Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Web Conference
Last night's web conference may have been cut short, but I think it was a learning experience for everyone involved. One lesson, is that although technology is a wonderful thing it can present problems if all parties involved are not prepared and well informed. The purpose of the web conference was an educational tool but it turned into a sort of chat that was streaming too quickly for anyone to get a grip on themselves and focus on the task at hand. There seemed to be a never ending stream of 'me too's' and 'lol's' as well as mutiple volume complaints. I also found it frustrating that despite numerous posts that toggling your screen would interfere with others, people continued to do this and then others continued to post about their screen which again created a never ending cycle of meaningless chat. I think that if the chat board had an announcement by the professor at the top of the page that welcomed everyone stated the expectations and what to wait for then a lot of these problem could have been avoided. Dr. Abernathy asked everyone to stop, but there is a chance that because people were so busy typing and the chat streamed so quicly, that people were unable to view the requests and continued their meaningless type. I also think that student preparation would have made this process go more smoothly. It seemed as though people had so many questions about microphones, video, topics, etc... Although I was not 100% sure of some circumstances related to the process, I think waiting and listening would have benefited everyone involved. I think the web conferences are a good idea, and I have heard that earlier conferences went much more smoothly than last nights. It is a tool that has its pro's and con's but is definitely worth a shot integrating into the classroom. If I chose to use this tool, I would most likely set up a conference where my students would be in the room physically for the first time. This would allow us to work out any issues and create a great tool for future use. I was a little bummed that the conference was cut short last night, although it was for a good reason. I was not able to gain any additional information related to the course material, I was able to learn about a technology tool and that not everything always goes as planned.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Action Plan
http://www.scribd.com/full/50891590?access_key=key-i052x5rz7rexpqig3b4
Attached is my action plan. Any comments are appreciated.
Attached is my action plan. Any comments are appreciated.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
STaR Chart Presentation
Victory Lakes staff slideshow for STaR Chart
STaR Chart Presentation
View more presentations from tmbaker11.
National Educational Technology Plan
In order for America to compete on a global scale and see economic improvements, we must focus on education. The National Educational Technology Plan provides insight into areas of focus to help improve our educational system. Educational Goals outlined by the NETP include increasing the number of college graduates from 39% to 60% and closing achievement gaps related to race and income. The NETP provides 5 key areas of focus: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.
In regards to learning, key areas of focus are critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. Regardless of a student’s chosen area of focus or expertise, we must work to connect learning to the real world and expand a student’s ability to pose their own questions in order to further their learning.
Assessments need to measure 21st century competencies. If possible, they should be technology based. I think that this is a great idea, unfortunately this is not the same message that educators are receiving from the state of Texas.
The NETP highlights the connected teaching model where teachers work together to educate their students. Using multiple educators and multiple teaching strategies will provide a diverse education for the student. A key area of improvement is professional development. Current professional development is often administered in the ‘sit and get’ format where a presenter talks and talks and teachers sit and sit. Professional development must become hands on and collaborative in order for teachers to pass that style down to their students. Also, online professional developments should be implemented.
A system of 24/7 learning where students and teachers have constant access to information and opportunity was an important aspect of improving technology as it relates to infrastructure. This is a great concept which allows students to constantly be connected to information.
Finally, productivity was addressed. This area provided conflicting information. It suggested a redesign of the traditional schedule and structure of schools allowing for flex scheduling and class times. This sounds great, but I wonder if they thought about the how aspect of this proposed change. I think that there are changes that need to be made to the structure of schools, but again, funding is a problem that I am not sure was considered.
In regards to learning, key areas of focus are critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. Regardless of a student’s chosen area of focus or expertise, we must work to connect learning to the real world and expand a student’s ability to pose their own questions in order to further their learning.
Assessments need to measure 21st century competencies. If possible, they should be technology based. I think that this is a great idea, unfortunately this is not the same message that educators are receiving from the state of Texas.
The NETP highlights the connected teaching model where teachers work together to educate their students. Using multiple educators and multiple teaching strategies will provide a diverse education for the student. A key area of improvement is professional development. Current professional development is often administered in the ‘sit and get’ format where a presenter talks and talks and teachers sit and sit. Professional development must become hands on and collaborative in order for teachers to pass that style down to their students. Also, online professional developments should be implemented.
A system of 24/7 learning where students and teachers have constant access to information and opportunity was an important aspect of improving technology as it relates to infrastructure. This is a great concept which allows students to constantly be connected to information.
Finally, productivity was addressed. This area provided conflicting information. It suggested a redesign of the traditional schedule and structure of schools allowing for flex scheduling and class times. This sounds great, but I wonder if they thought about the how aspect of this proposed change. I think that there are changes that need to be made to the structure of schools, but again, funding is a problem that I am not sure was considered.
Progress Report on Long Range Technology Plan
The 2008 progress report on the Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 shows that Texas has made progress in nearly every key area. It also highlighted areas in need of growth.
In the teaching and learning area schools are progressing toward Target Tech. Only 4% of schools were found to be at the Early Tech levels, where 26% were found at the higher levels of Advanced or Target Tech. State requirements for technology literacy have helped the growth in this area.
In Educator Preparation and Development there have been slight gains made. The report found that 21% of schools are at the Advanced or Target Tech levels. There was also a 3% drop in schools rated as Early Tech. In order for this area to grow, schools and districts must continue to provide meaningful and purposeful professional development for teachers.
The area of leadership, administration and instructional support also saw growth. There was a 6% increase from 39 to 45% in Advanced Tech. There were only 2% of schools at Early Tech and 4% were at the highest level of Target Tech. Leadership and Support for Technology was still at 10% early technology. Administrators need to support professional development in technology. It is important that they provide support and encouragement and have clear expectations in regards to technology proficiency and use in the classrooms. I think that this should be an area of focus in order to increase the use of technology in Texas schools.
The number of Target Tech schools in the Infrastructure for Technology area grew from 404 schools to 511 schools. There was also a 4% increase in schools reaching the Advanced Tech levels. INF 1 revealed that 60% of campuses are at Developing Tech, meaning that there are between 5 and 9 internet connected computers per student. In order to see growth in teaching and learning we must see growth in access to computers.
Overall, Texas has placed a great emphasis on the need for technological growth for our 21st century learners. As always, there are areas that need improvement, and this report showed the strengths and weaknesses of the state. In regards to administration, the key words are support, professional development, and expectations.
In the teaching and learning area schools are progressing toward Target Tech. Only 4% of schools were found to be at the Early Tech levels, where 26% were found at the higher levels of Advanced or Target Tech. State requirements for technology literacy have helped the growth in this area.
In Educator Preparation and Development there have been slight gains made. The report found that 21% of schools are at the Advanced or Target Tech levels. There was also a 3% drop in schools rated as Early Tech. In order for this area to grow, schools and districts must continue to provide meaningful and purposeful professional development for teachers.
The area of leadership, administration and instructional support also saw growth. There was a 6% increase from 39 to 45% in Advanced Tech. There were only 2% of schools at Early Tech and 4% were at the highest level of Target Tech. Leadership and Support for Technology was still at 10% early technology. Administrators need to support professional development in technology. It is important that they provide support and encouragement and have clear expectations in regards to technology proficiency and use in the classrooms. I think that this should be an area of focus in order to increase the use of technology in Texas schools.
The number of Target Tech schools in the Infrastructure for Technology area grew from 404 schools to 511 schools. There was also a 4% increase in schools reaching the Advanced Tech levels. INF 1 revealed that 60% of campuses are at Developing Tech, meaning that there are between 5 and 9 internet connected computers per student. In order to see growth in teaching and learning we must see growth in access to computers.
Overall, Texas has placed a great emphasis on the need for technological growth for our 21st century learners. As always, there are areas that need improvement, and this report showed the strengths and weaknesses of the state. In regards to administration, the key words are support, professional development, and expectations.
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology: Infrastructure for Technology
The Texas School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart is used as an assessment tool in the area of technology progress across the state of Texas. This chart can be viewed by all stakeholders and is available online. This chart provides insight into technological strengths of each campus and district as well as showing areas that need improvement. This chart will provide data necessary to make advancements in technology as we progress further into the 21st century. Star Chart Key Area IV: Infrastructure for Technology has six different measurements. This area assesses ratio of Students per Computers, Internet Access Connectivity Speed, Other Classroom Technology, Technical Support, Local Area Network Wide Area Network, and Distance Learning Capacity. This area of the STaR chart focuses on student’s access to computers and involvement in web-based learning. Victory Lakes Intermediate has grown from Advanced Tech to Target Tech in this area. Target Tech is the highest level of technological achievement. The Social Studies department recently received a grant that allowed them to acquire I-Pod’s for instructional use in their classrooms. Other departments are also working on grants to increase additional resources aside from computers. All classrooms have wireless internet access so teachers are able to bring lap-top carts into their rooms for student use. The student to computer ratio is a lower area for Victory Lakes. Although we have access to many labs and computers, the overall ratio has decreased due to removal of equipment for upgrades that was unable to be replaced quickly due to a cut in funding. The Campus Statewide summary shows significant growth in this area although the overall success is not as high as it needs to be. In Area IV, the number of school reaching Target Tech has grown from 189 to 511. It is great to see this much growth; however, only 6.7% of schools have reached the desired area of Target Tech.
Clear Creek ISD has great community support and business involvement. The proximity of the school district to NASA and Johnson Space Center requires the district to place great importance on technology. We are lucky to have additional support in this regard, but it is important that other districts that do not have access to community contributions find away to set aside funding to increase resources in their schools. Less fortunate districts have to start with the basics and work their way up, but not having the funding is not an excuse to place technology on the back burner.
Clear Creek ISD has great community support and business involvement. The proximity of the school district to NASA and Johnson Space Center requires the district to place great importance on technology. We are lucky to have additional support in this regard, but it is important that other districts that do not have access to community contributions find away to set aside funding to increase resources in their schools. Less fortunate districts have to start with the basics and work their way up, but not having the funding is not an excuse to place technology on the back burner.
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