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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