordy. Many questions addressed areas in the school or district such as staff development planning and budget in which I have no knowledge. On many occasions, I was forced to answer “I don’t know”. As a result, I did not find this survey helpful at all in identifying areas of strengths or weaknesses.
The first survey helped identity the teacher’s skills and level of familiarity with technology. This made it easy to clearly identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. As a teacher, the survey confirmed my strengths with technology. I have a broad understanding of many areas and programs. Of course some I am more knowledgeable and skilled, but I do have exposure to a wide variety of software programs. One of my weaknesses was in the area of incorporating technology use in my classes. While I do use technology such as smart board for instruction, I don’t use as much technology for student product. Another area of weakness is using technology for data analysis. While I am knowledgeable with some aspects of spreadsheets and putting data into a spreadsheet document, I do show weakness displaying that data as charts and graphs.
As a future administrator, I would recommend teachers taking the technology inventory. I think this tool would prove useful for identifying areas for staff development. I would NOT recommend the SETDA survey for teachers. I do not believe that the data collected from this survey would be significant enough to justify the time for teachers to take the survey.
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