Tara

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media type="custom" key="5728715" Week 5 (April 8, 2009) In this week's reflection I would like to address 21st century skills. This was not addressed specifically in Part III or Part IV, but it has been a reoccurring theme throughout the textbook and in our weekly discussions. I personally feel that we need to rethink what skills will be most important in the 21st century. A lot of time and effort seems to be focused on changing curriculum and instruction to ensure that 21st century skills are being included, but how can we be sure that the skills being addressed in classrooms today won't be appropriate 50 years from now? What skills were taught in classrooms during the 16th century? How about the 18th century? Or the 20th century? Have the skills needed for each of these centuries changed that much over time? I personally don't think so. I think creativity, collaboration, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking skills were the focus of instruction during the 16th century and can't imagine moving further into the 21st century without these skills.

Enjoy the video that was shared during a conference I attended this week...very funny! media type="custom" key="5815833"

 Week 4 (April 1, 2009)--Part III All of the districts presented in Part III seemed to lack focus when it came to implementing technology and I think this is common practice when too many initiatives are being implemented at the same time. I think this could have been avoided with an implementation audit. Administrators need to take inventory of the initiatives being implemented and make adjustments if the data collected suggests that more than six initiatives are being implemented at the same time. This will help administrators and staff members prioritize and maintain focus. Fewer initiatives leads to deeper implementation.

In addition, I think that administrators and staff members should create implementation rubrics to determine the range of implementation for a technology initiative. When Pflaum asked teachers in the same building how they were using technology in the classroom, each teacher gave a completely different response. Some teachers were simply using email and electronic grade books, while others were having their students create projects using a variety of tools. An implementation rubric would help prevent this because it would highlight expectations, provide feedback, and create a sense of purpose.

I found it very frustrating to hear over and over that none of the schools in Part III were collecting data to determine technology's influence on student performance. This leads me to believe that these schools were simply buying into technology in hopes that it would solve their problems. In order for a new initiative to be successful a framework that defines each phase of implementation should be developed. School districts cannot successfully implement a new initiative if they do not considering ALL of the phases of implementation: planning, development, implementation and monitoring. Most of the districts mentioned in Part III seemed to spend all of their energy on implementation and failed to develop a plan for monitoring. In addition, the districts mentioned could have benefited from developing a framework that defies how technology will impact the following areas: curriculum, instruction, professional development, and assessment.

Week 3 (March 25, 2010)--Part II Commitment, Less Focus St. John's High School Overall, I think St. John's technology plan had a lot of positive aspects. I like that they used on-line testing so that their students could get immediate feedback. I also thought the English teacher's way of providing feedback to his students (text/voice messages) was really creative and provided the students with a more in-depth analysis of their work. In addition, I think the district had an efficient plan for monitoring software and addressing problems with the help desk system and was glad to see that the $900 tuition increase was met with no complaints.

I think the district could have been a little more effective with their implementation plan if they would have trained their teacher's more effectively. It seemed like many of the teachers struggled to incorporate technology, especially the student laptops, and often leaned towards the low-tech end of the spectrum (PowerPoint presentations) because they weren't comfortable or familiar with the other tools.

Prior to reading about St. John's, I never really considered how the design of a building could negatively impact the implementation of a technology plan and am glad this was brought to my attention. I also have to admit that I laughed a little when the principal stated that the increase in student population was a direct result of the laptop program.

Longfellow Elementary School Although the author felt that the leadership at Longfellow Elementary helped make technology a valuable part of their school's program, I would have to disagree. How can technology contribute to the school's mission when other priorities seem to constantly cut into the technology budget? In addition, I also thought technology was being implemented at a very basic level in the Longfellow Elementary School. The activities and lessons that incorporated the use of technology were often teacher directed and only included the use of CD-ROMS.

Ludlow Springs School District While reading about Ludlow Springs, I have to admit that I was a little surprised to hear the technology coordinator say that young teachers don't know how to integrate technology into the curriculum. Most people would assume that they are the teachers who are integrating it more consistently and effectively because they are more familiar with the tools that are available, but when I think about technology being a tool that enhances the instruction already taking place this makes a lot of sense. New teachers are still "getting their feet wet" and are not confident with their methodologies or the curriculum for that matter, so how can we expect them to use technology to enhance their instruction? As for the veteran teachers, I wasn't surprised to hear that they resist integrating technology at first because this is what I have experienced first hand in my district. It is comforting to hear that some veteran teachers are embracing the idea of technology. As a future administrator, I would hope that my veteran teachers, with 20-25 years of experience, would be eager to try some new methodologies in their classrooms.

Western Hills School District I really liked how the administrators at Western Hills worked to anticipate teachers' problems. There seems to be an excellent support system in place for the teachers and the district, as a whole, seems to be using data from the past to make improvements for the future. Technology at Western Hills seems to be more of a service rather than an add-on and their plan seems to be very comprehensive. In addition, they are looking to improve their data system to make it more efficient. They seem determined to find a system that can improve what their teacher's do and how they do it.

Week 2 (March 18, 2010)--Part 1 Commitment and Focus I really enjoyed reading the first part of "The Technology Fix." I found Pflaum's observations and reflections about what is and isn't working in the schools that were introduced to be authentic and honest. In addition, I thought the suggestions that he made were realistic.

While reading about the five schools described in Part 1, I had a hard time finding a school that resembled my school district. Most of the students and teachers in my building are unengaged with technology. Computers are simply used to keep some kids occupied while teachers attend to others or administer assessments. In fact, I think the implementation of technology is lacking in my district and I do not think many teachers are even aware of our technology plan and/or vision. As a result, teachers are not getting involved in the decision making process and therefore lack the sense of ownership needed at the classroom level to make the implementation of technology worthwhile.

I'm sure that many of the administrators interviewed in Part 1 had apprehensions about making a commitment to technology, but they did not let that stop them from moving forward. Instead they were successful with the implementation of technology because they were strong leaders who communicated their vision effectively. The focused use of technological resources also allowed the administrators and teachers in each of the schools described to fully understood the programs being implemented. This not only makes it easier for teachers to make connections within the curriculum, but it also gives them a focused purpose.

Finally, I thought the chapters that discussed using computer-generated information and/or data to guide decisions in the classroom and policies was interesting. When I think about implementing technology into the classroom, I don't really think about how I can use it to process data and guide decisions regarding student progress. Instead, I think about how I can use it to capture my students' attention and support my curriculum. Considering the fact that everything is data driven these days, I really need to reevaluate how I use technology in my classroom. Computers should be valuable teaching tools and data processors that provide useful information to classroom teachers.

Week 1 (March 11, 2010)--NETS The ISTE link is full of valuable information that I definitely plan to share with my colleagues. I did not know that national education technology standards even existed prior to this assignment, which I have to admit, is a bit embarrassing. The standards developed for students truly reflect higher-order thinking skills and I actually found this comforting. I think teachers often become overwhelmed with the idea of implementing new technologies within the classroom because they fear it will take away from their core instruction time, but if they were to review these standards carefully they would realize that the purpose of educational technology is to support and/or enhance the instruction that is already taking place in our classrooms.

Although I think all of the student standards addressed critical skills, the sixth standard stood out for me because it addresses the students’ ability to transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies. This is something that we can not afford to ignore in our classrooms. We need to prepare our students for the future by providing them with learning experiences that encourage them to become critical thinkers who solve problems and transfer knowledge effectively. The “Did You Know” video that we watched in class last week reinforced the fact that our students need to learn how to apply critical thinking skills so that they can be prepared for the careers that will be available to them in 10-15 years.

The NETS for teachers provides an excellent framework for educators who are beginning to make that transition into the Digital Age. I know the rapid advances in technology can be very demanding and overwhelming to educators, but I think if teachers are willing to step outside the box they will find that the possibilities are endless. Prior to exploring this website, I have to admit that I often found myself wishing that I worked with older students so that I could implement technology more often but after viewing the “From Paper to Practice” video series for Kindergarten I quickly realized there are many possibilities even at the primary level. In addition to being more open minded, I think the first step towards making the Digital Age transition is to have a positive attitude about using technology. By modeling a positive attitude in the classroom and exposing our students to a variety of digital tools and resources we can begin to support digital age learners.

In my school district there does not seem to be a push towards making the Digital Age transition. We do not have many opportunities to participate in professional development relating to technology and when we receive new tools, software, etc. we rarely receive training. How can we be expected to demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations if we are not provided with professional development? In addition, how can our district keep up and support current and emerging technologies financially when we are constantly making cuts in the budget? Are teachers aware of the grants that are available to support instructional technology? If not, how can we help them become more informed?

As an administrator I think it is extremely important to evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning. Currently, I am unaware of my principal’s strategic plan or shared vision on technology. It is not something that has been shared in the four years that I have been working in my district, but I definitely intend to bring it up during our next mentoring meeting. That’s not to say that it is not a priority to him. We are currently implementing a variety of new initiatives and unfortunately technology is not one of them at the time. I think that educators need to be given more time to share ideas. In my building I think this could be offered during monthly faculty meetings or through the development of a wikispace developed specifically for teachers to share their ideas. I think that many teachers in my building are already doing an excellent job integrating technology into the classroom and others would really benefit from hearing their ideas. In addition, I think we would benefit from developing learning communities so that staff members could evaluate new technologies for their potential to improve student learning.


 * //Tara,

This is a superb reflection. You bring up some good points, valid frustrations and questions - some that I think you will be exploring for a while. The Digital Age Transition, as you say, can no longer be considered optional by districts. It is a must. If you would like to see some examples of primary grade wikispaces, I have some to share. We'll talk in class.

David//**

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