Wrap up with Vera Bradley

https://www.quikly.com/vera-bradley/s/WXwWOmjL?utm_content=blogger

Technology Action Plan

Job Title- Principal/SPED Coordinator
Description-Provide appropriate technology access for special student populations (SPED & enrichment).
Staff Development- District In-service days; Campus visitations
Person(s)Responsible- SPED teachers;Enrichment teachers; SPED Coordinators
Timeline- Annually
Evaluation- Implementation as per individual plans or by programs requirements.

Job Title-Campus Technology Specialist/Principals
Description-Integration of new technologies into instruction-Web 2.0 Tools, Smart Boards.
Staff Development-District In-Service days
Person(s)Rsponsible-SPED Coordinator; Campus IT Specialist
Timeline-Annually
Evaluation-Evidence of use in lesson plans and/or classroom observations.

Job Title-Principal; IT Specialist
Description-Staff members attend technology trainings and/or visit campuses where technology integration is being used effectively.
Staff Development-Technology staff developments; Campus visitations
Person(s)Responsible-Teachers; Campus administrators; Campus IT Specialists
Timeline-Quarterly
Evaluation-Reflection Reports


Job Title-Campus IT Specialist; Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Description-Expand curriculum web pages to support posting of material for students, teachers, and the community.
Staff Development-Curriculum meetings
Person(s)Responsible-Teachers; Technology Department
Timeline-Every 9 weeks
Evaluation-Development and publication of pages on district and campus websites.

Job Title-Principal; Technology Department
Description-Continue to develop, improve and enhance campus website.
Staff Development-Technology meetings
Person(s)Responsible-IT Specialist; Teachers; Students; SBDM
Timeline-Monthly
Evaluation-IT Specialist posts information to campus website


Job Title-Principal; SBDM; CIP
Description-Annual review of Technology Plan, STaR Chart, and LoTi survey results
Staff Development-Curriculum and technology meetings
Person(s)Responsible-IT Specialist; Campus administration; CIP members; SBDM members
Timeline-Annually
Evaluation-Make budgetary recommendations by February and meet in April to review technology plan for the upcoming year.

Web Conference Reflection Wk. 3

Attending this web conference was definitely an experience. At first I was a little frustrated with all of the technical difficulties, however, they eventually decreased, whereas, I was able to engage in an active learning environment. Taking part in this web conference, virtually served for me as an online learning community with my cohorts. I discovered that many of us had similar questions and/or concerns whereas the web conference served as a platform, for us to learn, ask and answer each other questions, along with sharing thoughts and experiences, instantaneously. A major value I see in participating in web conferences is the value it has on time. My cohorts and I were able to take part in this conference without having to travel beyond our homes. This would definitely be tool I would like to employ at my campus and perhaps throughout the district as an administrator, in knowing the travel and campus away time it would save, therefore, keeping me and other administrators available on the campus to handle the various tasks and operations of the campus.

Another nu way to learn!

Blog Posting #2

After reviewing the Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, I discovered that the report vastly covers the progress and impact of educational technology programs and initiatives from the period of September 2008 to August 2010. The plan is divided into two major sections. The first section covers the key areas of the LRPT and the second highlights the services provided by educational service centers as recommended in the LRPT. I found it interesting that Texas teacher’s level of progress in the area of Educator Preparation was reported at Early Tech in 2008-09 and Developing Tech in 2009-10. From my experience it has been difficult to get teachers, interested and then trained to implement technology into the classroom. Although a slight decrease, it indicates the teacher’s commitment to preparing 21st Century learners for the present and future information-rich world that awaits them. As it has been my experience, the education programs that I have taken, has prepared me tremendously with the best practices and instructional strategies, which have permitted me with countless opportunities to integrate technology into the teaching and learning process. As reported within the progress plan, Project Share- a collection of Web 2.0 tools and applications designed to build online learning communities is a program my district and local education service center utilizes and has benefitted from. With the increase of professional development courses being offered online, along with online PLC’s, personally I can attest to that this educator preparation tool has resulted in increased collaboration opportunities, ability to engage students in their digital world and most importantly improved student performance. In relation to Project Share, the LRTP progress report identified the teacher trainer model- Intel Teach Program. Currently, my district does not employ this teacher trainer model; however, I believe it is one that would be advantageous to our district, since a recent survey on technology integration, indicated that 57% of teachers learned how to integrate technology and enhanced student learning with the assistance of their colleagues.

Texas STaR Chart EDLD 5352

STaR Chart Presentation:

Texas STaR Chart EDLD 5352

View more presentations from mawilliams77.

EDLD 5352 Blog Posting #3: National Educational Technology Plan (NETP-2010) Summary and Reflection

As part of the transformation of education, being deemed an urgent priority, in working to meet the goal (s) of increasing college graduates from 39%-60%, along with closing the achievement gaps, the National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) was drafted as a model of education that is powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure and productivity. As it relates to using technology to develop educators capacity to meet the needs of 21st Century learners, it call for teachers to shift to a connected teaching model, whereas they can connect technologically to resources, which empower them to create, manage and assess engaging and relevant learning experiences, with students, teachers, as well as parents who desire to have an active role in their child’s education. In respect to learning, engaging and empowering experiences will occur in and outside of school, which will prepare all learners to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society. As it relates to professional development , in supporting the teachers in the educational technology transformation, the plan calls for education preparation programs to be powered by technology in order to close the achievement gap between students, along with promoting and enabling technology use in ways that improve learning, assessment, and instructional practices. Although the plan describes the benefits of technology innovations, I do have a concern as it relates to the plan’s assumptions of:
• Much of the failure of our education system stems from a failure to engage students.
• What students need to learn and what we know about how they learn have changed and therefore the learning experiences we provide should change.
My concern is not one of disagreement, but agreement with the plan’s based assumptions. However, with the massive budget cuts to public education, along with the elimination of technology grants here in Texas, I don’t quite see how public schools within Texas, will reach the goals of this plan, without the funding to provide educator preparation programs, technology support staff, and the infrastructure to support and provide appropriate technology for every student.

EDLD 5352 Blog Posting #1: Texas Long Range Plan for Technology-Educator Preparation and Development

Educator Preparation and Development is an area of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology that I believe is vital to the success of the mission of Texas public education today. This area of the plan addresses the need for all educators to acknowledge that we are living in a technology based society and we must equip our professional educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage and prepare the 21st Century learner for an information rich environment. On the local level, my district has employed campus technology specialists, to assist with the training of teachers with the integration of technology into their teaching and learning. Once a month, professional development trainings are held in the computer lab for teachers to learn and apply strategies they can implement to enhance learning opportunities of the 21st Century learner that would not have been possible without technology. In addition, I believe my campus is moving in the right direction, whereas, both beginning and veteran teachers are participating in more online preparation courses which ensure that they receive a variety of experiences and competencies which enable them to teach the technology-savvy students of today. A present trend at my school is the monthly meetings administrators and department chairpersons have with the campus technology specialist. As a result of these meetings, collaboration takes place, in identifying the technological needs of the campus staff in facilitating, managing and supporting the move from traditional schooling to 21st Century schooling. To adequately prepare and develop educators to meet the needs of this generation, I agree with the technology plan, that in order to promote 21st Century learning, educators must be competent in 21st Century skills. I would recommend that an innovative approach be taken to ensure the full integration of appropriate technology throughout curriculum and instruction. For example, the staff could be surveyed by the technology specialist on their current technology integration skills, and based on the responses, online learning communities and staff developments could be developed, which models current technology in instructional and administrative practices, thus enhancing the teacher-learning process.