Thursday, April 28, 2011
Web Conferencing Experience
I participated in my first web conference last Thursday. It was quite an experience. We did encounter some technical difficulties but where technology is involved that is to be expected. What a valuable tool web conferencing could be in our schools. The ability to see, hear, and chat with others from anywhere in the world is amazing. This give the term "pen pal" a whole new meaning. Can you imagine the power at hand when our students could actually "talk" to another student from a different country if time could be coordinated? Wow! As far as taking online classes, what a way to bring the personal touch to students who might never see the professor or other students face to face. It truly was a good experience that will only get better.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Summary of the NETP Goals
The National Educational Technology Plan consists of five goals. These goals address learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.
The learning goal stresses that all learners will have experiences in and out of school that are engaging and prepare them to be able to function in today's society. Learners must be prepared for classroom and the job market.
Assessments must be designed to be given during the course of learning instead of after the fact. Assessments given in this fashion will allow time to improve student performance before they move on to another course.
Teachers must move from being isolated to being connected. Typically teachers teach on their own, take professional development that is irrelevant and therefore unproductive. When teachers are connected they have 24/7 access to student data and any tools that will help them professionally grow and instruct.
The infrastructure to support technology must enable students, teachers, and stakeholders access to technology resources needed for any task. If the infrastructure is not in place, the public education system will not achieve the desired effect.
The end result for the technology plan is to improve the learning outcomes of all learners: students and educators. A productive school system that is more efficient with time, money, and staff is the end product desired. To achieve this goal, there must be a commitment to improving in all areas.
The learning goal stresses that all learners will have experiences in and out of school that are engaging and prepare them to be able to function in today's society. Learners must be prepared for classroom and the job market.
Assessments must be designed to be given during the course of learning instead of after the fact. Assessments given in this fashion will allow time to improve student performance before they move on to another course.
Teachers must move from being isolated to being connected. Typically teachers teach on their own, take professional development that is irrelevant and therefore unproductive. When teachers are connected they have 24/7 access to student data and any tools that will help them professionally grow and instruct.
The infrastructure to support technology must enable students, teachers, and stakeholders access to technology resources needed for any task. If the infrastructure is not in place, the public education system will not achieve the desired effect.
The end result for the technology plan is to improve the learning outcomes of all learners: students and educators. A productive school system that is more efficient with time, money, and staff is the end product desired. To achieve this goal, there must be a commitment to improving in all areas.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Stratford ISD Technology Plan and E-Rate Presentation
Check out this SlideShare Presentation: This presentation briefly provides information about the goals of the SISD tech plan and a brief introduction into E-Rate.
Week 2 ppt e rate and tech plan
View more presentations from davtech11.
District Technology Plan
The goals included the the district technology plan include offering ongoing professional development, updating and maintaining hardware and software, continuing and improving relationships with the community and parents, and maintenance of infracstructure with improvements and needed and can be afforded due to budget.
In the area of professional development, it is planned to be an ongoing process to incorporate online workshops that can be assessed 24/7 and in all subject areas for technology integration. This should enable educators to continue growing in the area of technology integration at their convenience. The technology coordinator and network specialist along with the administrators are responsible for this strategy. Surveys from teachers will be used in order to help decide what professional development should be offered.
The hardware, software, and infrastructure will be constantly monitored and evaluated in order to prevent issues with out of date or expired licenses, computers that need repair, and a network that won't support the traffic of the district. A district must have these items in working order in order for technology to be an effective asset. The network specialist is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of this goal.
Communication with parents, community members, and school district stakeholders is very valuable in a small community such as ours. The school is the center of the community which most events are centered around. Without the ability to communicate, we lose the support needed to ensure up to date information between the district and the concerned stakeholders. We allow this communication by providing parent portals for direct contact with parents and their children's grades and attendance. An up to date website with current and up coming events. Administrators also incorporate their own blogs with daily information pertaining to their campus. Network coordinator, network specialist, and administrators are the responsible parties.
The budget poses issues as far as the needs of the district at times. Adequate funds are available for maintenance and upkeep but monies allocated for future and new additional hardware or software is sometimes not available. With the looming budget cuts in technology, this will prove to be even more of a burden.
With the burden of lack of funds in the future, this makes evaluation of current needs even more of an important factor. With teacher, student, and administrator surveys and needs assessments, the district will be able to focus on what needs to be addressed based on priority.
In the area of professional development, it is planned to be an ongoing process to incorporate online workshops that can be assessed 24/7 and in all subject areas for technology integration. This should enable educators to continue growing in the area of technology integration at their convenience. The technology coordinator and network specialist along with the administrators are responsible for this strategy. Surveys from teachers will be used in order to help decide what professional development should be offered.
The hardware, software, and infrastructure will be constantly monitored and evaluated in order to prevent issues with out of date or expired licenses, computers that need repair, and a network that won't support the traffic of the district. A district must have these items in working order in order for technology to be an effective asset. The network specialist is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of this goal.
Communication with parents, community members, and school district stakeholders is very valuable in a small community such as ours. The school is the center of the community which most events are centered around. Without the ability to communicate, we lose the support needed to ensure up to date information between the district and the concerned stakeholders. We allow this communication by providing parent portals for direct contact with parents and their children's grades and attendance. An up to date website with current and up coming events. Administrators also incorporate their own blogs with daily information pertaining to their campus. Network coordinator, network specialist, and administrators are the responsible parties.
The budget poses issues as far as the needs of the district at times. Adequate funds are available for maintenance and upkeep but monies allocated for future and new additional hardware or software is sometimes not available. With the looming budget cuts in technology, this will prove to be even more of a burden.
With the burden of lack of funds in the future, this makes evaluation of current needs even more of an important factor. With teacher, student, and administrator surveys and needs assessments, the district will be able to focus on what needs to be addressed based on priority.
Technology Assessments
In today's ever changing digital world of education, it is very important to know what our teachers and administrators know about technology and if they are progressing over time. Various states offer evaluations that assess the knowledge of these educators in different areas. In order for technology to be an asset in the education system, educators must be knowledgeable in the most current technologies and continue to change with the times. These assessments ensure the growth professionally of these educators by requiring an annual assessment. If no growth is shown, this should alert administrators that the professional development needs to be addressed. Students should also be assessed. In the state of Texas, educators are responsible for teaching the Technology Application TEKS. These ensure that by 8th grade, students are literate in technology. Assessments for teachers and students provide the information needed to address the areas that are weak within the campus or district and allow the future to be enhanced with the technology available. Without these assessments, school systems would not be able to see if their district or campus was on line with their Technology Plan and would be left behind in the ever changing world of technology.
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