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Today, I attended another web conference. I was ready to go at 1:00 like the email noted, however it really didn't start until 2:00 (some miscommunication I guess). This time was much more manageable. There was no more than 15 people in the group when I was there. I later went to the session that was at 3:00 and it was an even smaller group when I joined. People talking over one another wasn't happening this time and everyone was able to communicate in a more timely manner. The text box screen wasn't moving at too rapid of a speed in order to keep up. I did get some questions answered that I had where as last time, I don't think that would've happened. This web conference tool is something that I would like to use - I just have to come up with when/where/how I want to use it.
On Sunday, November 22, I attended the Web Conference that was scheduled at 5:00. I didn't know whether to sign in as a guest or use something for the username/password boxes. I went ahead and logged in as a guest. When I entered the room, it seemed like a bit of chaos. I have entered chat rooms like this before, however this was different. When I entered there were 97 people on the list. I've not been in a chat room with that many people before. I know Dr. Abernathy mentioned there was room for 100 people total. I didn't use my cam or mic, I just typed in the window when I felt I could answer something. I did not ask questions, I was just there to see how it was going to work and so I'd be prepared for the next web conference that is offered for my section. At times many people were on mic, other times sound would be lost. Many people were typing questions in the window and I think it was too hard for everyone to keep up and feel like their questions were being answered. It was nice to have a form of interaction with the professor. The most interaction we normally get is just listening to them during the weekly lectures. I think this is a great tool to use to be able to collaborate with co-workers, colleagues, professors, or whatever the case may be. Technology has taken us so far, it'll be interesting to see what happens next.
One of the most beneficial parts of education is having teachers who are prepared. We need to be taught to be prepared in so many areas in order for us to be successful. The big push now it seems is incorporating technology across the curriculum for all grade levels. According to the STaR Chart survey that our campus teachers and administrators completed, this is one area that is weak for us as a campus. In 2006-07, we had a classification of Developing. In 2007-08 and 2008-09 we had the rating of Advanced. I talked with the librarian and was wondering how we would rate in this area for the 2009-10 school year. We looked it up and the areas were all rated with Advanced and one section was Target. So that is encouraging that the rating did not drop. This area oversees that the educators meet SBEC standards, administrators recognize and expect technology use in the classrooms, and makes sure that the budget has allocations for professional development. As a campus for the 2007-08 school year, Educator Preparation and Development was ranked as Advanced. The state had a majority fall into the Developing category for this area. Only 20% of the schools that reported were Advanced. This is comforting to me because it shows that we are on the right track with where we stand in the use of technology on campus. I feel that college and university programs need to maintain a high use of incorporating technology into the classes that educators are taking. School districts need to provide multiple opportunities for teachers/administrators to attend staff development sessions. The sessions need to be hands on, steady paced for the types of learners in the session, and have an opportunity for questions or a way to contact someone when they need assistance. Technology is a very beneficial tool to help our learners, however the teachers need to know how to use technology themselves and be comfortable with it before they can implement it into their classroom.
A spiraling curriculum allows the opportunity for a student to build upon their knowledge while revisiting skills that may have already been taught in previous years. The skill may be the same, however the difficulty level may have changed. If a student doesn't get a concept on the first try, there will be another chance later on where the child will be able to do the same concept with an opportunity to succeed. If that doesn't happen then, then another time later on, the same concept will come up again with another chance for success.
An example with the technology application TEKS is found in K-2 and 3-5. Many of the skills that are taught in grades K-2 are again revisited in grades 3-5. Both grade categories will use appropriate technology terminology. K-2 will save files while 3-5 will save and delete files. Another area that spirals is both grade categories will use video, audio, and graphics to enhance their learning. Both grade categories will use word processing however in 3-5 they add on more software tools such as spreadsheets, databases and multimedia.Having a spiraling curriculum allows the opportunity for students to succeed because they get multiple opportunities to revisit a skill or concept that they may not have been successful on the first go around.
Prekindergarten students can use technology and are able to get information, solve problems and also communicate with others. They are able to accomplish this by using age appropriate programs that are engaging and a challenge. These students are also a part of the 21st Century and need the same access that all other students need in order to learn and grow to be successful.There are end of year outcomes for what the child should be able to do with technology as well as examples of behaviors from the child and strategies that the teacher can use for instructional purposes. Prekindergarten students are getting the foundation and a base on which to learn technology which will later help them throughout their school years and beyond. Having a teacher who has a technology rich environment will be very beneficial for these 21st Century students.
The Long-Range Plan for Technology consists of many components that will ensure that our learners are given an equal opportunity to use technology as a tool. There is a Vision 2020, Defining a Need for Change, Introducing the 21st Century Learner, Teacher Voices, Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support, Infrastructure for Technology, and Study of Needs. With the Vision 2020, some changes may need to take place on campuses. Educators are going to have to become tech savvy and be able to meet the demands of the learners in the 21st Century. With this high of a demand, funding and budgeting must be available to provide the appropriate resources that will be needed. Educators are going to have to be provided with the training and professional development that is needed in order for them to implement the technology standards. Integrating technology into the core subjects will allow the learners to become fully engaged in the learning process. The hopes of the Vision is that by 2020 the learners will be engaged by digital tools and educators will be fully prepared to provide a technology rich environment in their classrooms. The Long-Range Plan for Technology has a committee that is periodically surveying schools and seeing where the needs are for resources that need to be provided to ensure that all learners in the 21st Century are given the appropriate materials in order to be successful. It is also important as a leader of a campus to take a needs assessment and inventory of what teachers need in order to implement technology into their daily instruction. It makes me want to stay aware of how technology is being incorporated into the curriculum and to provide for the teachers/students the tools, trainings, or other materials that they may need in order to master the technology standards.
The assessments this week helped me to realize the importance of technology these days. It is my job as a leader to constantly keep abreast of the ever changing tools, strategies, and uses that technology can provide. Out of the 18 Foundation questions, 15 were scored as a Yes, and three were a No. Information Acquisition had 10 with seven being Yes and three No. Solving Problems had 18 with 17 Yes and one No. Last, Communication had 12 questions and all 12 were a Yes for me. I had a hard time on some of the questions because of the wording. My terminology for technology is an area of growth that I can work on. Operating systems, primary memory and secondary storage, and determining the appropriate secondary storage device were items I was puzzled on. These are items I hope to further my learning on throughout the course. Another area of concern for me is what a directory is, I know what search engines are. Also, using Boolean for search strategies is a tool I don't use very often. Vector graphic files and bit-mapped graphic files are more items I'm not knowledgeable on. Doing that survey has made me realize the importance of becoming more familiar with technological terms, their meanings, and appropriate uses.
The other assessment I did was the State Educational Technology Directors Association Teacher Survey. This was a very complex survey that covered many topics related to technology and the use of it in the classroom. One question that stands out to me is, "How much time per week does a typical student in your class use technology while at school?" I chose 1 to 2 hours per week. There are so many time constraints, and other variables that make this hard to do at times. I would like to see this time with technology improve. Also, students do spend some time making presentations, doing research, etc. - but they might not always print them out. We'll usually just save them on the computer. At school, the students in class don't really use email or other data analysis and spreadsheets too often. This could be another area of growth that could improve. After taking the surveys, I agree with them and I find that I have some tasks to work on and improve for myself. I thought I was pretty tech savvy, however, I have some improvements to make on myself as well. As a leader, I am pretty open to trying new technology, attending professional development and returning to campus to train staff members. I do know to make technology as appealing as possible in order to get buy in from all staff members regardless of their level with using technology. We have to meet the needs of the students and if technology helps, then I'm on board with it all.
