Week 5 Assignment

Post your course reflections to your blog site. Please respond to the following reflection questions:

• What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

This course is titled Instructional Leadership in the course description available on Lamar University's website. The course description on that website states "topics include leadership related to curriculum, instruction, supervision, and theories and methods for adult learning and professional development." I was looking forward to learning these things. I feel that these are topics that are very important in the day to day life of a school administrator. It appears that Lamar intends for me to acquire this knowledge on my own.


It is important for a school administrator to understand the use and ethical issues associated with technology. Requiring us to develop a blog and make 96 posts to the discussion board is, quite possibly, not the best way to develop the understanding of these issues. I am disappointed that this class required so much time to deliver content that is in no way aligned with the course description, or with the skills I feel I will need as an administrator.

• To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

The primary outcome that I achieved in this class is that I am now able to post documents to a blog. While I have had a personae blog for some time now I have never felt compelled to post documents to it. Therefore, prior to this class I did not know how to use Silde Share. I am quite comfortable with this process now. My district does not allow students to use blogs at school, so I do not know how this knowledge will benefit me at the present time. I cannot imagine a future position that I may have in which this knowledge will be of benefit. I already considered myself proficient in technology use prior to the start of this course. It is likely that someone who was less proficient in the beginning of this class would obtain more useful knowledge from the course content.


• What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

I did not achieve most of the outcomes listed in the course description, primarily teacher evaluation, mentoring, supervision, theories and methods for adult learning and professional development, and techniques for improving instruction. While other courses may have briefly touched on a few of these topics, none has been covered in depth in my course of study. These outcomes are, in my opinion, extremely important in the development of the skills an aspiring administrator must possess.


I was prevented from achieving these outcomes by the unannounced and unexpected change in the course content. While a technology course may be helpful for some, this does not seem like the best course to cut from the program in order to accommodate such a course. Additionally, since the technology skills of the students in the course vary widely it is difficult to design a course which provides necessary training to all participants.

• Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

I believe I carried out all course assignments successfully even though it was challenging in many cases. Directions were often vague and unclear, sometimes even contradictory. I cannot imagine the difficulty the academic coaches must have faced in grading many of the assignments.


The readings and the discussion board posts related to them were excessive. Combined with the multiple-part assignments, the reading and discussion board assignments made this class extremely time-consuming. I was never really sure if we were going to be broken into smaller discussion groups or not and we didn't seem to find out before the middle of the week. Our weekly overviews would advise us to post early in the week, by Wednesday, in fact, yet our small discussion groups would not be formed until Wednesday evening. The concern over losing any posts made before Wednesday caused me to wait until later in the week to even think about posting to the discussion board.

• What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

I learned that while I considered myself proficient in technology use prior to this class, there is always room for improvement. I learned that attaching files and embedding content into a blog is not difficult. I learned that there are tools available to make nearly every technological task easier. I learned about many tools that can help me, as a parent, keep my daughter safer online.


My time management skills were definitely tested and further developed as a result of this class. I found new reinforcement in my knowledge that I am task oriented and can devote my full attention to the task at hand. Other leadership skills related to supervision, adult learning, and instructional improvement will be developed through personal study, as well as through conversations with my supervisor and mentor. I am a lifelong learner and will have little trouble devoting myself to the development of these leadership skills that are still lacking.

• What is the educational value of blogs and blogging to the 21st century learner?

Blogs and blogging have the potential to be powerful educational tools in the coming years. The ability to easily create an interactive discussion forum has tremendous potential to powerfully impact education and learning. Exchanging ideas with learners from across the globe will forever change the way our students are able to present knowledge, acquire new knowledge, and discuss knowledge.


However, with this new global learning environment it is even more important that our students are able to analyze information they receive from any source. Educators must focus on creating discerning, analytical learners who are able to synthesize the information they receive from multiple sources into a useful database. Additionally, our students must possess superior skills of problem solving and communication. In order to adequately assist our students in mastering these skills, teachers must be adept at problem solving and must possess superior communication skills. These educational tools will raise the bar for everyone involved in education.

• What are the concerns of blogs and blogging in education?

Even though blogs and blogging are potentially powerful educational tools, there are some concerns. Many school districts block most of these types of sites and current Acceptable Use Policies may prohibit their use in the classroom. Many people, both in and out of education, do not understand blogs and blogging. This lack of understanding can cause some apprehension and distrust of the process. Some of those unfamiliar with them may see these tools as little more than arenas for entertainment.


Student safety when accessing discussion forums is also a concern for many. No one involved in the education of children wishes to see them exposed to potentially inappropriate material, either online or not. Monitoring blog comments is almost a non-negotiable in their use in education for this reason. Extensive staff development to convince today's educators about the potential positive educational impact of blogs and blogging is also necessary.

• How can you use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders?

I can see blogging has the potential to be a very effective communication tool. Stakeholders would have the ability to follow the blog in order to find out what new events are happening at every school in which they are a stakeholder. The interactive nature of blogs makes it easier for teachers and administrators to effectively disseminate information and also allows them to engage in a virtual conversation about events and issues at both the campus and district levels. Stakeholders can also use blogs to suggest improvements to events and programs, and to ask questions and get a response in a timely manner. Stakeholders can also benefit from the public nature of a blog. A principal would not necessarily have to answer the same question multiple times. A stakeholder might simply go to the blog and read the existing comments to see if their question or concern has already been addressed.