EDLD 5352 Course Reflection

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Technology Integration Organization Chart

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Technology Action Plan

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Texas STaR Chart: Technology Progression

After carefully studying the Texas STar Chart Summary for our campus at Georgetown High School, I have decided to discuss the key area of Infrastructure for Technology as it pertains to our school's technology development as well as the progress of the campuses across the state of Texas. I chose this key area because I feel like this area will be, and currently is, the most difficult area to achieve because it depends on something that is completely out of the hands of educators. I'm talking about the area of funding. I have been in education long enough to have seen numerous state educational mandates go completely unfunded by the state. In difficult economic times, it is nearly impossible to convince the taxpayer to have their taxes raised in order to get every child a computer or access to a computer. This is especially difficult to explain to someone who no longer has children in public schools. At Georgetown High School, the STaR chart shows that we have been very fortunate to have a strong infrastructure in place as early as 2006. We were categorized in the Advanced Tech category in 2007-2007 and again in the 2007-2008 school year. However, as our enrollment continues to rise, our school has regressed into the developing Tech category. In part, this can be traced back to two areas: Students per Computers has dropped during the last two years. Our school has not kept pace with the increasing student enrollment as it relates to the number of computers available on campus. The second area of declining concern is Other Classroom Technology. It is evident that the hardware and software has remained constant while the enrollment has continued to rise.
In comparison to the State of Texas where more schools are progressing to the Advanced Tech category, I am concerned about our school's regression in this key area. If our school is going continue to strive to meet the needs of the students, the technology infrastructure has to be the major area of emphasis. All other areas of the Long Range Plan will come to a grinding halt in terms of the implementation of using technology to assist in quality teaching and learning.

Pre-K Tech App TEKS

The Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS teaches students the basic foundations of technological tools. The computer is one of the main tools that students will begin to interact with. The students learn that technology can enhance their lives. The major outcomes of the TEKS are:
(1) Children learn to navigate through software designed to enhance development of appropriate concepts.
(2) Children use a variety of input devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, voice/sound recorder, touch screen, and CD-ROM.
(3) Children operate voice/sound recorders and touch screens.
(4) Children use software applications to create and express ideas.
(5) Children recognize that information is accessible through the use of technology.

Like any other vertical learning program, the Pre-K TEKS lays a solid foundation of technology skills that will allow students to expand their use of technology and its tools as they progress through their education. This technology foundation allows for greater student performance due to the unlimited amounts of accessible information and utilization of the many technological tools that can enhance learning.

DYNAMIC SPIRALING CURRICULUM
The Technology TEKS are a dynamic, spiraling curriculum. This framework flows inward to outward and outward to inward in a circular manner. This process allows for the learning and relearning of the information in the domains.

Long Range Plan Analysis

I acquired a tremendous amount of new information from the analysis of the Long-Range Plan. Probably my biggest concern with the Long-Range Plan lies in the area of funding. As is the case in many educational programs or mandates, the funding portion of the plan is the last thing to be addressed. All other aspects of this plan have obviously been researched and studied. The plan is sound and aggressive. Unless this plan is funded efficiently and properly, it is doomed to be riddled with disfunction and inconsistencies.

The vision is right on the mark. The vision to incorporate technology in education in order to prepare Texas students for a 21st century global economy has to be done. The days of the "one size fits all" education are a thing of the past.

As a prerequisite to the vision, the Need for Change is obvious. If our educational process does not change to meet the needs of a changing world, our country will not continue to be the leader in all areas of the world.

21st century learners or, "our students" as we know them, are already ahead of the older generation when it comes to technology. In order to maximize these students' education, teachers must learn new ways to engage these students in learning with the use of technology.

Another area that is new to me is the subject of infrastructure. This task seems to be paramount for success in implementing the Long-Range Plan. The positives are endless after the infrastructure is completed and operational. The timeline for implementation is the key for success.

Professional development for teachers was also a very important part of the plan. Teachers must have appropriate, ongoing training if the technology is to be fully transfered to quality teaching and learning.

Learning all of the aspects of the Long-Range Plan has alowed me to understand the current weaknesses in our educational system. Gaining knowledge in all of the technology possibilities that can change education has been very informative in allowing me to guide technology use and integration at our school.

TECHNOLOGY and me

After completing the two assessments, the results confirmed what I already knew...TECHNOLOGY is much bigger than myself. When I started in education, we were still cranking out copies on a mimeograph machine, remember the blue ink? Technology has advanced exponentially in my 25 years of education and I have not kept up with it. You might ask why? Even though I am not a technological illiterate, keeping up with the advances in technology have been the responsibility of my secretaries over the years because I have been in an administrative position for the majority of my career.

Technology Strengths

After completing the assessments, my strengths in technology would be categorized as basics:

E-mail, word processing, excel, fax, and internet navigation.

Technology Weaknesses

The assessments reveal many weaknesses. Multimedia, educational instruction technology, powerpoint, and information acquisition are areas that I have not received training in.

Future Professional Development in Technology

For me, one of the best ways to receive technological professional development is to just get started with the assistance of someone who is well versed in technology. One example is the process that I used to create the blog account as required in this week's assignment. I first contacted a friend who works in the technology department of our school district. This was important due to the fact that I have to do my masters degree work from my school computer and our school district prohibits blog accounts. I received administrative and Technology department approval to proceed. The technician that was assisting me, methodically walked me through the process that has me blogging today. I do feel that I am now able to teach someone else how to create the account and begin blogging.

The assessments also helped me to set some technological goals for myself. Depending on time constraints, I hope to take additional technology professional development classes to close my technology gaps.

SETDA Building Survey

This assessment was very difficult because my current position does not relate closely to any of the three surveys due to the fact that I am not a teacher, principal, or technology director. I chose the building survey because I thought it might be the one that I could best answer the survey questions. I do believe that our high school is using technology to better help our students achieve academic success.