When this course began, I did not realize the connection to technology integration. I thought it was just another course on being an effective instructional leader. I was pleasantly surprised to learn what I have about blogging, using wikis, and the ramifications of utilizing technology effectively and seamlessly in today’s classrooms. No longer can I sit back and wait for the technology craze to go away. It is here to stay and I had better get on board or move out of the way. I am more comfortable with the concept of utilizing technology in new ways. Granted, I will need extensive training to become adept at it, but there will always be new technology to learn about, I might as well start now with small steps. The scary thing is, I feel inept at using technology, but am actually quite a few steps ahead of some of my coworkers. Teachers, especially elementary teachers, must do some catching up if we want to have any head start on our 6-9 year olds.

Once I got a better understanding of the outcomes intended from this course, I knew I was headed for a challenge. While setting up a blog was “easy”, learning how to convert and embed content was challenging for me. I am proud of the fact that I was successful on the assignment, but still have not set up a blog for my third graders to use. That is in the plans for next semester. Working around the lack of technology at home, for my students, makes it more difficult to get excited about implementing some of these new ways to communicate. I am still concerned with the maturity level of my students and their ability to utilize a blog effectively. I know that extensive instruction in online safety must begin before we attempt any blogging. Keeping parents informed of our online adventures is also a necessity.

This course showed how important instructional leadership is in relation to supporting the use of technology. Utilizing new equipment and software is outside most teachers’ comfort zones. They need supported in their attempts to try something new. We can all learn from our mistakes and think of the learning the students will achieve when they see their teacher try something new and maybe make some mistakes along the way. I know that as a campus leader, I will have to be knowledgeable of the technology options and have some knowhow in its implementation before I can expect my teachers to be willing to venture out and be risk takers. The adage of practice what you preach really does hit home for an administrator. We should not ask someone to do something we are not willing to do ourselves.

In regard to actually completing the assignments for this course, I feel I was successful aside from the overwhelming amount of discussion posts. I did have to complete all my work at home where I have a large monitor and very fast internet access. The converting of the files to embed in the blog would have taken forever using the network at school. That network is quite frustrating at times. It is safer to do any surfing, research, or downloads at home then “transport” the data to the school computer due to the speed and unreliability of the wireless network at times. This frustration with the hardware is the cause of most teachers steering away from any attempts to integrate technology into their teaching. The only discussion board in which I participate is related to this coursework. I need to venture out and find others related to my interests, or one for future administrators. I doubt most teachers with which I work have set up a blog, or participate in discussions beyond Facebook.

The value of blogging to a 21st century learner is that it allows them to integrate technology which they are familiar with into their school day, a rather unpopular aspect of their lives. Blogging allows them to communicate with students around the world and experience points of view that they would never have otherwise encountered. Students are more likely to type and text responses to questions rather than use pen and paper, so this allows them their “freedom” to express their thoughts and in their own unique way. Before these students can be let loose to blog, they must be made aware of the dangers they may encounter on the web. No longer is it just “stranger danger” they need to watch out for. The danger may appear to be quite friendly and safe under cover of the internet. They need to be taught strategies to recognize threats as well as ways to keep their information safe. Pen names and restricting personal information that is used are essential to staying safe.

I do feel I have grown as an educator and as a leader from this course. It has forced me out of my comfort zone and made me try things I would probably not have experienced otherwise.

Technology Integration Plan

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Technology Integration Plan

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I want to discuss the area of Educator Preparation. This segment of the Long Range Plan involves the professional development experiences of teachers, the access they have to professional development, whether it be district based, or online, personal capabilities of teachers, and their levels of understanding and the patterns of use of technology. This area is the lowest rated area for my campus. We achieved the rating of developing tech. It has improved only slightly over the last three years. We are in the majority though as 74.2 percent of campuses on the Campus Statewide Summary by Key Area rate Educator Preparation as developing tech. The next highest group is 19.9 percent at advanced tech so it seems that overall, progress is being made, but I do not think it is happening as quickly as it could be. This is where the Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support section comes in to play. Without the appropriate encouragement, teachers are not going to be willing to give up time and put effort into something they do no feel like there is support to do. To remedy this issue, districts need to offer staff development that pertains to all grade levels if they intend for elementary teachers to be interested in technology integration. Campuses need to make time for collaboration to take place. Those few teachers who have training can assist interested teachers begin the steps to utilize technology more effectively. Each campus has funding allotted to staff development. If administrators could send a few responsible representative to technology related workshops, those people could share what was learned with the rest of the staff. It seems the few people who know a little about technology on my campus seem to want to keep that info to themselves rather than teach others and spread the knowledge. These attitudes need addressed if we want teachers to participate in bettering their use of technology.

The Pre-K student are expected to know the terminology related to the input of information into the computer. They also must be familiar with the names of the technological devices that make our everyday living easier. They need to be able to use a mouse effectively and navigate through a software program. They are supposed to be able to express ideas with drawing programs. They need to be able to learn from the technology being used. These basic skills, when introduced effectively will allow the Kindergarten teachers to build upon and expand the learning. A spiraling curriculum does just that, starts out with basic skills that are reviewed each subsequent year with additional expectation added on. The foundation is laid early, then skills are compounded in difficulty each year. An example from the TEKS would be "The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of hardware components, software programs, and their connections." This is from the Kinder TEKS, but is repeated in the 3-5 level. The students move from being familiar with, to demonstrating knowledge of to being proficient in the use of the equipment. The skill started out small and basic, but grew in expectation at each level.

The Long-Range Plan for Technology has some extreme expectations when you look at the resources available in most school districts. About the time computers are installed and working efficiently, they are outdated. I realize my ignorance of the expectations. I saw the infrastructure changes taking place on my campus, but did not really know that there was a deadline for getting things updated and secure. I do know that, as an administrator, I must be willing to embrace the options for technology use and allow my staff the time needed to learn and implement them effectively. I think much more collaboration is needed where teachers who are skilled with certain equipment can train novices rather than wait for the district to offer another workshop that few attend for whatever reason. Teachers are more apt to want to do something they see someone else do rather than because they are forced to do it. My campus has made some progress, but has a long way to go. There are a few teachers who are attempting to integrate, but like me, it is still more of a novelty rather than the norm.

I used to think I had a good grip on the proper use and implementation of technology, now I realize I really do not know much at all. I can utilize the equipment at my disposal, most of the time, but not efficiently and to the extent that actually improves my teaching and the learning by my students. I do feel I am slightly more adept than those around me as my coworkers come to me for help sometimes. I feel my ability to utilize the hardware is a strength, but I need much more training in trouble shooting to solve the common problems that arise. I am very weak in regard to the standards and expectations related to technology integration and education. I am unaware of any plan my district may have, let alone any technology goals my campus may have. I have pursued some online training to learn more about some software programs, but obviously need more. The Technology Applications Inventory showed that I really did not know much, just small portions of information related to individual programs or pieces of equipment. I do not have a general knowledge related to the various programs, file formats, system requirements, platforms, etc. I am able to create a basic document, edit it, save it, and print it. I am capable of utilizing basic email, and now a blog. The State Educational Technology Directors Association Teacher Survey showed how much more I do not know regarding standards related to technology. While I have learned quite a lot of information related to technology over the last few years, It obviously is not enough to be considered proficient by any means. The technology I do use is really only on the surface, to display the math lesson each day, or occasional use of the Classroom Performance System, but rarely does this technology enhance my teaching or the learning by my students, it is more of a novelty that is fun rather than an educational tool. I need to seek out the plan and expectations for technology integration and education in my district and look for more staff development opportunities to augment my own learning. These assessments were a rude awakening of how far I still need to go to truly make the integration of technology into my classroom seamless.