Week 2 Chat Reflection

Having gone through the chat log the one thing that I found very helpful were the links that were given to different e-portfolio’s. Since I am currently working on mine it was a great help to see some and compare them to what I currently have. Other than that I have been worried since I have not gotten any comments on my paper, but I found out that others in the class have not received their feedback either.

Standard IV: Assessment and Evaluation Reflection

Standard IV, assessment and evaluation, is for me very similar to many of the first few standards in that I have previously had done very little or nothing within that standard before. Thankfully during the classes I have been forced to use this standard when creating professional development classes and have been able to use the data to create these classes. The use of this data makes me understand how important that it is that the student information be available and current for the teachers and administrators. Like I stated earlier, I have never had to use student information for what I do, but I now understand, why it is needed and how to use it effectively. Understanding this standard when looking for information made me realize how important technology was in this, and how technology plays such a huge role in easy retrieval and storage of this information as well as using this information to make changes within the school or district.

My strategy when implementing this standard was to ensure that I was able to use the information that I gathered about students from various reports to create a professional development class that could help low scoring groups of kids. Although I did not actually host the class I did present the class to the principal and the head of the math department for the school, both of whom said that they class looked great and that it could be used at a later time. This positive reinforcement from professionals in the educational field was wonderful and helped me know that I used the information correctly and created a class that would address the low scoring students in the report. Going forward I have more confidence that I can first obtain the student data and analyze it correctly, then I can use that data to create professional development classes for the teachers that will address the needs of the campus. This knowledge will help me be a more active employee in areas of the school that I have historically not been involved with.

The biggest challenge that I see moving forward is that I will become entrenched in my work and not be able to focus on other areas such as viewing data and helping create classes with that information. I am part of a very small technology team within a school district that has an immense amount of technology, and because of this my day is pretty busy and analyzing student data is usually not on my list of things to do. Taking the classes has forced me out of my comfort zone and made me set aside time so that I can perform different task, I just hope that that trend will not stop after I graduate.

Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards. Washington D.C.: International Society for Technology in Education.

Standard III: Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum Reflection

Standard III, teaching, learning, and the curriculum was an area that I have historically had little interaction with, but during the past eighteen months, I have become much more familiar with. Before covering this standard I really had not given much thought into how the students were using the technology, simply assuming that if they knew how to use it, they probably knew how to use it effectively. This standard points out that while students are able to use technology, many times they don’t know how to translate that knowledge into being productive. This information allowed me to take a critical look at how technology is implemented within our school district, especially at the high school where every student is issued a laptop. During the initial setup of the laptops a wiki and blog server was setup and because of my knowledge of this standard, I made sure that basic steps for accessing the blog and wiki server were written down and distributed to the teachers and students. If I had not read this standard I would have simply gave verbal instructions to some of the teachers, then left it to them to instruct the other teachers and students.

While I was able to give the written instructions to the staff and students, there was much more that I could have done, such as hosting an after school workshop or “how to” so that they could actually use the blog and wiki while I was there to answer any questions or concerns. Since this is something that I don’t normally do or am involved in, I have much to learn and understand when implementing this standard. Assessing my performance with this task is a little more difficult than some of the others in that all I did was to plant the initial seed and give them enough information to get started, after that they were free to explore and use the tools on their own. Because of this I cannot gauge how well I did by the amount of blogs or wikis being created and used, but merely by the individuals that thanked me for letting them know. The one thing that I did do was to discuss how the teachers would use the services with the technology director and one of the high school teachers, this allowed me to model the sites in a certain way and have certain services available to them, such as RSS feeds, so that they could use the sites to the fullest of their ability. This is a habit that I have followed through on and from that point forward I have always discussed items that directly involve teachers with them before writing up a how to guide.

I don’t really have any questions about this standard in that it seems like something that is constantly evolving with the technology and that there will always be a need to ensure that the technology is used to its fullest extent. Training for students and teachers is something that I have historically not been very involved with, but armed with the knowledge that I have gained over the last eighteen months I am ready to help create classes to help the teachers and students use the technology that is implemented I the schools properly.

Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards. Washington D.C.: International Society for Technology in Education.

EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology Reflection

This was another class and project that I was completely out of my element, but ended up being one of the most rewarding, frustrating, and interesting projects that I worked on during the degree program. Since I have never been an educator, this degree program has been difficult at times but never so much as this project. I have never had to create a lesson for students, had to align the lesson with state standards, or created a book of any kind, much less a digital book. One of the primary things that I took away from this class was a new found respect for the teachers and a better understanding of how hard their job is. Thankfully I had a great and understanding team that helped me through the project so that it was successful, but it was still difficult for me. I never understood the difficulty of creating assignments, making sure that they align with state standards, and making that assignment entertaining and engaging, all the while actually having a life outside of work. The first hurdle that I had to overcome was my ignorance about the standards, and again from someone who has never looked at these before it was a very daunting task. Having to go over the standards and gain some insight into what the teachers have to do with everything they teach and lesson plans that they create was a truly eye opening experience to me and something that I discussed with at great lengths to the technology director, who was a classroom teacher until about 5 years ago.

My approach to this assignment was twofold; first I had to understand the standards that applied to our chosen lesson plan. The second part of the equation was to use these standards to create a lesson plan and book for a classroom. Each of these in and of itself would have been a tough job, but combined it created a tough class that seemed daunting at first, but once broken down and with the help of my classmates was made a lot easier. Another thing that helped me during this assignment was to break everything down into groups, only focusing on one area at a time, so that I was not overwhelmed by the vast amount of information that I had to understand and use. Another thing that I used extensively in this project was human resources, or more precisely my classmates. All of my classmates were helpful and understanding and I could only think that this must kind of be what it would feel Iike to be a first year teacher surrounded by seasoned veterans helping the new teacher along. There is such a strong communal feeling that teachers have and it was a wonderful thing to be a part of and receive help from the group. In assessing my performance, I relied immensely on my fellow classmates and the few people at work that I shared the project with. Again this was something that I took great pride in and it was nice to see or hear the approvals of teachers when they reviewed my project and suggestions for the project.

The primary thing that I gained form this project was, as I stated earlier, a new founded respect for teachers and immense amount of hard work that they must go through to create assignments for their classroom. It took me five weeks to come up with a single week’s worth of a work for only one subject, I couldn’t even begin to fathom creating an entire years worth of lesson plans and projects. Having this knowledge and going forward I have already changed the way I approach technology in the classroom, and the more I understand how this technology can assist teachers with meeting their goals, the more effective I can be at my job of supporting them. Having been able to work with teachers on their turf and in their world was an enriching experience and something that I have since done several times and plan on doing more of in the future.

EDLD 5362 Information Systems Management Reflection

This assignment was interesting for me, in that it had to deal with something that I have some control over, technology infrastructure and the student information system, but looked at it from a different perspective, financial. In the past I had a really rudimentary view on the financial part of the school district, only discussing what I would like to do and then basically being told whether it was feasible or not financially. The same can be said about my view of our student information system in that I had a basic overview of the system, but didn’t really give much thought to items such as training, support, and features. Having to take an objective look at our student information system and the financial side of the technology within the school district has given me a platform to either promote or shoot down ideas and tools for the district and schools. In the past there has been technology that has been purchased that had no real reason, or was not needed within the school district and now that I have a greater understanding of the financial side of the district I can critically review proposed services, hardware, and software to ensure that we get the most out of our investments. In addition to this I have been forced to take an objective look at our SIS, student information system, and weigh out the good and the bad with the system as compared to other systems.

The way that I approached these assignments was to try to remove myself from the district and try to approach everything as an outsider, with no experience in either our technology or SIS. The interviews and research that I did for both subjects helped me to make this objective observation and analyze the data without being too biased. I assessed my performance by speaking and presenting my findings to the technology director. This was a great way to get an opinion from someone who has been a teacher as well as an administrator within the school district, and could give me differing ideas and facts that I had not thought about before. I have since been able to have better communication and coordination when implementing new technology and services to our SIS with our technology director because of my greater understanding of these items and how they fit into the larger picture.

This project has been able to create an understanding between myself, the finance director, and the technology director that has, and will, enable us to make a coordinated effort to keep the district up to date from a technology standpoint. Understanding how, where, and why items are budgeted has enabled me to have a greater understanding and view of the district as a whole and where technology financially fits into the school. Having this knowledge and open communication will enable me to be a greater asset to the school district and create a school that is not only technologically up to date, but financially feasible. Since I have had to objectively look at the SIS for this project I have been actively researching different aspects of the SIS, such as things that are offered and we as a district are not using, and how these services could impact the district.