Week 5: PSA Reflection

Our PSA is complete other than a few minor tweaks.  We seemed to be a team in crisis with one member about to give birth, the death of my grandmother, and another team member with a critically ill family member.  But that is life and especially life as adults.  Even with the emergencies and full time careers, we were able to work together to create a video that gets it's message across.  We began collaborating on a Google doc and kept that document going throughout the three weeks.  The chat feature was extremely nice as we used it to discuss decisions as we met through the Google document.  The downside of using the chat is that there is no record of what we discussed in those sessions.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wTv2Zq-8UIDAMyLp_oZ5Q2RLFSY1jVc60gIPK_OXjhc/edit

We quickly narrowed down to what topic we wanted to cover and began throwing ideas around on how to present it.  We decided upon a series of scenes that could be divided up among the group and then turned in using dropbox.   We gave ourselves all of week 4 to get the filming done.  The last week has been spent editing and making adjustments as various members of the group gave suggestions.

Working with a team was daunting at first.  My partner and I from the first 2 weeks wanted to stay together so we threw a call out on the discussion board to find other members to join us.  We found several willing people in a matter of a hour and were in business.  The group worked well together and I was reminded about the process of give and take when producing a group product.  We also all live in different parts of the state and so relying on web 2.0 tools to get the project done was an interesting experience.  I've used those tools before but not to work with people from different areas.  Overall this was a good experience and I liked building relationships with folks in the program that until now had only been know through postings on discussion boards.

I will use the skills, tools and resources I have learned in this class as I continue to work with teachers on campus to create their own digital stories.   I will remind them about the process of having clearly defined tasks, assigning roles so all students are accountable, and the importance of having a good story or message to tell.  All things this course has taught me.

 

Think Before You Link by Pam Mahalec, Robin Young, Casey Smith, Ana McKinney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Web Conference - Week 4

I attended the web conference on Sunday, December 11th. The conference began early in the chat section, which was helpful to read through. The technical issues were the most frustrating with audio and video cutting out consistently. I found myself distracted by the technical issues and the lag in the chat section from when someone would type in a comment about the lack of audio and the time the professor would read that comment. It is hard to troubleshoot issues in this situation when you are 5-10 minuted behind in the chat conversation. I was glad to hear live about the changes in the assignment. With EPIC losing documents it is very confusing to know what to turn in. I am actually still a little unclear, but am using the email sent out by my IA. I do find the conferences helpful as members of the class help each other work through different questions and concerns. I wish there was a way to keep the conversation more focused and ensure everyone got the main information at the beginning with time at the end for personal questions. Overall I find about 5 minutes of information helpful to me from each web conference. I will attempt to watch at least one more of the conferences to make sure I have everything completed for this course by Friday.

Action Research: BYOT Presentation

I was finally able to present BYOT ideas to teachers on campus as a session during their off periods. I had about 20 teachers attend and all were excited about some of the options available through texting, emailing, and apps. I am including a copy of the presentation i use to explore some of the options with the teachers.

 

I am looking forward to implementing these ideas in the Spring Semester.

Web Conference Reflection - Week 3

I watched the November 29th web conference.  It was a small group that attended the live session.  Dr. Abernathy clarified the discussion board requirements, which I wished were included in writing.  This has been the most frustrating thing about this course is that the information given in writing conflicts with the information given in the web conferences.  As a student you almost have to watch or attend all of the conferences in order to be on top of what needs to happen.   The flip side is that most of the conference is not needed information as it is answering individual questions.  

A third of the way through the conference Dr. Abernathy had to take a phone call which lasted for the middle part of the section.  This made the rest of the web conference limited to what happened in the chat between the few live attendees. I am not sure what happened that the web conference did not resume, but I do know that the professor has had several personal tragedies occur lately to close friends.  Once again this is a great example of how life happens and that we all need to be flexible to get the job done.  I have appreciated the multiple opportunities to attend conferences which makes it easier when things like this happen, you have another opportunity to get the answers.

EDLD 5363 Week 2 Web Conference Reflections

I have appreciated the multiple web conference opportunities offered in this class. I have been able to attend a few each week live, but most of the early sessions are not always practical for me as they occur during dinner time at my house. I have taken advantage of many of the recorded sessions. I have found that the web conferences have helped me connect to the class since we do not have a face to face class it is nice to get together and hear straight from the professor. I have also found that the web conferences are helpful in explaining the assignments and bringing my stress level down. However, I do find it a little confusing that the directions can vary from the syllabus, weekly overview, the assignment and the the web conferences. The ability to get answers from both the professor and the other folks through the chat feature is nice. I will continue to attend as many of the conferences in the future

Week 2: Video Editing and Podcasting

The week 2 assignment was focused on reviewing and becoming familiar with different video editing tools as well as creating a podcast.  I will have to admit I thought creating an audio podcast about a video editing tool was an interesting choice of an assignment.   I would much rather have created a video tutorial using software like Jing or Camtasia, but I was up for the challenge.   I looked at several suggestions given by the readings as options for video editing tools and in the end decided on choosing Windows Live Movie Maker.   This is the program my students on campus will be using and one in which I need to become more familiar in order to assist as needed. Also, many of the other online programs seemed to have issues with extra downloads and such that I thought made them sound cumbersome.  MovieMaker itself was easy to use and to edit a video.  I chose to edit a video clip from last year's Christmas.

The podcast part of the assignment was not hard to put together as I have been using audacity for quite a while and have sponsored a podcasting club at my school.  I kept my podcast simple.

Week 1 Reflection: Creating a Personal Story

I did enjoy the assignment this week, even the part about finding a partner.  I was a bit nervous about trying to find a partner on an online class when I really don't know anyone.  It also didn't help that somehow my cohort group got divided into different sections so people I might normally have chosen to work with were off limits.    I posted on the discussion board I needed a partner and someone answered my call for help.  I have worked with them for the duration of the course and have enjoyed the collaboration.    We used Google docs to share ideas and to communicate back and forth:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mQlYlVeaC4y9AenLq_C2RQ1QFJic64jCpAAbs90v5QY/edit

The assignment itself was good as I had to work through storyboard development, script creation, and project execution.  Deciding on the idea was the hardest part for me.  My grandmother was dying at the moment and I thought about a tribute video for her, but that was too close to home at the moment.  My next idea was a video to explain my family of 16 siblings.  I decided to pursue that idea that included my parents finding pictures of the kids at the age they were adopted.   I choose to use Photo Story to create the project as I like the control it gives you to combine images and narration. The story-boarding process helped me focus what type of images were needed and how to keep the script short and sweet.   I am proud of the result of this assignment.

I often work with teachers on creating digital projects for their students.   This assignment helped me reinforce the need for a good idea, a developed storyboard, and a well-written script.  I have used this assignment to talk to teachers about what their students need to create a great digital story.

EDLD 5363 - Personal Narrative

This week was hectic for me. It didn't help that I was offering the most difficult of the technology camps I offer to my students this week before school. I was having to prep for them and try to get a handle on this assignment. Finding a partner was daunting as so far in my courses I have not had a chance to build relationships with those in my classes. I threw out an invitation on the discussion board and was able to find a partner. We exchanged scripts and collaborated through google docs. The process of developing the story was eased with the help of The Digital Storytelling Cookbook. As a former history teacher, telling stories was a key part of how I taught students about the history of our country. I realized early on the impact a good video clip could have on the student's understanding of the era we were studying. I choose to write about my family. My parents have adopted fifteen children in addition to the two biological children. It was an interesting experience growing up and one I am asked about quite often. I enjoyed working through the details and gathering pictures of the kids at the age when they were adopted. It was difficult to get it down to 2 minutes. My first attempt was much closer to three. I often encourage teachers to have their students tell stories, so it was very interesting to participate as a student in creating my own. I choose to work with PhotoStory as I like the ability to add narration per slide. I could continue to edit and refine, but had to call it done at a certain point. I am pleased with the end result and look forward to share the resources I have found with the teachers on my campus as they continue to build multimedia stories. Shank, P. (n.d.) The Value of Multimedia in Learning. Think Tank Retrieved from: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/thinktank/valuemedia/,Mar 5, 2009.

Life Happens

My action research plan has come to an unexpected halt.  As much as I want to encourage teacher to use technology in new and meaningful ways, they are not as excited about it as I am.  This is really not their fault.  A lot has changed since last year, including class sizes, scheduling and the current storm of grading policies.  I have never been a fan of stressing out teachers with technology, but rather more of an encourager.   If I stress them out they will revolt.  

I am going to keep doing several of the action steps outlined in my original research project because I think they are best practices, I just don't think I will get any type of consistent results to use.   

I have gotten approval form my site supervisor to explore "Bring Your Own Technology," mainly cellphones, into the classroom. I think I am going to use the ISTE Classroom Observation Tool to document before and after results as well as surveying the kids.  It should be interesting and I am looking forward to it.  

________

ISTE Classroom Observation Tool. (n.d.). ISTE. Retrieved October 20, 2011, from istelearning.org/wp-content/uploads/group-documents/29/1297454888-ICOTv1blank.pdf

August Update

This summer was a blur with children and an unexpected events so I am a little behind  on documenting my action research program.   I have been working on it and am please with the progress so far.   I kicked off the technology focus of the year with a three hour staff development "Amazing Race" where teachers worked in groups through 12 different technology related stations and got some hands on time using the technology and creating projects.  The responses were good and I have even had some teachers using some of the activities in their classroom.

Here is the wiki I used to organize the event along with my librarian:  http://rmsamazingrace.wikispaces.com/

I have also been working to share new ideas with  my the teachers.  I sent out the first in a series of Twitter Tuesdays emails that outline cool resources i have found through my twitter followings.  I have also posted those on my Tech Tips blog in case they want to find them later on.

Beginning tomorrow I am going to start observing classrooms and start getting a feel for where we are with technology usage on a daily basis.  I have created a google form to help record the data as I visit the classes.

Next week I am starting a monthly technology teacher challenge to encourage teachers to try new things in the classroom.  I am using the district moodle system to host the challenges in order to become more familiar with moodle myself, as well as to demonstrate what moodle can do for teachers in the classroom.

I think teachers are excited about technology this year.   My one main concern is that many changes were made this school year from master schedule to the grading system and I do not want to overwhelm my teachers.  I am also afraid if the frustration level gets too high they will stop wanting to try new things.  This could make for an interesting year.

5301 - Final Reflections

I have learned a lot during this course and discovered that I had been participating in action research on an informal basis for years now under different names or without knowing the name for it at all.    Based on the course material and my personal experiences, I believe action research is a key part of being an effective administrator.   Schools are constantly getting new students, new staff and new standards.  A good administrator recognizes that and evaluates the current situations and poses questions about what is going on and how it can improve.  Dana (2009) says a benefit of principal inquiry is that “principals become role models for the teachers and students in their building.”   I do believe that principals should model the culture of being a life-long learner and action research seems to be a good way to get this accomplished.

The Dana text (2009) was very good at laying out the process of establishing an action research plan from developing a question, determining what type of data is appropriate to collect, how to analyze that data and how to share your results with others.  I do plan on referring back to this text as my how to manual during my research project. 

Several of the assignments helped me focus on what is needed to conduct a successful project.  This week’s activity to summarize the five quality indicators as identified by the Dana (2009) text was very useful for me.   I was able to walk through my plan and see if it lined up in each area and what I might be missing.  In week 4 getting feedback on the plan from my site supervisor and from others in the class was good as it gave me a look at my plan from a different pair of eyes.  Going through the process of summarizing the responses helped me take a deeper look at what comments were the most helpful and helped me think about what type of comments I leave for other people.

I have also enjoyed  blogging about the process.  I have had a how-to type of blog for several years now, but have never had a blog to track my learning and thoughts on a topic.   I have found that by having to compose blog posts about the topic I have had to give more thought to what I am doing and to the process as a whole.  I am looking forward to keeping my blog postings going to hold myself accountable to this process as I take other courses and need to be keeping up with the action research project as well.   I have found a few blogs that have similar projects to mine and have added those blogs to my iGoogle account so that I can keep up with their progress as well.

The web conferences were helpful in the beginning to get some direct feedback about my chosen topic and to hear what others were doing as well.  It is always nice to put faces with names.  I also learn from hearing other people’s questions and insights.   I did find the last few weeks that the conferences got bogged down in trying to explain the technical issues and requirements of TK20 and blogs.  Those conferences were better heard recorded so I could skip over the parts I understood.

I look forward to conducting my action research project.   I have chosen an area that I think I need to grow in and have difficulty doing well.   By focusing on this area I hope to improve as an educational professional and develop a blueprint for other instructional technology specialists to follow as they work with the people on their campus.

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: the principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, a Joint Publication with the American Association of School Administrators.

Action Research - Revision

After input from my supervisor I am adding in a student component to my Action Research Plan.   I plan on surveying students to gather their feedback on the role technology plays in learning in the classroom.  I am excited to see their opinions on the topic and hope that I can use this information when working with teachers in the future.   Here is my Revised Action Research Plan please feel free to take a look and provide any insight!

Thinking it Through

As I read through the assigned texts and start thinking about the classrooms I am to work with next year I am getting a bit nervous.   There are several unknowns at this point:

1. The impact of the budget rollercoaster on the campus.  When I left campus we had cut down to 3 teams at each grade level and every teacher would be teaching more students.  Since then more money has become available but no word on what impact that has on the number of teachers on campus.
2. Schedule - a variation of block scheduling was proposed at the end of last year to try to make the best use of the staff we have.  The master schedule was still a work in progress when I left for the summer and word was there was resistance at the district level for approving the proposed schedule.
3. New grading policy - Standards Based Grading - the campus is moving towards standards based grading and this is not an item that has the full buy-in of the staff.  With the transition away from traditional grading comes a lot of preparation to build assignments that meets with the philosophy of standards based grading.

And now I come along and will ask that they use technology in ways they have not done before and add to the stress level that is already high.  

I have worked hard this past year to lay a foundation for what is to come.  I have tried to recognize teachers who use technology in meaningful ways.  I have baked cupcakes and provided chocolate for teachers willing to learn something new.   I began teaching a series of week-long technology "camps" for students to remind the teachers that I am first and foremost a teacher.   I have tried to convince teachers that above all else I am on their side and I can be trusted.   Now to see if that will pay off in the coming year as I push a little harder for teachers to reach a step outside their comfort zone and move towards the land that the digital natives are living in.  Wish me luck!

I welcome feedback on ways to work with the teachers or on any part of my action research plan!
Action Research Plan

Developing an Action Research Plan

This week I have been thinking through how to put my action research plan into action.   I have chosen a grade level that traditionally has been the most challenging to work with.  It should be a fun year.  My action research plan is my job, or at least what I want my job to be:  Work closely with teachers and students to ensure technology is being used in the best possible ways to enhance the teaching and challenge the students.  So often other parts of my job take me away from that focus.   Laptops have to be fixed, networks crash, light bulbs burn out, paperwork has to be done, the  benchmark scanner/printer needs help. I now have an excuse to let those items linger from time to time in order to work with teachers and to be in the classrooms.

I have also been looking for ways to get into classrooms that are non-threatening.  I don't want to evaluate anyone and I don't want to intrude on a classroom.  Teachers feel so much pressure from all directions and the last thing I want to do is to add stress.   I know that incorporating technology is what is best for students and instead of a gotcha I can blame my presence on Lamar -  "It's for my graduate classes."

I'm posting my initial plans for my action research plan if anyone wants to read it and give feedback.   Input is always welcome!
Action Research Plan

Reflections on Action Research

I did not know what to expect when I entered this course, and in reality I was scared to death of it.  Let's face it, it's been a few years since I was a student and had to officially research anything.   Reading through the second chapter of the Dana (2009) text I am realizing that action research really is nothing to be scared of and I would love to work on a campus that embraces this philosophy of school improvement and professional development.  I found myself wanting to know the results of several of the "wonderings" mentioned throughout the chapter and was inspired by some of the solutions presented.  
I have chosen the topic of technology integration and LoTi levels for my own investigation and I am excited to start planning on how to conduct the research.   I have already talked with my librarian to partner with me as well as the Director of Instructional Technology to gather support for my project.  My summer has just gotten a bit busier in preparation to role out the plan in August, but it is a preparation to which I am looking forward.
As I move through my educational career, I want to remember the imporatance of being reflective and focusing on how to identify what is working on my campus and what can be improved.  I want to demonstrate what a life-long learner looks like and follow my "wonderings" whenever possible.

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: the principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, a Joint Publication with the American Association of School Administrators.

Education Leaders and Blogging

Blogs are an easy way to get a message out for even those without any web programming knowledge.  Educational leaders can use blogs in a variety of ways including:

• Reflections on their own learning on educational topics.
• Keep track of different projects on campus.
• Keep their school community informed about events on and around campus.
• A way to connect with other professionals in the educational field.

The possibilities are numerous and can really be customized to fit the needs of the blogger.  

Action Research

What is action research?  I have come to find out that I have been participating in action research for a number of years now in my district, only with different names.  Under Baldrige we called it Plan-Do-Study-Act, where we looked at our systems, made a plan to improve them, studied the results and then took action based on those results.  As a teacher I have been involved in Appraisal by Collaboration where I would pose a question each year and then study that question by gathering qualitative and quantitative data to see what, if any, impact my action made.  Both of these system as examples of action research and have helped me understand the process. 

As a teacher I want to continually improve how I do my job to benefit the teachers and students I work with.  Action research will allow me to do just that by reflecting on my own practices and situations to seek out ways to improve areas of weakness.    Once I have determined an area of need, the next step would be to pose an open-ended question that I would investigate over a certain period of time.   I would then gather data about the question and find literature to support my learning more about the topic.  Once all the pieces of information were considered,  I would then determine action steps to begin taking with the goal of improving the identified area and monitor the results throughout the time period.     

This process can be an important part of professional development by giving me an active part in stretching my knowledge about the situations I am in and actively trying new things within the educational system. 

Reflections on EDLD 5306

This was my first graduate level course and my first online course to participate in as a student.  My true goal coming into this course was to find out if I could manage taking an online course to begin earning my master’s degree while juggling the rest of my life.  I also wanted to see if taking graduate classes would help me improve at my job.  After ten years in instructional technology I wanted to learn more and be challenged in my understanding about technology in school.  This course did challenge me and my knowledge of technology.  The focus on the national standards, copy right issues, and ethical concerns were topics that I had not had much exposure to on a formal level but needed to know more about in order to be able to speak to them at the campus level.   I also learned that I am able to complete course work and still keep my sanity.

As the face of technology on my campus I found the information presented in the class was very useful to what I do every day on campus.   The opportunity to examine the newly adopted Technology Application TEKS for 6-8 grade, as well as the national technology plan, has given me an outline for what I need to do next year to get the campus ready to implement these TEKS into the core curriculum areas.  I also found the readings and discussions on the digital-age issues to be very eye-opening and plan to have the campus technology team look at those topics and make plans to address them on campus.   I was challenged to check into how we are teaching students to be safe online as well as how we are teaching them to be digitally literate.  Overall I felt like all of the class content could be applied to my job and found it very helpful.  

I really feel like I have achieved most if not all of the outcomes so far.   I still have questions about the internship experience and feel like that was a tacked on part of the assignment of week 5.   I would have like there to be a little more explanation to the process as well as clear instructions on what paperwork would be required for the process.  I am hoping that when we get assigned the internship supervisor that those questions will be answered with a little more clarity and focus. The web conferences did help in answering some of those questions, but I found them to be awkward at times when the audio had issues or the conversation was dominated by questions that might have been better dealt with in a one-to-one situation.  I do plan to use the week before the second class to read the field experience manual and get a little more information.

I was successful in completing the assignments on time each week.   Week one was overwhelming when I opened up the assignment document and saw it was 33 pages long.    I seriously considered dropping the course and walking away from graduate school after the first 2 days of trying to tackle the information.  Attending the web conference that week helped ease my fear as Ms. Cummings did her best to reassure all of us that this week was tough and that she was there to help us be successful.  I was also able to contact the class assistant and receive clarification on anything I had questions about.  Once I learned to pace myself throughout the week the work seemed manageable until week 5, when the directions seemed to be harder to follow.  Finding people who had already completed some of the assignments and seeing how they tackled the work helped tremendously as well.  After finishing the last week’s worth of work, I have a feeling of great accomplishment at completing my first graduate class.

I have learned that I am able to take graduate classes, work full time and be a mom without wanting to hurt too many people.  I appreciated the course work as it made me think about technology in schools from a different point of view.   I discovered that although I have been pushing the use of web 2.0 technologies, I have missed some of the basics in ensuring that students know how to find information and test it validity online as well as how to be safe.  I have had my passion for using technology in schools renewed as I thought more about the way 21^st century students learn and interact with their environment.  I am very fortunate to work in the district that I do and have the opportunity to help teachers understand best practices when integrating technology and not leave them feeling abandoned to figure this out by themselves.  This course gave me a stronger background to work with those teachers and I look forward to applying this information in the coming school year.

e-Rate and the Round Rock ISD Technology Plan

District Technology Plan

The Round Rock ISD Technology Plan 2011-2014 is a comprehensive plan that structures the technology needs of the district around the four key areas aligned with the STaR Chart: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Administrative Support and Services and Infrastructure for Technology. RRISD has identified nine goals that focus on the integration of technology and the methods to sustain the technology infrastructure. These goals can be grouped into three main areas: Teaching and Learning, Infrastructure and Communication.

The Teaching and Learning goals are the majority of the plan and focus on increasing student achievement, technology integration, professional development, and student-centered learning. A focus has been placed on more online content to meet the needs of students and staff in these goals. Using resources like Project Share can bring in experts to the district to meet the needs of the learners. Also utilizing in house resources to continue to offer on-going, as-needed training to staff is important. Also important in this area is the need to develop or increase the accountability level of technology integration. Students are tested in 8th grade on their literacy skills, but this plan also includes creating portfolios and more opportunities for students to use more and varied types of technology as needed. Teachers’ accountability would increase with lessons being shared and campuses working to address areas of need as identified in the STaR chart.

The RRISD Infrastructure is addressed by outlining the need to continue to purchase and maintain technology on each campus and keeping the infrastructure equitable on all campuses and in all parts of the district. To oversee the process a plan to develop a district technology advisory committee is mentioned several times. Also needed is expansion of the current wireless system and upgrades for the hardware that runs the network. The details of where the funding is to come from are rather vague, reflecting the uncertainty in the entire budget process at this time. What is mentioned is the prudent use of current funds and the application for outside grants and to the e-Rate program.

Effective communication is also identified in the RRISD goals. District, campus and teacher websites need to be improved for content and delivery of information as they provide one of the first places the community turns to to get information. Parental access to their student’s information is also addressed as parents have come to count on learning about attendance, grades, and lunch accounts on-demand and in real-time. Other means of improving communication includes use of the district’s cable channel and partnerships with local cable companies.

After reading through the district plan I can see a clear path for Round Rock technology through the next three years. This plan will take hard work to implement and maintain, but the ideas outlined will benefit all stakeholders of RRISD. Now it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work making this plan a reality.

Round Rock ISD Technology Plan 2011-2014. (2011, March 30). Round Rock ITS. Retrieved April 21, 2011, from rrisd-its.wikispaces.com/file/view/long-range%20technology%20report%202011-14%20final.pdf

National Technology Plan

The US Department of Education recently released a draft of The National Educational Technology Plan. The plan addresses the needs that are developing to create an educated workforce that can compete in today’s global economy. The plan does not advocate school as usual, but rather outlines changes to the current American education system to highlight innovation and a continuous improvement model based on assessments. The plan outlines five key areas to make the change happen: Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure, and Productivity.

LEARNING: Creating powerful, engaging learning experiences should be linked to technology. Technology used in education should be researched based and aimed to equip students with the 21st century skills they need to be successful as graduates. An emphasis is placed on anytime, anywhere learning that is based on a core set of standards, but is also customized for the learner.

ASSESSMENT: Technology should be used to measure what matters and to use those assessments to improve the learning situation for all students. Assessments should be ongoing provide a clearer picture of needed interventions for each students with each assessment. Assessments should nto remain as the standardized tests that we use today, but new technologies such as gaming, virtual worlds and collaborative environments should be incorporated to motivate student learning. Teachers need training for this to happen and the increased data available about each student needs to be protected.

TEACHING: Teachers need to be connected to the resources they need to make them better teachers. Staff development is needed to increase teacher proficiency with technology so that they will be able to take advantage of the learning resources available. Teachers should be developing their own personal learning networks with which that can collaborate and improve their skills. The plan also calls for the training of teachers to teach online courses, vital to improving student learning.

INFRASTRUCTURE: Every student and teacher needs to be provided with an internet device and the necessary software to access learning resources whether at school or out of school. The infrastructure to support these devices needs to be developed and strengthened to provide for adequate broadband and increased wireless opportunities. To help with budget obstacles, the call is also made to use more open-sourced software to have access to cost-effective solutions.

PRODUCTIVITY: Budget is an issue in today’s economy and this part of the plan calls for creative ways to make the plan happen. We first need to set clear outcomes and then find the most cost effective way to achieve them. Standardization of technology would help to save money and to ensure collaboration between districts and states could happen. Looking to private models could provide some insight in how this could be accomplished. Schools should also start looking at mastery of concepts instead of seat time when educating children.

Overall this plan has some good intentions. I agree we need to do more with less money and technology can help make this happen. I also agree that sometimes we waste time and money trying to keep kids occupied during the day with standardized curriculum. I am excited to try to engage students in learning in ways that they use in their personal lives and the opportunity to customize what students are learning. Using online learning to connect students and teachers with resources beyond the school walls is a great way to improve the quality of learning opportunities available. I become a little hesitant when I see how many times assessing students with technology is mentioned. In my experience in education, whenever we talk about assessment on a large scale, it always goes back to a standardized situation when we stop creative learning to measure against a uniform standard. Attempts to include project-based assessments have so far failed at a state level. How to pay for this and how to pay for the re-training of teachers remains to be seen for me. As with all government plans the real obstacle is to get buy in at the state and local levels. I see a lot of resistance to this plan as we try to change the way school is taught. Moving towards this is risky and no real model has been provided on how to make the transition and unless schools think that they will truly be supported with attempting to make these changes, they will not make the move.

Office of Educational Technology U.S. Department of Education.  (2010). National educational technology plan 2010.  Retrieved April 22, 2011. http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf

Web Conference - Week 2

I am finding that the web conferences are a very valuable part of the online learning experience.   This week's conference outlined what was expected his week as well as an overview of the master's program.   The concept of field experience was introduced this week.  I understand that we need to get hours in educational technology as well as in administration, but am not quite sure exactly what that means.  I am hoping as we get closer to that part of the program it will become clearer.   I am not worried about getting the hours in as I think most of what my job entails would count towards the program.  In addition to understanding more about the class, it is nice to see faces to go with names.   This is my first online class to take and I am finding that I miss the ability to get to know people and interact on a personal level.   Seeing faces and hearing voices is nice to know that other people are going through this the same time I am.   As long as my children cooperate and my husband can run interference, I plan to attend the other web conferences this course.

Technology Assessments

When conducting a staff development session I always try to determine where to begin by assessing the knowledge level in the room about the topic of the session.  Taking the few extra minutes to get a good feel of where we are helps to make the session more productive and less frustrating for all involved. At the end of the session we survey the participants to see how much they learned.  The same holds true when making a good technology plan on a campus or district level, you must also know where you are starting from with your teachers and students and have a way to measure any progress being made.

Using several tools to assess teacher and student knowledge helps provide a clearer picture of technology proficiency. Giving a survey at the beginning of the year helps provide insight in what skills teachers have and which ones they want to develop.  Every spring teachers participate in the  School Technology and Readiness Chart which provides a standardized look at where teachers fall in four key areas.  The results of this assessment can be compared from year to year to measure growth.  Students are assessed during the year as they complete technology assignments in their classroom and during their 8^th grade year to determine their mastery of the Technology Application TEKS.  The tricky part is finding the right assessment or the right combination of assessments.   The STaR Chart contains questions that teachers often guess at the answers which can skew the data.  Also relying on the 8^th grade assessment alone means relying on 8^th graders having a good day and taking the assessment seriously at the end of a school year filled with state assessments in all their core classes. Still having some way to measure where we are and how far we have come is important to keeping technology integration and skills moving forward.