Course-embedded+Assignments+and+Reflections

EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology II. Communicate research on the use of technology to implement effective assessment and evaluation strategies. V. Design, develop, evaluate, and model products created using technology resources to improve and enhance their productivity and professional practice. VI. Understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in P-12 schools and develop programs facilitating application of that understanding in practice throughout their district/region/state. VII. Coordinate development and direct implementation of technology infrastructure, policies, plans, and budgets for P-12 schools. VIII. Facilitate development of a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture to conducive to the realization of the vision. || 1 –Knows technology terminology and concepts; the appropriate use of hardware, software, and digital files; and how to acquire, analyze, and evaluate digital information. || ** Course EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology: ** ** A. ** **B.** Analyze Texas STaR Chart data, create a presentation for faculty on results, post the presentation to blog site where you also write 250-word opinion piece on one of the four areas of Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. Include (1) Description of the area. (2) Progress in the area (include local, state, and national progress. (3) Trends in the area (include local, state, and national progress. (4) Your recommendations for improvement in the area.
 * **IS****TE/NCATE Performance Standards** || **Outcomes/Proficiencies (TExES Framework)** || **Performance Tasks** || **Course-Based Embedded Hours** ||
 * I. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of technology operations and concepts.
 * C. ** Create a wiki reference document. || ** B. – 8 hrs. **

C. – 4 hrs. **
 * 

Total: 12 hrs. ** ||

Reflection:

This assignment taught me a great deal about how to asses where a school is technologically. We had to look at the results from our campus STaR chart that the faculty on campus filled out and determine where our school ranks in Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support, and Infrastructure for Technology. Since this was the very first class in my master’s program, I knew that I had participated in filling out the STaR chart for my campus, but was not aware of the overall results. This assignment helped me to analyze our campus’ strengths and weaknesses and realize that we have the infrastructure in place, but that we are declining in the areas of Educator Preparation and Instructional Support. This knowledge helped me to be a stronger technology leader on my campus and support other teachers in integrating technology into their classrooms. The basic truth, however, is that if the leadership in the district and at individual schools do not make technology a priority, then neither will any of the faculty. I think our school and district has ****some **** of the things necessary to support 21st Century Learning, but the lack of a cohesive initiative for all schools causes technology integration to be scattered and inconsistent across the district. Some teachers still don’t use any technology in their classes, while others use in constantly. ** Another issue analyzng the STaR chart uncovered is the lack of follow-through in implementing initiatives in my district. For example, they encourage everyone to have a website and spend a day or two emphasizing this, and then the momentum shifts to something else and is forgotten. A system for training, support, and accountability must be put in place to aid educators in advancing their technological skills. We have plenty of facilitators and leaders in our district, but no plan to put them in action. I guess I wonder why such a growing district as Leander ISD, which has the technology and resources to become a model district for 21st Century Learning, still has not developed and implemented a district-wide plan for educating and supporting teachers in technology implementation into their individual classrooms. **
 * 

EDLD 5333 Leadership for Accountability IV. Communicate research on the use of technology to implement effective assessment and evaluation strategies. V. Design, develop, evaluate, and model products created using technology resources to improve and enhance their productivity and professional practice. VI. Understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in P-12 schools and develop programs facilitating application of that understanding in practice throughout their district/region/state. VIII. Facilitate development of a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture to conducive to the realization of the vision. || 1 –Knows technology terminology and concepts; the appropriate use of hardware, software, and digital files; and how to acquire, analyze, and evaluate digital information || ** Course EDLD 5333 Leadership for Accountability: **
 * **ISTE/NCATE Performance Standards** || **Outcomes/Proficiencies (TExES Framework)** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 9pt;">**Performance Tasks** || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 9pt;">**Course-Based Embedded Hours** ||
 * I. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of technology operations and concepts.
 * A. **.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 9pt;">B. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 9pt;"> Create an action plan for the campus. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">Develop an agenda for a professional <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 9pt;">development day that addresses the targeted campus needs and include a timeline for follow-up professional development || ** B. – 10 hrs. **



Total: 10 hrs. ** ||

Reflection:

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">One of the most important things I have learned from my master’s courses is undoubtedly the need for teachers to be properly trained and supported in their transition into a 21st Century Educator. In this assignment, we were to conduct a needs assessment of our campus based on the current AEIS data. After targeting a specific area in need of improvement, we developed a professional development plan to address that need, being sure to include a follow-up plan for continued support.


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">The first thing I learned from this assignment is that you have to know where you are and where you have been in order to know where you are going or want to go. All schools do not have the same needs, so actually looking at the data that supports why a certain area is being addressed is important. Using actual data also provides a rationale to educators for “why” they are needed to make this change happen. **


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">In addition to being supported by data, professional development training must be engaging, interactive, learner-centered, and allow time for teachers to absorb, reflect, and provide feedback on the information they are given. Professional development must model the way we expect teachers to teach their own students. If you are going to have teachers do team-building exercises with their students, then you must engage them in team-building activities in the training. Not only does this provide a model for teachers to use, but it helps them understand why a particular activity is important to their own students’ learning and success. Why does this not happen in every training an educator attends? **


 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Teacher feedback must also be encouraged and used. No process or product is perfect in design until it is tested in the field and actually works. As teachers are learning new materials and strategies to reach the needs of their students, their feedback is imperative to refine and fine-tune the process. Using and responding to their feedback also gives teachers a sense of buy-in into the process or product that is being developed. **

Well-designed professional development for educators is essential for any real change to occur in teaching ideology and strategies to meet today’s learners. Hopefully, people wanting to make these changes realize how important it is to have effective training and provide follow-up to that training; otherwise, we are all just spinning our wheels and not going anywhere! **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Finally, an effective professional development session must be supported and followed-up to ensure the areas of need are still being addressed and to secure accountability. Many times, teachers leave a training session and throw the handouts away on their way out or put them in a drawer at school never to be referenced again. If a change is going to be made, then teachers must be held accountable for the changes they are expected to make. They need to feel supported, connected, and also held responsible for implementing those changes. **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">

EDLD 5362 Information Systems Management V. Design, develop, evaluate, and model products created using technology resources to improve and enhance their productivity and professional practice. VI. Understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in P-12 schools and develop programs facilitating application of that understanding in practice throughout their district/region/state. VII. Coordinate development and direct implementation of technology infrastructure, policies, plans, and budgets for P-12 schools. || 1 –Knows technology terminology and concepts; the appropriate use of hardware, software, and digital files; and how to acquire, analyze, and evaluate digital information. 10 –Demonstrates knowledge of strategies and techniques for Web site administration. || ** Course EDLD 5362 Information Systems Management: **
 * I. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of technology operations and concepts.
 * A. ** Analyze district technology after completing interviews with at least two school administrators who are involved with the planning and budgeting of technology.
 * B. ** Students will evaluate and analyze a school district’s Student Information System, including the evaluation of total cost of ownership, feature set, ease of use, customer support, and training. || ** A. – 5 hrs. **


 * B. – 5 hrs. **

Reflection:
 * Total: 10 hrs. ** ||

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">After interviewing two administrators at the head of our technology department in Leander ISD, I learned so much about the technology our district uses, specifically about the Student Information System (SIS). I was surprised to find out that the cost of the system is not based on a flat fee, but is determined based on the number of students enrolled in the district. This cost encompasses the student and business sides of the system and there are no extra charges such as start-up costs or maintenance fees. I also learned that Region XX manages the system and is responsible for housing the data and backing up all of the information to an offsite location in Colorado.

Many programs feed into iTTCS (the district’s SIS) including attendance, grades, discipline records, registration data, master schedules, testing data, health statistics, and even whether a student is on free and reduced lunch. This system is also essential for submitting required reports to the Texas Education Agency. The administrators were very knowledgeable and helpful with their answers in the interviews. I always knew we had all these programs and systems, but never knew how they interacted with each other. I would also like to ask them about the process for how technology is selected and implemented in our district. I am curious as to how programs are selected over others and who ultimately decides what will be purchased for our district.

I know Leander has a lot of technology compared to other districts. For example, in the last two years we have gotten projectors and speakers installed into our classrooms, document cameras, Classroom Performance Systems, and interactive whiteboards. Many of this technology is still sitting in boxes because teachers still don’t know how to use them because most of the trainings offered on this technology is not mandatory and given after the school day, when teachers are ready to go home. Hopefully, our district will invest part of the budget into mandatory training for teachers so they may learn how to integrate this technology into their classrooms to improve student learning.

EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology III. Model, design, and disseminate curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. IV. Communicate research on the use of technology to implement effective assessment and evaluation strategies. V. Design, develop, evaluate, and model products created using technology resources to improve and enhance their productivity and professional practice. || 2 –Knows how to use technology tools to solve problems, evaluate results, and communicate information in a variety of formats for diverse audiences. || ** Course EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology: ** A. B. As campus professional development activity, create a wiki-based study group with 8 teachers leading and support teachers who analyze data related to student learning, create a lesson using Universal Design for Learning at the CAST Lesson Building at [] , create a sample electronic book to share with your learning team members. Lastly, add a team reflection to your Google site about the process of creating an electronic book. || ** B. – 12 hrs. **
 * II. Communicate research on the use of technology to implement effective assessment and evaluation strategies.

Total: 12 hrs. ** || Reflection:

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">For this assignment, we worked collaboratively with fellow students using GoogleDocs to create a unit made up of lessons using the CAST UDL Lesson-Builder. In this assignment, not only did we learn how to work in groups in an online environment, but we also learned how to use the CAST website to create technology-rich, engaging lessons that also implemented modifications for various learning styles and accommodated students with disabilities.

First, I would like to reflect on the use of the GoogleDoc as a tool for creating collaborative documents. This was the first time I had ever used GoogleDocs and learned so much about using it as a tool for collaborative assignments. Everyone in the group could access it from any computer at any time, edit it whenever they wanted to (even be working on it at the same time), and post comments to give feedback to others and their contributions. Also, we didn’t have to worry about saving it to a disk or to our computer because it was saved on the internet—it still is!! Also, the formatting was uniform throughout the document. You didn’t have to worry about what program someone was using or if it was “compatible”. It is most definitely better than emailing a document back and forth among several people. A wiki could have been used, but the GoogleDoc is geared specifically towards creating and editing documents, which is what we were creating in the unit. We could still embed images and post videos as well to the document as well and create multiple pages to organize our work. This assignment, as well as setting up a wiki, taught me the most about using a web-based tool to collaborate with colleagues. This assignment is a great example of how to teach by modeling. We actually learned how to use the tool by USING IT—not reading or listening about how to use it

The other tool we learned to use by actually using it was the CAST UDL Lesson-Builder. The Universal Design for Learning model shows teachers how to design lessons addressing individual student differences related to the recognition, strategic, and affective networks involved in learning. We had to integrate technology into our lessons, and make modifications for visually impaired, hearing impaired, and gifted students. In our group, this seemed to involve the most feedback as different people in the group seemed to have their particular strengths in modifying for diverse learners. We were able to help provide strategies for each other to embed into our lessons for a particular type of student. The lesson-builder proved to be an excellent tool for designing lessons that meet the needs of diverse learners.

We then reflected on the group experience, which highlighted each team member’s strengths and the process used to develop our unit. Learning to use the CAST UDL Lesson-Builder in addition to the GoogleDoc made this class one of the most impactful classes of my master’s degree really taught me how to “teach with technology”.