Sunday, March 27, 2011
EDLD 5352 Web Conferencing
Web conferencing was a new experience for me. I participated in the 4:00 P.M. session on March 27. I liked the "real time" question and answer style and getting to see the other students in the course. I've listened in and read the transcripts on several of the web conference recordings previous to my participation in today's conference. Some were very confusing because there were too many people and too many conversations going on at once. The twenty-five participant cut-off was helpful because it made the conversations easier to follow. Overall, it was a worthwhile experience and one I'd like to try with my students and colleagues.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Technology Action Plan
Here is the link to my technology action plan:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/74242311/Technology-Action-Plan
I viewed several students' action plans that were posted on the EDLD discussion board. There were a wide variety of action plans for professional development that covered technology media across the spectrum. One student's plan began professional development sessions during teacher conference periods and then followed them with summer staff development training. Another action plan suggested that teachers work online and through distance learning with districts in their area. Overall, the plans were well-developed and demonstrated that teachers had a firm grip on technology use on their campuses and the importance of integrating technology to optimize student success.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/74242311/Technology-Action-Plan
I viewed several students' action plans that were posted on the EDLD discussion board. There were a wide variety of action plans for professional development that covered technology media across the spectrum. One student's plan began professional development sessions during teacher conference periods and then followed them with summer staff development training. Another action plan suggested that teachers work online and through distance learning with districts in their area. Overall, the plans were well-developed and demonstrated that teachers had a firm grip on technology use on their campuses and the importance of integrating technology to optimize student success.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Blog #3 - National Technology Plan
The U.S. Department of Education’s publication entitled “National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology” sets goals for 21st Century education as it impacts student technology skills and knowledge acquisition in today’s educational setting. The plan sets forth goals necessary for the success of education in the United States and outlines strategies we need to implement in order to compete in our global society. The report states, “To achieve these goals, the National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) calls for revolutionary transformation rather than evolutionary tinkering” (2010, p. V).
Using technology for collaboration and assimilation of knowledge is vital if America is going to be able to compete in a global marketplace. In many ways, the Texas Long-Range Technology Plan mirrors the National Technology plan. The goal is for our schools to use technology media as a dominant force in education. Students should work collaboratively to seek solutions with technology as a vital and integral part of the learning. Our schools need to reflect the world outside of the school building. We must prepare students to transition into careers that will require extensive technological knowledge. Both the National and the Texas plans give clear directives that will help educators to meet the challenges of our 21st Century learners. It will be imperative that we fund our schools so that technology is available for learning.
The report states, “Above all, we must accept that we do not have the luxury of time. We must act now and commit to fine-tuning and midcourse corrections as we go. We must learn from other kinds of enterprises that have used technology to improve outcomes and increase productivity” (2010, p. 3) The future of our educational system requires that we view education in new ways. The National Educational Technology Plan details many thought-provoking ideas for educational transformation using technology integration and innovation.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2010). Transforming american education: learning powered by technology Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Blog #2 - Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
The Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, states, “Clearly, technology use is ubiquitous. Integral to our lives and our students’ lives, technology is a tool that can be used to make teaching and learning more efficient and effective” (2010, p. 7). Our students deal with technology in almost every aspect of their lives and should have the same opportunities to advance their knowledge in school as they do in their personal lives. We in education have to discover how to safely and effectively integrate technology into our classrooms, libraries, and labs. In the progress report, the state of Texas implemented several pilot programs to promote, develop, and support technology for Texas students. The Online Tutoring program and the R-Tech (Rural Technology Pilot Program) offered students access to computer and computer-related learning. Many of the students who participated in the program might not have otherwise had the opportunity for technology-based learning. The grants provided in the R-Tech Pilot Program funded “districts with an enrollment of less than 5,000 students and location outside a standard metropolitan statistical area” (2010, p. 33). These pilot programs and many others help students to gain access to technology and move Texas closer to the goal of making students more technologically-savvy learners in our global society. The Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, does indeed “provides an update on the state’s progress in addressing the needs of education in Texas and in planting the seeds for a secure future” (2010, p. 7)
Texas Education Agency. (2010). 2010 Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 Retrieved from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5096&menu_id=2147483665
Blog #1 - Texas Long-Range Technology Plan 2006-2020
The Teaching and Learning component of the Texas Long-Range Plan, 2006-2020, requires that students be engaged in learning and must have access to relevant technologies, tools, resources and services for individualized instruction 24/7. On my campus, the majority of teachers fall in the Developing Tech level of progress at approximately sixty percent. While this percentage seems high, it is an improvement over the last few years. Scores have decreased from 65.7 percent the preceding year. The Advanced Tech level has increased almost eight percent. This means that many teachers who were in the Developing Tech level have progressed to the Advanced Tech. Much of the improvement can be attributed to an increase in technology media for teachers on all campuses, but on the campus where I teach most of all. There has been a slight increase in the Target Tech level, the level at which teachers serve as facilitators, mentors, and co-learners. I believe as we increase our knowledge and plan our lessons to include technology, this target area will increase.
Distance learning and the opportunities it offers such as more advanced course selection and in-credit recovery are vital for students who live in areas with small school districts that may not be able to offer all of the courses that larger districts may offer. With the advent of a serious budget crisis in our state, I foresee an ever greater need for distance learning to ensure that our students have the courses they need to complete academies of study to get ready for the challenges of higher education.
Students must also be able to use information and communication technologies to collaborate in a global society with the available technology. They must be able to solve real-world problems and assess and acquire knowledge that is beneficial for their own individual learning. Students must be able to adequately and authoritatively research in all subject areas to improve academic achievement. They must be able to meet the challenges of our ever-changing global marketplace and must be able to communicate across many spectrums and in a variety of methods using technology. It cannot be about getting kids in front of a computer. We as educators must teach students to develop quality products that showcase their abilities to think on a global scale and to use the available technology to forward their thinking and that of their classmates. We also must work to make sure that technology is seamlessly integrated into all core areas.
Distance learning and the opportunities it offers such as more advanced course selection and in-credit recovery are vital for students who live in areas with small school districts that may not be able to offer all of the courses that larger districts may offer. With the advent of a serious budget crisis in our state, I foresee an ever greater need for distance learning to ensure that our students have the courses they need to complete academies of study to get ready for the challenges of higher education.
Students must also be able to use information and communication technologies to collaborate in a global society with the available technology. They must be able to solve real-world problems and assess and acquire knowledge that is beneficial for their own individual learning. Students must be able to adequately and authoritatively research in all subject areas to improve academic achievement. They must be able to meet the challenges of our ever-changing global marketplace and must be able to communicate across many spectrums and in a variety of methods using technology. It cannot be about getting kids in front of a computer. We as educators must teach students to develop quality products that showcase their abilities to think on a global scale and to use the available technology to forward their thinking and that of their classmates. We also must work to make sure that technology is seamlessly integrated into all core areas.
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