The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 has four key areas to assist the state, districts, and schools evaluate how they are progressing toward being sufficient to teaching 21st Century learners. In examination of the School Technology and Readiness (STaR) data for my campus, it was easy to identify that my school was below state progress in the Infrastructure key area. This area includes determining a computer:student ratio, adequate internet access, connectivity speed, technical assistance, other available technology resources, LAN/WAN resources, and distance learning capacity.
My elementary campus scored in the Developing Tecnnology range while the state fell into the Advanced Technology descriptor. I believe Franklin Elementary scored this classification because we do not have a large number of working, updated computers in our classroom. We have one computer lab with about 20 computers and most teachers have one or two older functioning computers in their classrooms - totaling 80 computers on campus. Our campus has approximately 550 students which means that about 7 students would access the same computer. When teachers do integrate the technology in their lessons, the computers freeze up, do not have the appropriate programs, or are not adequately connected to printers or other technology resources. We do not have a computer lab assistant or technology troubleshooter on our campus, so we must rely on the district helpdesk to assist when trouble occurs. With a lot of prayer, perhaps a district technology representative will answer and assist you over the phone but most likely not. We have 2 digital cameras and 8 campus printers. Our librarian has the only interactive white board on campus and have limited access to LCD projectors and laptops.
The Texas STaR Chart document (2006) lists some of our above mentioned technology problems as similar challenges to other schools within the state. Not all districts, campuses, and classrooms have adequate tools that are needed to integrate technology with real-life learning. Teacher and trouble shooting support will need to be on the forefront of a campus' budgetary needs. Maintenance of the technology is imperative since technology is changing and improving at such a rapid rate.
It is my recommendation that the campus analyze the trends in the STaR chart data to determine which changes are most feasible to make in a short amount of time and with limited budget. The campus did feel more at ease with technology two years ago when there was a technology assistant available on campus. Perhaps this is a possible addition to our growing budgetary needs - more help! The campus leadership team should also look into grants and opportunities for the district and outside community organizations to assist in donations and funding.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Citations for week 2 blog:
Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/techapp/teks/framewrk/index.htmTexas Education Agency, School Technology and Readiness (2006). School Technology and Readiness; a Teacher Tool for Planning and Self-Assessment, Aligned with the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020.
Retrieved from http://starchart.esc12.net/docs/TxCSC.pdfTexas Education Agency (2006, December). Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020; A Report to the 80th Texas Legislature from the Texas Education Agency.
Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/lrpt/LRPTCompleteDec06.pdf
Texas Education Agency (2008, September 15). Campus Statewide Summary by Key Area. Retrieved from http://starchart.esc12.net/docs/campusSWSummarybyKA20072008.pdf
Retrieved from http://starchart.esc12.net/docs/TxCSC.pdfTexas Education Agency (2006, December). Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020; A Report to the 80th Texas Legislature from the Texas Education Agency.
Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/lrpt/LRPTCompleteDec06.pdf
Texas Education Agency (2008, September 15). Campus Statewide Summary by Key Area. Retrieved from http://starchart.esc12.net/docs/campusSWSummarybyKA20072008.pdf
S Ta R Chart for Franklin Elementary
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S Ta R Chart for Franklin Elementary
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
PreK Technology Application TEKS and the foundation to continual learning
Technology Application TEKS are listed for grade clusters Kinder through 12th grade. Each cluster has 4 strands that detail student expectations for technology knowledge and use. However the most important in my opinion are the standards listed for PreK students. These standards lay the foundation similarly to any other academic, social, and emotional learning.
PreKinder guidelines are given to assist teachers in building a technical knowledge base and this helps the students develop a multitude of skills. Social and emotional development are crucial to determine school readiness. The PreKinder technology TEKS detail various outcomes for young students. There are four skill outcomes in the Social and Emotional Developmental domain. Young students are able to build self-concept, self control, social competence, and social awareness when they participate in a technical class community. The second domain of Language and Communication are essential to integrating technology into daily routines and interactions. Listening comprehension, speaking, speech production, vocabulary skills, and sentence structure skills are built to encourage students to understand and use language as a form of communication. Young student skills are also impacted in emergent literacy in the areas of reading and writing. They learn about forms, features, and functions of reading and writing when the teacher serves as a model and the students are encouraged to participate in early writing activities. The PreKinder students build motivation to write, learn to convey meaning, form letter skills, and build concepts about print when they are invited into the technical world in the classroom.
Technology Application TEKS begin in identifying the basic student expectations in PreK and continue to utilize that knowledge to spiral and link previous learning to enhance technical skills. For instance, PreK students are expected to use and name a variety of computer input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, voice/sound recorder and CD-ROM listed under TEK(X)(A)(2). Learning these skills allow that learning to be scaffolded to learning in Kindergarten and continuing grade level domains. They learn at an early age to expand their ability to acquire information, solve problems, and communicate with others. Students in Kinder through 12th grades are expected to do the same. §126.2. Technology Applications, Kindergarten-Grade 2 (b)(2)(a) state that the student is expected to use a variety of input devices in building their data input skills. The mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, voice/sound recorder and CD-ROM are listed and scanners and digital video are added. Disk drives and modems are added to the foundations list in §126.3. Technology Applications, Grades 3-5 (b)(2)(a). The continuum embraces previous learning and allows for continual growth in these skills. With the appropriate foundation built in PreKinder, young students will be more apt to use previous skills to enhance their learning in many subject areas.
PreKinder guidelines are given to assist teachers in building a technical knowledge base and this helps the students develop a multitude of skills. Social and emotional development are crucial to determine school readiness. The PreKinder technology TEKS detail various outcomes for young students. There are four skill outcomes in the Social and Emotional Developmental domain. Young students are able to build self-concept, self control, social competence, and social awareness when they participate in a technical class community. The second domain of Language and Communication are essential to integrating technology into daily routines and interactions. Listening comprehension, speaking, speech production, vocabulary skills, and sentence structure skills are built to encourage students to understand and use language as a form of communication. Young student skills are also impacted in emergent literacy in the areas of reading and writing. They learn about forms, features, and functions of reading and writing when the teacher serves as a model and the students are encouraged to participate in early writing activities. The PreKinder students build motivation to write, learn to convey meaning, form letter skills, and build concepts about print when they are invited into the technical world in the classroom.
Technology Application TEKS begin in identifying the basic student expectations in PreK and continue to utilize that knowledge to spiral and link previous learning to enhance technical skills. For instance, PreK students are expected to use and name a variety of computer input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, voice/sound recorder and CD-ROM listed under TEK(X)(A)(2). Learning these skills allow that learning to be scaffolded to learning in Kindergarten and continuing grade level domains. They learn at an early age to expand their ability to acquire information, solve problems, and communicate with others. Students in Kinder through 12th grades are expected to do the same. §126.2. Technology Applications, Kindergarten-Grade 2 (b)(2)(a) state that the student is expected to use a variety of input devices in building their data input skills. The mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, voice/sound recorder and CD-ROM are listed and scanners and digital video are added. Disk drives and modems are added to the foundations list in §126.3. Technology Applications, Grades 3-5 (b)(2)(a). The continuum embraces previous learning and allows for continual growth in these skills. With the appropriate foundation built in PreKinder, young students will be more apt to use previous skills to enhance their learning in many subject areas.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Long Range Technology Plan
The Long Range Technology Plan helps various groups of people identify tasks or goals that will help integrate technology into our classrooms. It is imperative that our school children become proficient technology users and learn that inquiry is what keeps us all as continual learners. The Texas Board of Education, local education agencies, and even parents, communities, and the private sector have been identified as groups that can positively impact both teacher and student integration of technology and learning. The plan thoroughly describes what each group can do to support schools in getting students ready to be 21st century digital learners. This is helpful since the plan will be implemented in stages and will be used to improve technology use on campuses.
Understanding that teachers must be comfortable learning about and utilizing technology has to be in the forefront of teacher preparation programs and local education agencies. Teachers serve as the models and encourage student actions. Teachers must see the relevance in using technology in their lessons to encourage and promote student engagement, construct meaning, and lesson relevancy. Students are expected to be proficient technology users by grade eight, so technology must be introduced and encouraged early on in a student's learning.
This information will assist me as an instructional leader since I will be encouraging and ensuring that teachers get what they need to be comfortable, willing, proficient users of technology.
Leaders cannot have the expectation of teachers to use technology if the teachers are not given adequate resources or experiences with technology. Principals must ensure that there is an adequate amount of budget dedicated to technology yearly. There also must be emphasis on keeping technology current and updated. Budget is also necessary to encourage professional learning in this area. Teachers must be expected to participate in professional development, but must be encouaraged and rewarded for doing such. Documentation of continuing professional development hours, the giving of technology software or applications, and recognition will help educators see the importance and relevance of incorporating technology in the classroom. Inviting the community to become more technology proficient will also help encourage students use and relevance. Inviting parents to take a computer course at the school or offering open times for community computer use will help teach adults the importance of being a comfortable technology user. So many things can be done on the computer now and since many of our community parents do not have computers at home, they can be taught where to access such resources and encouraged to visit local libraries or colleges to continue computer education and use.
Understanding that teachers must be comfortable learning about and utilizing technology has to be in the forefront of teacher preparation programs and local education agencies. Teachers serve as the models and encourage student actions. Teachers must see the relevance in using technology in their lessons to encourage and promote student engagement, construct meaning, and lesson relevancy. Students are expected to be proficient technology users by grade eight, so technology must be introduced and encouraged early on in a student's learning.
This information will assist me as an instructional leader since I will be encouraging and ensuring that teachers get what they need to be comfortable, willing, proficient users of technology.
Leaders cannot have the expectation of teachers to use technology if the teachers are not given adequate resources or experiences with technology. Principals must ensure that there is an adequate amount of budget dedicated to technology yearly. There also must be emphasis on keeping technology current and updated. Budget is also necessary to encourage professional learning in this area. Teachers must be expected to participate in professional development, but must be encouaraged and rewarded for doing such. Documentation of continuing professional development hours, the giving of technology software or applications, and recognition will help educators see the importance and relevance of incorporating technology in the classroom. Inviting the community to become more technology proficient will also help encourage students use and relevance. Inviting parents to take a computer course at the school or offering open times for community computer use will help teach adults the importance of being a comfortable technology user. So many things can be done on the computer now and since many of our community parents do not have computers at home, they can be taught where to access such resources and encouraged to visit local libraries or colleges to continue computer education and use.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Technology Skills Assessment and Reflection - Assignment 1
It was very easy to assess my own personal technology skills and evaluate how technology is valued on my campus. Teacher technology resources and the lack of opportunities for student computer use has long been a topic of discussion on my elementary campus.
In completing the Technology Applications Inventory, it became very evident that I have some knowledge and skill in computer use but overall need to increase my knowledge and use of technology both inside and outside of the classroom. In the foundations domain, I felt comfortable in creating, saving, and sharing files. I am able to perform basic software application functions, can keyboard, and use correct standards. I have limited experience in creating video files, editing, audio, and other productivity tools.
The lengthy State Educational Technology Directors Association Teacher and Administrator surveys allowed for me to truly evaluate how much time and effort I include technology in my instruction. To my knowledge, teachers are only given the STAR chart once yearly to evaluate the current technology on campus. Other than this evaluation, I do not believe that data is collected to determine if technology impacts student achievement. A typical student on our campus spends about one hour a week using technology. For the most part, this is when the class has been scheduled to come into the computer lab to work on web based software that the district has purchased. Teachers individually decide how to integrate technology into their teaching. Being that each grade level has one laptop and LCD projector, teachers have to share and plan when and if technology will be used. Since most find it difficult and timely, less than 20% of our campus educators use technology to impact student learning. Teachers are not rewarded for professional development efforts and are not given sufficient updated technology resources inside of the classroom. Only the librarian and a small group of teachers take workshops to learn about best practices with technology.
I need to further my knowledge and skills in productivity tools, audio, video, and web use. I feel comfortable with word processing, emailing, and PowerPoint, and use these skills very often for my classroom. I have yet to need to use audio, video, and more complex technological tools since computer use and resources are extremely limited on my campus. My computer at home has more recent and updated software than the computers on campus. I agree with the assessments and feel that I will be more apt to take professional development in this area so that I can impact student achievement and model computer use.
In completing the Technology Applications Inventory, it became very evident that I have some knowledge and skill in computer use but overall need to increase my knowledge and use of technology both inside and outside of the classroom. In the foundations domain, I felt comfortable in creating, saving, and sharing files. I am able to perform basic software application functions, can keyboard, and use correct standards. I have limited experience in creating video files, editing, audio, and other productivity tools.
The lengthy State Educational Technology Directors Association Teacher and Administrator surveys allowed for me to truly evaluate how much time and effort I include technology in my instruction. To my knowledge, teachers are only given the STAR chart once yearly to evaluate the current technology on campus. Other than this evaluation, I do not believe that data is collected to determine if technology impacts student achievement. A typical student on our campus spends about one hour a week using technology. For the most part, this is when the class has been scheduled to come into the computer lab to work on web based software that the district has purchased. Teachers individually decide how to integrate technology into their teaching. Being that each grade level has one laptop and LCD projector, teachers have to share and plan when and if technology will be used. Since most find it difficult and timely, less than 20% of our campus educators use technology to impact student learning. Teachers are not rewarded for professional development efforts and are not given sufficient updated technology resources inside of the classroom. Only the librarian and a small group of teachers take workshops to learn about best practices with technology.
I need to further my knowledge and skills in productivity tools, audio, video, and web use. I feel comfortable with word processing, emailing, and PowerPoint, and use these skills very often for my classroom. I have yet to need to use audio, video, and more complex technological tools since computer use and resources are extremely limited on my campus. My computer at home has more recent and updated software than the computers on campus. I agree with the assessments and feel that I will be more apt to take professional development in this area so that I can impact student achievement and model computer use.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
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