Week 5 Reflections of Course 5306

Deciding to go back to school late in life has been a struggle for me. I have waited for the right time and I believe it is now or never. With the budget crisis in Texas Education a hot topic; and when technology specialists across the state lost their positions, I began to realize that having the certification to go along with the job was probably a smart option. I was not afraid of the online learning environment because I am confident of my skill level, but I was concerned with the time commitment. I was prepared to use current technologies in this course and I love the way they were incorporated in each week’s assignments. This offered a great example of how teachers can use web 2.0 tools within their learning environment. I was familiar with almost everything that was presented in the five week course, however, I appreciate the in-depth look at the national, state, and local technology plans as well as the STaR Chart and e-Rate. I feel that I gained new knowledge about each of these that will help in my current job position. I was not aware that at the end of this master’s program, I could take the Texas Principal Certification test. This came as a total surprise. After much consideration, I am very excited about this aspect of the degree plan.

Although this has been one of the most challenging courses, I feel that the outcomes far outweigh any negative experience I had during the five weeks. Time management is crucial to the success of the course. Everything that was presented in this class is relevant in my current job status. From the first week when we looked at learning styles to the inventory on basic computer skills and web 2.0 tools until the last week when we developed our internship and principal competency plans. Each week taught skills that I feel necessary to pass on to my staff. This course has made me look at how I perform my job currently and how I want to perform my job in the future to best serve students. Educating students has to change. We are preparing students for a different world than what we knew 20 years ago. I appreciated the relevancy of the articles each week to help reinforce the importance of changing school atmosphere to educate 21st century learners.

One of the beautiful aspects of education is the willingness of educators to share. When I learn new material and cannot share it with others because of filtering issues at school, it is very frustrating. This is not a new obstacle, it is an ongoing battle. Unblocking blogging websites is something that I will continue to address at LISD. Thanks to Concepts of Educational Technology and David Warlick’s book Classroom blogging: a teacher’s guide to the blogosphere, I have acquired new knowledge about the importance of this tool and the relevancy it has for the 21st century learner. I plan to continue to find avenues for students to collaborate and hopefully “unblock” the blogging world within our district. I understand the necessity to protect our children, but I also know from relevant articles presented within this course that it is our responsibility as educators to teach students about cyber ethics and how to use the technology responsibly.

I can say with much joy that I was successful in completing the course work for EDLD 5306. As with anything new there is an adjustment period. I felt completely overwhelmed at the beginning with the amount of time each task took within the assignments. It did not help that this was also the first week back at work from the summer vacation. Time management is very important and a skill I am thankful to have acquired. It helped tremendously to break down the assignments and accomplish a certain amount each day. One of the most discouraging parts of the course were all the different locations you had to look and compare to make sure you had everything completed. The course work within Epic did not always match what was reflected in the week assignment. The course overview could also have information that had not been included in the week assignment. It was frustrating to have to wait for a couple of days before the week overview was available on the discussion board or it was emailed after a request. It is important with managing a family, a career, and a master’s degree program that the information presented is consistent and timely.

Overall, this course was very enlightening to me from the first week. To take a look at my learning style, my leadership skills, my technology skills, and my technology literacy skills was an eye-opening experience. I feel that knowing the strengths and weaknesses of these has helped me grow considerably over the last five weeks. I have become more aware of the areas of leadership that I need to improve and continue to strengthen. I feel that the first course of the master’s program will help me improve on my job performance considerably and will enhance technology integration throughout my campus. My technology skills are strong but I feel it is important to continually seek out and strengthen the skills that I maintain. From this class, I have obtained much information but most importantly I have discovered that being a life long learner is essential in the field of technology education.

Reflections from Web Conference #5

The last video conference for EDLD5306 was one of mixed emotions. I am so glad to have this class behind me, yet I have enjoyed getting back into the role of the student. Being a life long learner is important and this class has really jump started that process again for me.

Very important information was discussed tonight concerning our TK20 account and what we have to complete before Sunday’s course deadline at 11:59 pm on September, 25th. It was expressed that no extensions would be given for this week. Also, one of the most helpful items discussed was the “To Do” list that can be found on the class website under Internship Requirements.

Our next course begins on October 3rd and the payment deadline is September 26th. This information can be found on the Lamar homepage at the bottom where it is noted “Complete Calendar – Academic Partnerships Calendar”.

When I look back on the last 4 ½ weeks, I can’t believe it has gone by so quickly. I can only hope that the next eighteen months bring about as much personal growth as this first course. Thank you Ms. Borel.

Mary Johnson
EDLD5306/ET8038

Reflections from Web Conference #4

This week’s web conference was the most informative of all the web conferences thus far. A lot of material was covered and information given that will help with week five’s assignment. Problems with TK20 were discussed and it was noted that two assignments need to be placed on TK20. Those two assignments are Part 1 of Week 1 assignment and the Application to Internship. The last thing we will need to post for this class to the TK20 will be two of our week five assignments, the Internship Plan and the Principal Chart. A detailed explanation of the Internship Handbook Template and the Principal Chart were discussed and several references were made to the ISTE’s Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards: What Every K-12 Leader Should Know and Be Able to Do as well as the School Leader Internship textbook. These textbooks will be a great resource when completing the week five assignments. The difference between the field-based hours and the course-embedded hours was explained to help us understand the expectations for our internship. The combination of both the field based hours and course-embedded hours make up scope of our internship. There was so much information in this web conference it would be beneficial to watch the recording again. Week five’s web conference is scheduled for Tuesday instead of Wednesday.
Mary Johnson/Lamar EDLD 5306/ET 8038

Reflection of Web Conference #3 (9-7-2011)

This evening’s web conference was full of information. One of the key points covered was the Application for Internship and the Site Mentor Agreement. It was recommended that all cohorts print a copy of the Internship Handbook which can be found on the Class Website. Many cohorts had questions concerning the process to upload the Part 1 assignment from week one as well as creating the Application for Internship in TK20. Pages that Ms. Borel pointed out with in the handbook included: Page 5, page 17, and page 18. On page 5 the course based embedded assignments and the field based assignment hours have both changed from 100 to 150 hours. The combined total of 300 hours must be completed over the 18 month time period. Many cohort members have not added email addresses to the website; therefore it makes it difficult for other members to collaborate within their small groups. It was refreshing to have fewer microphone problems with this conference. Because of this we were able to get more accomplished.
Mary Johnson/EDLD 5306/ET8038

Lumberton ISD Technology Plan & E-Rate

Lumberton ISD Technology Plan & E-Rate

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National Education Technology Plan

            In 2009 President Obama made education reform a major priority for his presidency. In so doing, in November of 2010, the U.S Department of Education released the National Education Technology Plan. This plan encompasses five goals: Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure, and Productivity. The plan recognizes that technology today is at the core of students' lives and therefore should be used to engage students and prepare and enhance educators.

            According to the NETP, learning for students should have a different look from the traditional classroom. Students today have access to technology around the clock. This breaks down the traditional walls of the school and allows collaboration, networking, and sharing of information to become limitless. Learning experiences should reflect the reality of their daily lives and technology is the tool to make this happen. With technology students can take more control of their own learning and teachers can provide lessons to meet individual needs and interests of the learner.

            Education without educators, can this happen? Transforming our educational system relies heavily on professional educators. The NETP calls for strengthening and enriching educators. To do this it concentrates on connected teaching. Connected teaching is 24/7 access to information regarding student learning. Connected teaching is a shift for teachers to become the facilitators and collaborators for student learning as technology empowers students to take more control and responsibility of their learning. Ineffective professional development is replaced by professional learning communities where teachers are expected to improve their own instructional practices. In connected teaching, social networks are used to provide educators with career-long personal learning tools and resources that make professional learning timely and relevant.

            The part of the plan that concerns me the most is the infrastructure. Current economic times are hard enough on schools. Where will the funds come from to provide 24/7 access to information? This is what connected teaching is all about, yet our current school buildings are not ready for the latest advancements in technology. Another major concern for me is the gap between educators who are technology proficient and those who are not and have no desire to become technology proficient. For true connected teaching to take place, this above all must be resolved.

Mary Johnson/EDLD 5306/ET8038

           

           

            National Education Technology Plan. (n.d.). National Education Technology Plan 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2010, from : http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010

District Technology Plan

Reflection of the LISD Technology Plan

Based upon the recommendations defined by the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, Lumberton ISD has developed four goals.

The goals of the Lumberton ISD Technology plan fall under the following categories:

• Teaching and Learning – Goal 1 is to integrate technologies to transform the teaching process by allowing greater levels of interest, inquiry, analysis, collaboration, creativity, and content production.
• Educator Preparation and Development – Goal 2 is to provide ongoing, continuous, job-embedded professional development to assure mastery of the SBEC Technology Application Standards for all teachers, Librarians, and Administrators.
• Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support – Goal 3 is to ensure that administrators understand and clarify the possibilities that technology brings to education, model the use of technology, and take a leadership role in assuring that others do as well.
• Infrastructure for Technology – Goal 4 is to provide a stable and robust infrastructure for technology use.

Strategies include progressing beyond the teacher-centered instruction toward teacher-facilitated instruction encouraging greater student interactive learning as well as providing online resources that will help improve the school to home relationship. Professional development opportunities are available throughout the school year as well as during the summer. Multiple levels of training (basic literacy, intermediate, and advanced) are provided throughout the year. The district IT Director is responsible for all technology professional development training. Campus Instructional Technology Specialists are housed at each campus and also provide topical and specialized training onsite.

Within the current technology plan financial resources have been delegated to support the goals of the district, however, with the recent budget cuts it is unclear as to whether or not this will happen in the time allotted. In the past two years we have upgraded fiber optic lines that run from each campus to the main servers in the district. We have also increased our bandwidth allowing for teachers to stream videos. On all campuses WIFI access points have been replaced with new equipment making our wireless network very dependable and easy at access. The IT department invested in new virus protection software that ensures network safety.

Each week the Instructional Technology Director and the Network Director along with the Hardware Technicians meet to evaluate and make any adjustments to the vision of the technology plan.

Source: Lumberton ISD Long Range Technology Plan 2010-2013

Mary Johnson/EDLD5306/ET8038