Part 2, Assignment 2

My school prides itself on being an Academically Recognized school, starting new programs, and having several advanced ratings on the STaR chart. With that said, I believe it is very difficult to maintain such a high level of achievement while continuing to do what we have always done in the past. The learning and teaching is changing everyday so we need teachers that are changing with those trends. The area of the STaR chart that I am going to focus on is the Educator Preparations and Development. This area includes improving the skills of students currently in the education programs at universities as well as providing professional development for current teachers.

Currently progress with most districts is at the developing stage in this area and the progress from year to year has not been raised at a significant rate (<1%). The number of districts at the early stage has continued to decrease each year but the number of districts at the target area has dropped and only includes about .7% of all schools. About 24% of the budget of a district is used in this area. Although that is a great deal of the budget, it appears that the amount of money spent has not helped to raise the use of technology in the classroom. My district has continued to make progress in this area each year but needs to continue to focus on this area in order to reach the Target area.

Part of why we have continued to improve is because of the new technology that has been installed at our school and the training that has been provided. I believe this is directly related to the type of professional development that is being offered at a school and at the district level. We must get away from professional developments that are product based and begin having professional developments that are student based. In addition, these professional developments need to be hands on and focused on how we can use the product in the classroom. Having the technology at our school is great but many of the products were introduced to us at the beginning of the year and we were simply taught how to use them. Ideally, we need a day to "play" with the equipment so that we are even aware of the capabilites of the products and how we can apply that to our classroom. At some point the number of products we buy needs to slow down and we need to utilize what we have to continue challenging students and seeing technology as an instrument to help us teach, not as another class to teach.

In order to get to that Target area we need to align the TEKS with the technology and continue to write curriculum that has regular technology-supported learner-centered projects. The amount of money used for professional development also needs to increase to 30% of the budget.

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Power Point For Star Chart

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Pre-K Technology Application TEKS

The Pre-K TEKS are written to prepare children to become 21st century learners. The TEKS include using and navigating through a variety of software, accessing information through technology, and using vocabulary such as mouse, keyboard, touch screen, and CD. These are the basic skills that allow children to begin using the technology that is available to them and to prepare them for their future use with technology.

One of the TEKS that is repeated grades PK - 8 is the keyboard. The foundation is set in PK where they show mastery by just knowing and identifying the keyboard. In grades K-2 they begin using the keyboard by inputting information through the keyboard. This allows multiple opportunities throughout the years to acquired the necessary skills for the next skill. In grades 3-5 students are required to use proper keyboarding techniques and again are given three years to master their skills. Grades 6-8 require students to demonstrate keyboarding proficiency in technique and posture while building speed. Each year the skills scaffold from the previous year with several years to master the skill.

Long Range Plan

The long range plan is a very comprehensive and data driven plan. As a teacher, I knew there were TEKS but had no idea of the thought that had put into the writing of the TEKS. The long term plan is very detailed and is written as a vision for the learner of the 21st century. It is divided into sections that detail the recommendations of the four major areas of the plan. That is the teaching and learning; educator preparation and development; leadership, administration, and instructional support; and infrastructure for technology. Each of these groups have goals to help achieve learners that are prepared for the 21st century.

This plan would help me as an administrator because it identifies ways in which a variety of people are able to help prepare learners in technology. It divides duties per say, for each group so that we are able to achieve the goals that are presented in the long term plan. As a teacher, we don't often see the whole picture but more of just our job. This plan opens up that window to help me see that their are a multitude of people responsible for creating 21st century learners.

Technology Assessments

Being a teacher for over 15 years, I thought that I had learned many aspects of technology and had been kept "up to date" with professional development and self training. I am also a very TEKS driven teacher so am aware of the technology TEKS. However, after taking the SETDA and the Rubric for Technology Use, I realize that I have some weaknesses in the technology area and that the TEKS are much broader then I first thought.

The Technology Applications Inventory is divided into four areas of Foundations, Information Acquistion, Solving Problems with Technology Tools, and Communication. My strength was in the area of Foundations. These are primarily the tools that I use on a daily basis and teach my students. Therefore, I have the greatest amount of confidence and tend to get better at what I know rather than learning new things.

The area in which I am weakest was Solving Problems with Technology Tools. This area uses many specific products to help create and integrate. There were many products that I was not familiar with and I'm not sure if that is because our school doesn't do much with those products or I have just chosen not to learn them.

The SETDA survey had more to do with technology at our school than what I know. Overall, we have a great technology department but we still lack professional development. We are like the school in the article that let products drive our professional development. We are starting to collect data for technology but are still in the beginning stages of collecting that data. I thought an interesting word in the survey was "expectation". The question referred to how much teachers are expected to use the computers and what products the teachers are expected to use. Our administration and district buys many products but as of yet has not set any expectations for teachers usage.

Overall, I believe that these surveys are a very accurate picture of what I know about technology and what are school is doing with technology. It also shows me that I have much to learn about technology and that in order to lead a school, I have a great deal more to learn.

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