Week 3 Paper
- 1. The STaR Chart is the single most important gauge we have to paint an accurate \" picture\" of how technology is being used in our classrooms, if our Technology TEKS are being met, and the level of comfort our teachers have with utilizing technology on a daily basis in the classroom. Professional Development can be tailored to fit each teachers need. In the past, our district has taken the STaR data and utilized specific online instruction on various topics like spreadsheets, databases, etc. to assist in training the teaching staff in the proper use of these programs. When we look at curriculum and instruction DMAC is our choice for improving both delivery and mastery for our students. The beauty of this program lies in the fact it can use benchmark testing to craft specific targeted instruction on areas students are struggling with to get them \" up to speed\" with the rest of the class. Teachers can also glean information from the DMAC program to see trends in areas and can use these trends to develop different instructional strategies and methods of presentation on topics for students. Combining the data taken from these two reliable sources of information allows the SDBM to craft effective strategies for infusing more Technology into the Campus Improvement Plan.When discussing technology and its current uses within the campus setting, most of our teachers on the SBDM Team agree we could use a few more key items to enrich instruction. Currently we have three SMART Boards that we share amongst the entire teaching staff. We also have a limited number of LCD projectors available to use within the classroom. All the teachers on campus have been issued a laptop for classroom use, and most have a printer or access to a printer within an easy walking distance of their classroom. When we discuss funding in regards to the CIP next year the committee is going to suggest purchasing additional SMART boards and to begin procuring ELMO's for classroom use. When we take a look at what we are currently using SMART boards are being utilized very effectively in our Math Department for specific work in Geometry and our middle school math coursework. High School Science has also utilized the SMART board technology to work through several interactive lessons with the Biology class. I am unsure as to what the other core teachers have done with the SMART boards in a classroom setting. It was suggested in the Round Table Discussion that good administrators will use creative ways to fund technology if they can see positive results in its usage. I believe we are currently at this crossroads in our district, I am excited about the possibilities of tinkering with using more technology in my classes.Searching for meaningful Professional Development that focuses on integration of technology is difficult at best. Educators have to find sessions and training that specifically fits the needs they possess. \" One size fits all\" professional development can actually be counterproductive if presented in this manner during In-Service. The main benefit gleaned from the last three weeks of readings suggested that Professional Development focus on activities that can actually be utilized by teachers in the day to day classroom activities. By allowing teachers to immerse themselves into activities they can actually \" do\" with their students the ability to \" retain\" what they learn in the session is higher. Hands-on Professional Development should be supported by continuous, ongoing help in the classroom. When we apply our focus to developing strategies that are learner-centered and fuse technology with proven data-driven strategies, the vision expressed in the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is an attainable goal.Technology is just another tool a good teacher utilizes to get the daily message or objective conveyed to a classroom of students. The state has recognized the value of electronic media and before long the printed textbook will be a thing of the past. Educators benefit from sound technology applications by having real-time data available that enhances and enriches the curriculum. The ways in which technology can be used in the classroom are only limited by the imagination and technical savvy of the educator in the front of the room. As a real-world example of utilizing technology in the classroom, my students have a lot of difficulty identifying the breeds of cattle. I utilize a website built by Oklahoma State University that lists every breed of cattle known to be in the United States complete with pictures and the important facts and history of each breed. I project this website via my project/laptop combination onto my whiteboard and go over the different breeds with the students showing them actual pictures of the animals to allow the students to connect a picture with the information presented. Later in the year when I am discussing selection of animals to students, I allow them to participate in several online judging contests in which they take the information they have learned about structure, size, frame, etc. and apply it to selecting animals within a contest online. Students have to log into the website and make selections based on the concepts we have covered in class. When discussing the use of technology both inside and outside of a school setting some enlightening things came about when talking to students. Many students mentioned the restrictions on cellular phone usage really made them feel \" technology restricted\" while on campus. The high level of security that blocks most websites also deterred students from looking for many sources during online research or actually forced them to just research at home unrestricted. Most of the respondents told me they regularly utilized social networking sites and checked them at least daily for updates on various friends, what they had planned, etc. Many students have experimented with blogging but they haven't really found an academic use for it yet. When mentioning RSS feeds students were familiar with how they worked and were open to subscribing to a RSS Feed associated with a class or assignment list. The biggest suggestion students made to me was to open email accounts to students, especially with colleges utilizing more and more electronic communication to correspond with prospective students. Juniors and Seniors also voiced concern about the inability to access email in regards to scholarships. In short, if a student doesn't have a smart phone with good service they can't access any form of electronic mail on our campus. Compounding this problem is the fact many of these students don't have internet access at home. I also found it interesting students suggested that having or playing music via an IPOD or MP3 player during class once an assignment is given helps them concentrate and get the work completed by drowning out the background noise and could actually lead to more productivity in the classroom. I plan to take some of these ideas to the SBDM meeting in the Spring when we begin to work on the Student Handbook and present a few of these suggested items for consideration.The future of education has a vested interest in developing and using as many facets of technology as possible. It is our duty as educators to prepare our students for life after school. We must do what we can in the education field to craft acceptable policies and procedures that embrace the use of digital technology by our students and we must stay current with trends and devices. The bar continues to rise and we must recognize that technology is one tool we can use to ensure our student body is \" viable\" in the 21st century job market.