Texas S Ta R Chart And Walnut Bend Elementary
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Saturday, November 28, 2009
Texas S Ta R Chart And Walnut Bend Elementary
A summary of the STaR chart for Texas and Walnut Bend Elementary.
Web Conference
I just attended my first web conference. There was some initial confusion about the time, but it all worked out. It was a really neat experience. I enjoyed seeing what some of the classmates from the discussion boards and Facebook look like. It's nice to put a face with a name.
It was nice to have direct access to the professor. I felt that she would answer any question I asked. It was also nice to get real-time input from others in the Academic Partnership program. Sometimes I feel rather isolated. Finally, I was able to get some other students' blog addresses so I can follow their blogs through this process.
Now, I feel like I need a web cam............. ;-)
It was nice to have direct access to the professor. I felt that she would answer any question I asked. It was also nice to get real-time input from others in the Academic Partnership program. Sometimes I feel rather isolated. Finally, I was able to get some other students' blog addresses so I can follow their blogs through this process.
Now, I feel like I need a web cam............. ;-)
The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology: Teaching and Learning (Week 2, Part 2)
The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology is ambitious. It is based on a vision in which all learners have 24-hour access to technology tools to provide individualized instruction, produce knowledge, solve real-world problems, use research-based strategies in all subject areas, and effectively utilize a variety of forms to communicate with a wide range of audiences.
This is certainly a wonderfully effective learning environment! As I think about my own campus, I see a few classrooms that are close to this ideal. Many more, however, are similar to the ones most people over 30 sat in years ago. The teacher is the center of attention, the students are sitting and listening. There are computers in every classroom in my school, but too many of these are used only when a student takes an Accelerated Reader test. The STaR chart data for my campus supports my opinion.
The issue of ensuring all students access to technolgy tools is somewhat controversial in my district. Our new superintendent, Dr. Terry Grier, has issued every student laptops in a previous district. There has been speculation that he will do the same here, even though there has been no official decision to do so. The comments on this have been mainly negative, consisting primarily of concerns that students or their parents will steal and sell the laptops for drug money. With such a low view of the students and their families, it is no wonder that the classrooms I see bear little resemblance to the one envisioned in the Texas Long-Range Plan.
It is my opinion that a cultural change is necessary in order for my campus to come close to achieving the goals set forth in the Long-Range Plan. I do know that at my school this cultural change is being attempted. I do see a small decrease in the negativity and resistance to change that has been pervasive on our campus for years. Fewer staff members mention "the way it used to be", yet not much discussion takes place on what we can do about the way it is. I feel that our campus is at a crossroads in this area. I remain optimistic that over the coming years our classrooms will look more like the student-led, teacher-facilitated environment set forth in the Long-Range Plan.
This is certainly a wonderfully effective learning environment! As I think about my own campus, I see a few classrooms that are close to this ideal. Many more, however, are similar to the ones most people over 30 sat in years ago. The teacher is the center of attention, the students are sitting and listening. There are computers in every classroom in my school, but too many of these are used only when a student takes an Accelerated Reader test. The STaR chart data for my campus supports my opinion.
The issue of ensuring all students access to technolgy tools is somewhat controversial in my district. Our new superintendent, Dr. Terry Grier, has issued every student laptops in a previous district. There has been speculation that he will do the same here, even though there has been no official decision to do so. The comments on this have been mainly negative, consisting primarily of concerns that students or their parents will steal and sell the laptops for drug money. With such a low view of the students and their families, it is no wonder that the classrooms I see bear little resemblance to the one envisioned in the Texas Long-Range Plan.
It is my opinion that a cultural change is necessary in order for my campus to come close to achieving the goals set forth in the Long-Range Plan. I do know that at my school this cultural change is being attempted. I do see a small decrease in the negativity and resistance to change that has been pervasive on our campus for years. Fewer staff members mention "the way it used to be", yet not much discussion takes place on what we can do about the way it is. I feel that our campus is at a crossroads in this area. I remain optimistic that over the coming years our classrooms will look more like the student-led, teacher-facilitated environment set forth in the Long-Range Plan.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Technology Applications TEKS Summary (Week 1, Part4)
Analysis of Pre Kindergarten Technology TEKS
The TEKS for technology in Pre-K consist mainly of allowing students the time and guidance to see that technology can provide information and can be used to express ideas. The use of educational software is invaluable towards this end. Using a program that is high-interest and can provide practice with academic skills is a great way to provide practice with the basic skills of navigating through a program and using hardware features such as clicking a mouse and navigating from one screen to the next. Teaching students the names for these devices satisfies the remaining TEKS.
These basic Pre-K TEKS in technology are crucial for successful performance in higher grades. Even in grades K-2 a student is expected to know how to perform the basic functions described in the Pre-K TEKS. Students in these grades are expected to produce multimedia products designed to inform a specific audience about a specific topic. Without support from the teachers in Pre-K, teachers in grades K-2 would have a much more daunting task in front of them. Students without the foundation from Pre-K would likely be lagging in skills for much of their school lives.
A Spiraling or Scaffolding Curriculum
A spiraling curriculum is one in which students are exposed to new information many times. In a spiraling (scaffolding) curriculum using technology, students would be given many opportunities to experience differing aspects of technology, then would be asked to produce an informative presentation. In a research situation, students would be shown examples of searches yielding information. Later, they would be given the opportunity to conduct their own searches, under supervision. The would be shown examples of informative Power Point presentations, then guided through the steps of producing a Power Point slide. Over time, the students would develop their own Power Point slide show to present the findings of their research. As new topics of study are introduced, new opportunities for students to use their developing technology skills automatically present themselves. Students who have accomplished the basics would be encouraged to explore more advanced facets of Power Point in this example, adding music or publishing to the class or school website.
The TEKS for technology in Pre-K consist mainly of allowing students the time and guidance to see that technology can provide information and can be used to express ideas. The use of educational software is invaluable towards this end. Using a program that is high-interest and can provide practice with academic skills is a great way to provide practice with the basic skills of navigating through a program and using hardware features such as clicking a mouse and navigating from one screen to the next. Teaching students the names for these devices satisfies the remaining TEKS.
These basic Pre-K TEKS in technology are crucial for successful performance in higher grades. Even in grades K-2 a student is expected to know how to perform the basic functions described in the Pre-K TEKS. Students in these grades are expected to produce multimedia products designed to inform a specific audience about a specific topic. Without support from the teachers in Pre-K, teachers in grades K-2 would have a much more daunting task in front of them. Students without the foundation from Pre-K would likely be lagging in skills for much of their school lives.
A Spiraling or Scaffolding Curriculum
A spiraling curriculum is one in which students are exposed to new information many times. In a spiraling (scaffolding) curriculum using technology, students would be given many opportunities to experience differing aspects of technology, then would be asked to produce an informative presentation. In a research situation, students would be shown examples of searches yielding information. Later, they would be given the opportunity to conduct their own searches, under supervision. The would be shown examples of informative Power Point presentations, then guided through the steps of producing a Power Point slide. Over time, the students would develop their own Power Point slide show to present the findings of their research. As new topics of study are introduced, new opportunities for students to use their developing technology skills automatically present themselves. Students who have accomplished the basics would be encouraged to explore more advanced facets of Power Point in this example, adding music or publishing to the class or school website.
The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology (Week 1, part 3)
The state of Texas has done an outstanding job of analyzing the need for a plan for technology. The plan encompasses every facet of technolgy acquisition and education. I was unaware of the details of this plan until I analyzed it for this assignment.
The areas of the plan describing the teaching styles necessary to implement the plan and the preparation necessary for new and veteran teachers were interesting. I think the classroom described in the plan, one of student-centered, problem-based learning, is an ideal classroom environment for any content area. This environment is the ideal which teachers should aspire to attain. It is, however, a difficult environment to maintain in reality. The preparation of educators also needs to change if we are to attain this ideal learning environment. Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace it seems that there must be an ever-changing educator preparation program, based on actual classroom experience. The current teacher preparation plan I see on my campus through the eyes of the student teachers we have is very similar to the teacher preparation plan I experienced more than a few years ago.
The one thing that kept going through my mind as I completed my analysis was the thought that this plan is difficult to fund. There seems to be almost no way to ensure that every school in Texas is able to receive the necessary funds to successfully implement this plan. In my own school district, there is a wide range of socio-economic levels in various schools. Currently, there is disparity between the assets, technological or otherwise, of schools in the same part of the city. It is hard for me to imagine how that issue can be resolved.
As an instructional leader, I will look for ways to increase the skills of the staff on my campus. I will utilize distance, or online, learning and courses designed to increase the expertise of staff. I will look for creative ways to schedule time and staff to increase the availability of qualified personnel to assist teachers in restructuring their classroom environments to more closely match the ideal classroom environment described in the Long-Range Plan. As students and staff become more accomplished I will empower them to assist other students and staff in increasing their skills. Finally, I will closely monitor funding and the existing inventory of technology devices present on my campus.
The areas of the plan describing the teaching styles necessary to implement the plan and the preparation necessary for new and veteran teachers were interesting. I think the classroom described in the plan, one of student-centered, problem-based learning, is an ideal classroom environment for any content area. This environment is the ideal which teachers should aspire to attain. It is, however, a difficult environment to maintain in reality. The preparation of educators also needs to change if we are to attain this ideal learning environment. Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace it seems that there must be an ever-changing educator preparation program, based on actual classroom experience. The current teacher preparation plan I see on my campus through the eyes of the student teachers we have is very similar to the teacher preparation plan I experienced more than a few years ago.
The one thing that kept going through my mind as I completed my analysis was the thought that this plan is difficult to fund. There seems to be almost no way to ensure that every school in Texas is able to receive the necessary funds to successfully implement this plan. In my own school district, there is a wide range of socio-economic levels in various schools. Currently, there is disparity between the assets, technological or otherwise, of schools in the same part of the city. It is hard for me to imagine how that issue can be resolved.
As an instructional leader, I will look for ways to increase the skills of the staff on my campus. I will utilize distance, or online, learning and courses designed to increase the expertise of staff. I will look for creative ways to schedule time and staff to increase the availability of qualified personnel to assist teachers in restructuring their classroom environments to more closely match the ideal classroom environment described in the Long-Range Plan. As students and staff become more accomplished I will empower them to assist other students and staff in increasing their skills. Finally, I will closely monitor funding and the existing inventory of technology devices present on my campus.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Technology Assessments Reflection
I took two assessment of my technology expertise. The results were a surprise to me!
I have always considered myself to be fairly computer literate. I use the computer at work even when there are non-computerized ways to complete a task. I've used a computerized grade book and done my lesson plans on the computer for years. I was surprised to see how much I do NOT know how to do.
The first assessment showed that my strongest area of computer use is in Information Acquisition. This is not a surprise since I research many things on an ongoing basis. My weakest area according to the first assessment is Solving Problems with Technology Tools. Most of my time on the computer is spent word processing. From time to time I might produse a Power Point slide show. I do not know how to work in Access or Excel, and my chart and graph experience is limited.
I took the second assessment as a classroom teacher. Again, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of integrating technology into my classroom, but I see that there is room for improvement. It is also evident that teachers at my school are not aware of any vision regarding technology in the district. Although several teachers at my school use technology in creative ways, they are generally not recognized for doing so.
As a principal, I would make a concerted effort to provide ongoing training on the use of technology as well as reward and recognize teachers who use technology in varied ways in their classrooms.
I have always considered myself to be fairly computer literate. I use the computer at work even when there are non-computerized ways to complete a task. I've used a computerized grade book and done my lesson plans on the computer for years. I was surprised to see how much I do NOT know how to do.
The first assessment showed that my strongest area of computer use is in Information Acquisition. This is not a surprise since I research many things on an ongoing basis. My weakest area according to the first assessment is Solving Problems with Technology Tools. Most of my time on the computer is spent word processing. From time to time I might produse a Power Point slide show. I do not know how to work in Access or Excel, and my chart and graph experience is limited.
I took the second assessment as a classroom teacher. Again, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of integrating technology into my classroom, but I see that there is room for improvement. It is also evident that teachers at my school are not aware of any vision regarding technology in the district. Although several teachers at my school use technology in creative ways, they are generally not recognized for doing so.
As a principal, I would make a concerted effort to provide ongoing training on the use of technology as well as reward and recognize teachers who use technology in varied ways in their classrooms.
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