Final thoughts?

This course I thought gave a quick wake up call on what a master’s level class was going to be like. I always felt that I was good with technology but not foolish to think that I know everything that there is. There are a lot of technology applications available and so much to learn that if you slack off any that it is easy to be left behind. I think that working with blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds has a lot of potential in the classroom. I was never a fan of these because I never had the urge to tell everybody what I was doing at every point in my life. I realize that blogs and wikis can be used for this but it is not the only thing that they have to be used for. My attitude changed since I think that I would like to consider working as a Director of Technology for a district instead of jumping straight to the college world.

Discouraged? Whatever...well, maybe a little...

It seems to me that this course had the following trip format; I immediately had to climb a mountain and then decide if going thru the mountain range was worth continuing on. I eventually was able to do so but at the very end with the Internship Draft I was feeling not nearly as confident as I was for Weeks two through four. I was unsure on how to create the plan but after coming up with some possible activities I am glad I did as I gained a better feel to what was expected. This being my first online and first master’s course, I did not know what to expect. As the class went on, Dr. Abshire and especially Sarah were great in helping out and with Sarah’s help I was finally able to reach the platform that I need to be in. I think they both did great and I thank them for their assistance.

Problems?

I am not sure about the outcomes that I have not achieved. A lot of things that were presented is still very new to me so finding a way to implement them into my personal teaching style is going to take some time. I am unsure about the use of wikis in the classroom as far as creating them. I am also unfamiliar with the RSS feeds and think that all of these tolls have some great gains to be made but it all comes down to tweaking to fit my personal teaching style. Time is a huge factor as well on trying to implement the previously mentioned tools. I am also a high school  math teacher so there is a lot of pressure for the upcoming TAKS test, even more so this year due to the test counting for two years. It seems that trying to effectively balance my time between the two is becoming my largest challenge by far.

Relevent to the classroom?

Using what I have learned so far in the classroom does have some relevance. I am trying to get my Pre Cal PAP students to use a blog on the district website to post questions and help each other out when I cannot be there personally. By using the blog, students can ask questions and if someone has the answer then it is quick feedback for students instead of waiting to be back in class whenever that is going to be. Plus, I can see the posts from home and respond if necessary. The drawback was that the blog just became available about a month into the school year so it was not fully used by students. I think I would have much more success with it if I had started at the beginning of the year instead of at the end. Wikis and RSS I am still shaky about using but I am willing to try them out and make changes as I go.

My Outcomes Envisioned for EDLD 5306

From the very beginning I was only looking to find what I thought would be an easy Master’s program as I only wanted it so I can have the Master’s title to get out of education and enter the college world with Residence Life. I had no aspirations to use the knowledge that I had gained since I did not want to be in education anymore. Now that I have survived the first course I do think that I would be interested in this as a career option. I enjoy technology and I enjoy teaching but the pressures of TAKS and kids not wanting to improve themselves can take a toll on a person. I think that this course did a good job of getting your feet wet on what is out there and available. I was not familiar with blogs and wikis but I can see how using these tools in the classroom could be beneficial in reaching students of today.

edld 5306 week 2

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Week 2 Blog #3

The NETP has created five goals to accomplish the task to reach all learners. The first is to engaging and empowering experiences inside and outside the classroom. To accomplish this NETP recommends revising the current standards and objectives and integrating technology to meet the needs of the 21^st Century learner. The second goal is to assess what is being taught to gain data for continuous improvement all across the board. By doing this the goal would be to implement items that students respond to have assessments on the knowledge the students have obtained. The third goal is to give educators the support with technology that they need to inspire students in the classroom. In order to accomplish this, educators can collaborate in groups all over the world to share information on what they have discovered to maximize the efficiency in the classroom. The fourth goal is for everyone to have access to internet inside and outside of school. By doing this we can create opportunities for students to further their understanding of concepts and build upon them. The fifth goal deals with productivity to maximize the use of technology with money, time and staff. In order to accomplish this it is suggested that everyone is on the same page as far as productivity is concerned with and to rethink how we are using the available sources to become more efficient.

Overall, it seems that the National Educational Technology Plan wants a lot of collaboration and student led learning with the teacher being a mediator not a direct teacher. I feel that this is the way that education is going and with all the technological advances this is possible. Since this is still a fairly new idea there will be a lot of bumps on the road in order to effectively implement this into the classroom. My only concern is that it is easy to put ideas such as this onto paper, but executing it is a whole new ball game. At the moment, the state already has a specific curriculum guideline with the TEKS that teachers are REQUIRED to follow and cover. I know that in my classroom getting everything covered in time for the school year along with all other responsibilities is almost an impossible task. If we are going to go this direction then what parts are going to be changes from our current requirements?

Week 2 Blog #2

The following are four general goals of the Weatherford ISD 2010 - 2013 technology plan concerning teaching and learning, educator preparation and development, administrative and support services, and infrastructure for technology. Overall I feel that these goals can be accomplished by our district that I feel overall we are farther ahead than most districts in the state of Texas.

The Goal that will be addressed for Teaching & Learning:

Promote the integration of technology throughout the curriculum.

The Goal that will be addressed for Educator Preparation & Development:

Provide opportunities for faculty, staff, and all administrators to develop and maintain technology skills.

The Goal that will be addressed Administration & Support Services:

Provide effective leadership and support for the district to insure the integration of technology into curriculum and instruction with effective and efficient practices.

The Goal that will be addressed Infrastructure for Technology:

Maintain an effective and reliable infrastructure for network telecommunications and learning.

As far as the area of professional development, each campus has a Campus Technologist that can provide trainings over workshops that they attended and also information presented at the TCEA conference that they are able to attend. The campus also offers training through the district online and in class at the district services building. As far as the budget is concerned there is a stipend for all Campus technologists and money set asode to attend the conference as well as hired district staff. To evaluate the procedures there are online surveys and a count of the number of training sessions the Campus Technologist provides.

In the telecommunications department, all students and teachers have access to high speed internet. Also, the internet has been recently upgraded to provide more speed and functionality to improve performance. There is also a 1:1 ratio to telephones and an automated attendant to feed phones calls to the appropriate department. On average each classroom has a minimum of two computers hooked up to the server to access any information needed. On average, the student to computer ratio is around 2.48:1. Progress is measured due to surveys of STAR charts and evaluations of professional development of each course taken.

Budgeting is forecasted up to 2013 broken down by the following parts: staff development, telecommunications, supplies, equipment, maintenance, and miscellaneous expenses. Most of the funding will come from local funds and the district will continue this until it meets TEA target equipment ratios. Overall, each category is allowed so much to use and cannot go over budget. We are also hoping to buy items in bulk to help alleviate a lot of the costs.

Week 2 – Blog #1

Assessing student and teachers technology skill levels is very important since you need to know the skill levels of the group that you are addressing. For teachers, how you present new technology and try to have them integrate into the classroom can be tricky. Most teachers feel that they have enough items on their plate and now you are adding something new. If you do not know that your targeted group has a high skill level with technology and you talk down to them, they will feel insulted and have a negative attitude to what you are presenting, even if it is a very helpful tool to use in the classroom. Likewise, if you teach at too high of a level when your targeted group is low then it does not matter how great your presentation is, the teachers will feel lost and frustrated to use the new tool in the classroom.

The same can be said of the students, they may have a high level of technology but the application could be lacking. For instance, a student will know how to search the internet for a piece of information. As a teacher this may show that they have an advanced skill with technology, but are they checking to see if the source is reliable? The student may be going straight to Wikipedia and see that the information is provided, but they may not know that anyone can go in and change the information on that topic as a joke. The next thing you know your student is turning in a paper that says there are 4 planets in our solar system and everything rotates around Neptune, the closest planet to the sun.

As a presenter, you should be constantly assessing what your audience knows and does not know, whether that be fellow staff or students. A short little pre-test can be given over the topic to see how you present the topic. By knowing what your audience is capable of will determine how basic and deep you will present your topic or if more sessions are needed to get the full effect of what you have presented can do.

 

 

 

Web Conference – 11/23/10

This was my first web conference and I must say I actually thought it was very interesting. When we are able to do things like this and to see the potential of what technology can provide, I find it very exciting. It would be great to be able to do this in the classroom but due to bandwidth and what the students have at home this could provide to be very difficult for the time being. With that being said, give it a few years and the way cell phones are going we will be able to have web conferences on the way to school or just walking down the street. I do feel better about the course after having the conversations online and I do thank Dr. Abshire for answering as many questions that she did and knowing that the university wants us to succeed is nice to know. I would like to see how the Facebook helps with our assignments to work together and help out with the confusion over the course. I do feel that things will go much better once we get used to the expectations and the flow of things.