Prior to this class, I had never participated in a web conference, unless you count Skyping with my family. There are definitely some benefits for using web conferences in education.
At the beginning of the web conference, there were some technical issues with regards to sound and video access. Only about three people were able to be seen using their webcam. Since there was a high volume of people participating in the web conference, I found that reading the chat lines was extremely difficult. People were commenting so quickly that I had to continuously scroll up and down to read what others were typing.
During the conference, I did gain knowledge about the course and the overall internship experience. Since I viewed the first web conference of the course, I learned that the book review was omitted in week 2 and that some of the weekly readings were also omitted. Many people had questions about purchasing TK20 as a requirement for Lamar University.
Because of the high volume of people participating in the weekly web conferences, I went ahead and viewed the recordings of the other web conferences. Through the recording for week 4, I learned about the endless possibilities when using web conferences with my students.
As a result of my experiences, I would recommend that there should be an agenda of topics to discuss before the conference. After the items on the agenda are discussed, participants would be free to post questions. Those questions not addressed during the conference can be placed on the agenda for the following conference.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Technology Action Plan
Please click on the following link to access my Technology Action Plan.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/50871172/Technology-Action-Plan
Your comments would be greatly appreciated.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/50871172/Technology-Action-Plan
Your comments would be greatly appreciated.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
National Educational Technology Plan
The purpose of the National Educational Plan is to address the challenge technology poses to education and how it has become an urgent priority. The plan has two clear targets: by 2020 the proportion a 2 year or 4 year degree college graduates will rise from 39% to 60%, and the achievement gap will be reduced so that all students, regardless of race, income, or neighborhood will graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.
In order to achieve these goals, the National Educational Technology Plan calls for radical transformation which pushes for our education system at all levels to be clear about the outcomes that must be sought. "Collaboration to redesign structures and processes for effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility; continually monitor and measure our performance; and to hold ourselves accountable for progress and results every step of the way." The NETP presents five goals with recommendations for states, districts, the federal government, and other stakeholders in our education system that address learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.
The NETP's learning goal states that, "All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society." To meet this goal, one of NETP's recommendations is to revise, create, and adopt standards and learning objectives for all content areas that reflect 21st century expertise and the power of technology to improve learning.
The purpose of the NETP's teaching goal is to support educators with technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences so they are enabled and inspire more effective teaching for all learners. To meet this goal, the NETP gives the following recommendations: to design, develop, and adopt technology-based content, resources, and online learning communities that create opportunities for educators to collaborate for more effective teaching, inspire and attract new people into the profession, and encourage our best educators to continue teaching.
In its teaching and assessment goals, NETP addresses two of education's professional development areas: it defines the need to transform the preparation and professional learning of educators and educational leaders by leveraging technology to create career-long personal learning networks within and across schools, pre-service preparation and in-service educational institutions, and professional organizations; and the need to build the capacity of educators and educational institutions to use technology to improve assessment materials and processes for both formative and summative uses.
In order to achieve these goals, the National Educational Technology Plan calls for radical transformation which pushes for our education system at all levels to be clear about the outcomes that must be sought. "Collaboration to redesign structures and processes for effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility; continually monitor and measure our performance; and to hold ourselves accountable for progress and results every step of the way." The NETP presents five goals with recommendations for states, districts, the federal government, and other stakeholders in our education system that address learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.
The NETP's learning goal states that, "All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society." To meet this goal, one of NETP's recommendations is to revise, create, and adopt standards and learning objectives for all content areas that reflect 21st century expertise and the power of technology to improve learning.
The purpose of the NETP's teaching goal is to support educators with technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences so they are enabled and inspire more effective teaching for all learners. To meet this goal, the NETP gives the following recommendations: to design, develop, and adopt technology-based content, resources, and online learning communities that create opportunities for educators to collaborate for more effective teaching, inspire and attract new people into the profession, and encourage our best educators to continue teaching.
In its teaching and assessment goals, NETP addresses two of education's professional development areas: it defines the need to transform the preparation and professional learning of educators and educational leaders by leveraging technology to create career-long personal learning networks within and across schools, pre-service preparation and in-service educational institutions, and professional organizations; and the need to build the capacity of educators and educational institutions to use technology to improve assessment materials and processes for both formative and summative uses.
Progress Report on the Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
The 2010 progress report on the Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 entails the simultaneous implementation of all four areas in technology: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation & Development, Leadership, Administration & Development, and Infrastructure for Technology. This report demonstrates how educational technology resources and funding are assisting Texas public school districts and other educational entities as they equip students with the instruction and tools to be successful as "lifetime learners, world class communicators, and competitive members of the 21st century society" (2010 Progress Report on the Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, Texas Education Agency, 2010). As I now know, the Long Range Plan has been updated several times since it first was introduced in 1988. By reading this report, I learned that Texas has led the nation with the first Long-Range Plan for Technology, 1988-2000, adopted by the State Board of Education in November 1988. By reading this report, I also learned that the Long-Range Plan for Technology's guiding principal is to direct the state on how technology in education should continue being applied as an effective tool to make positive changes possible, and that it can contribute crucially to the vi son of excellence and equity in education. This report provides the data related to the growth in the key areas of Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support, and Infrastructure for Technology. The Texas Campus STaR Chart produces a profile of the campus' status toward reading the goals of the Long Range Plan for Technology and No Child Left Behind. The profile indicators place a campus at one of the four levels of progress in each key area of the Long Range Plan for Technology: Early Tech, Developing Tech, Advanced Tech, or Target Tech. Most campuses in Texas show continued improvement and are moving from lower levels on the campus chart towards the Target Tech level.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020: Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support
The simultaneous implementation of all four areas: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation & Development, Leadership, Administration & Development, and Infrastructure for Technology is imperative for reaching the ambitious vision set forth in the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020.
However, the area Leadership, Administration and Instructional Technology Support is where I would like to focus. Sustained leadership and support are crucial for technological progress because leaders directly affect progress on their campus.
A leader's role is multifaceted. It includes:
However, the area Leadership, Administration and Instructional Technology Support is where I would like to focus. Sustained leadership and support are crucial for technological progress because leaders directly affect progress on their campus.
A leader's role is multifaceted. It includes:
- responsibility for developing, implementing, and creating a budget for technology
- creating environments that maximizes teaching and learning
- expanded curricular opportunities for students (including online and distance learning)
- providing high-quality, sustained professional development
- planning technology use through the teaching and learning process
- effectively using data for decision making
In regards to budget, it is necessary that appropriate funding is provided to ensure effective implementation of the technology plan set for on a campus. Teachers must be provided with access to technology, opportunities for quality professional development, and time to implement new knowledge. The budget must consider the cost of professional development opportunities, and allocate appropriate funding. Sustained professional development is critical for success.
Environments conducive to meeting the goals of the established campus technology plan must be the norm. Students must be offered expanded learning opportunities via technology, such as online, digital, and distance learning. This entails appropriate planning of technology use.
Data, such as test scores, must be utilized by leaders to guided decision making. Student achievement can be better utilized and used to effectively guide instruction to meet individual student needs.
The progress in the are of Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support on our campus according to the Texas Campus STaR Chart Summary has been steady for the most part, but has shown a slight decline. In 2006-2007 this are was classified as "Target Tech" with a total score of 21 points. However, in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 this are was classified as "Advanced Tech" with a total of 20 points in each year. The one point decline lowered the classification. In comparison to the state, our campus was classified above the state average in all four areas. As of 2007-2008, the Campus Statewide Summary demonstrates that there is a very low percentage of districts still at the "Early Tech" classification, and that the majority of districts are at the "Developing Tech" classification. This proves that progression is occurring. Nationally, progress is also being made. The Department of Education has stated that strong leadership is necessary in revolutionizing our traditional methods of teaching.
The local, state, and national technological trends all show that they are headed toward reforming students' educational experiences. Information and communication technologies are powerful and can enrich students' education. Technology is crucial, perhaps even the most important, component of successfully preparing our students for the 21st century. Industry is far ahead of education, and if the educational system doesn't catch up, our students will fail in a technology-driven world. We are moving towards a more technologically-driven educational setting in our schools. This is demonstrated by the fact that technology plans have been established on local, state, and national levels. These plans all address the same topics: leadership, budgeting, training, e-learning, broadband access, head toward digital content, and integrated data systems. The key element in successfully achieving the ambitious goal that has been set forth in each of the three (local, state, and national) technology plans is strong leadership that is willing to restructure the traditional learning methods/environments.
Because I feel that my campus already has strong, innovative, technology-savy leadership, the recommendation I would suggest is a larger allocation of funds for technology use, focusing on sustained, quality staff development, on our campus. However, I do realize that funding is an obstacle. In order to overcome this obstacle, detailed assessments regarding campus expenditures and needs should be conducted and analyzed. This analysis should prioritize campus needs. After analysis is complete, expenditures should be revised and redistributed accordingly.
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