Week 3: Web Conference

The Week 3 Web Conference made me overwhelmed.  First, I couldn't figure out why my view from my webcam was blurry.  Second, I had not had a chance to review the internship handbook; which made me feel very lost.  Third, being able to look ahead on what is coming for the next week is a desire, but it is very time consuming.

I solved the webcam "being blurry" problem.  I have a new computer.  The protective coating was still on the internal camera lens.  Talk about kids being sharp, my four year old looked really close and says, "Mom, what is this?," as he peels it off.  I really felt like I had a "duh" moment.

Hopefully, this next week, things will not be as busy with my mom and the remodeling of my house.  I need to delve into the material we have covered and will be covering to just get peace of mind.

Week 2: Web Conference

Week 2 Web Conference was a great example of how to use web conferencing with students. I enjoy "putting a face" to the name of the other students enrolled in the class and learning about them and their goals.  Web conferences allow the professor a set time to explain specific projects and answer questions.

 This virtual opportunity helps conserve time and energy.  Web conferencing could be used within school districts, especially larger districts.  Instead of having to set up a meeting place, make transportation arrangements, and using travel time; a web conference can help these administrators conduct the meeting and take care of the business at hand.

Also, it is beneficial to listen to the questions of others.  Most of the time, I have the same questions or hadn’t even consider the questions.  The time spent learning about and experiencing web conferencing allows the students to understand the process for activities later in our professional careers.

Week 1: Web Conference (10/5/11)

    Web Conferencing on Wednesday, October 5, 2001, marks a great day.  It allowed me to mark something off my Bucket List.  For the first time in history, I participated in a video discussion, successfully. 
     I felt success when I managed to navigate within the software.  Viewing a tutorial prior to the actual "live" conference was very helpful.  There were a few awkward moments, some lag time, and opportunities for patience.  My biggest challenge is to keep my children from interrupting this activity.  They are fascinated by this concept.

Blog Posting #3 – National Educational Technology Plan

“The National Education Technology Plan, Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology, calls for applying the advanced technologies used in our daily personal and professional lives to our entire education system to improve student learning, accelerate and scale up the adoption of effective practices, and use data and information for continuous improvement. “   U.S. Department of Education, (2010). National education technology plan 2010. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010

There are goals of the plan focus on five essential areas.  These areas are:  Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure, and Productivity.  Within these areas, let’s focus on the area of teaching and learning.  The learning module emphasizes the words “engage” and “empower”.  This is a passive demand for teachers to develop lessons that are student-centered and involves the use of digital tools.  These lessons should be relevant to student’s lives and meaningful.  Students will not be able to fulfill the above statement with the continued practices of the past.  In the professional world, adults are using blogs, wikis, and digital content to develop and create projects.  It is important to prepare these students for this world by teaching them using these digital tools.

Usually plans look “perfect” on paper.  In order for a written plan to be successful, those implementing the ideas need to be positive and work in a manner that will make the end result beneficial to the educational environment.  With the vast onset of digital tools, funds need to be available to purchase the required equipment for student learning.  If the funds are not available, businesses need to make the commitment to invest in the future workforce of this country by helping to make the funds available.

Blog Posting #2 – School or District Technology Plan

     Granger ISD’s School Technology Plan serves a joint campus of a high school, junior high, and elementary.  To serve these students and provide connectivity several goals were determined and strategies were development to meet these goals. Goals include ensure access and equity for all students, provide appropriate and effective professional development, ensure integration of appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching, provide opportunities for community and family development, and provide necessary infrastructure to support learning and administration functions.
     On campus & off campus professional development in technology is offered.  Funds area available to attend other technology trainings for administration, staff, and paraprofessionals.  The Technology Director sends emails containing information about updated technologies and webinars.
     The Technology Director assesses the infrastructure performance so that there is not a disruption of technology use during student instruction.  Also, the Technology Director budgets funds that are allocated for the purpose of supplementing outside funding.  Monitoring technology activities that are used to ensure compliance with the Technology plan is done by the Technology Director.  This individual monitors use of the computers and digital tools that are available on campus for staff and paraprofessionals.  In addition, there are assessment charts that help document the level of compliance or the new for adjustment.
      There is a definite correlation in the technology plan for it to be part of the E-Rate application.  The goal areas are also reflective of the STaR Assessments that are located on the TEA website.  Following these resources examples and guidelines allows for a solid plan that will contribute to the success of student learning.

 
Granger ISD School Technology Plan (2010)

Blog Posting #1 – Technology Assessments

          Technology assessments are snapshots of the knowledge and capabilities of teachers and students in the area of digital tools. In order to better serve the needs of each group, data is needed to give a foundation to consider the specific need.  Texas has the benefit of a technology assessment tool, Texas STaR Chart that is aligned with the Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2007.

The result of an assessment, such as the Texas Teacher STaR Chart, delivers information to make better decisions for the district.  If evaluated closely, by individual teacher, the comprehension of the digital world can be discovered.  When looking at this tool, several questions must be asked.  What was the teacher’s frame of mind when completing the assessment?  Did the teacher understand what was being assessed and how it could better his/her skills or availability of digital tools?  Do the veteran teachers understand the terminology being used in the assessment?  If the answer to these questions is an optimistic realm, than an accurate process to collect data has occurred.  However, if the answer is in the pessimistic realm uncovers itself, then better communication or attitudes need to be assessed before accurate information can be gathered.

Student technology assessment can help education in three areas:  accountability data, identify student strength & weaknesses, and discover the best digital tools for classroom teaching strategies.  An educator could benefit greatly from accurate testing results. 

The learner centered environment could become a reality for school districts with accurate results.  It should be emphasized to both groups the importance of the assessment to better the learning environment by enhancing it with digital tools.

Texas Education Agency, Instructional Materials and Educational Technology Division. (2006). The star chart. Retrieved from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/starchart