Webconference Reflections

I have been part of several webferences in the course of working on my masters program including the most recent one by Kathy Attaway on 3-24. I can see the potential benefits of using these conferences in several situations. By having the students in a conference in a long distance situation with a professional involved in research with the topic we are covering can make the topic more relevant and interesting to the students and help them to stay engaged.
The main problem I have seen in the conferences we have had has been the off-topic conversations. In the webconference with Ms. Attaway there was no topic and so it was understood to be a learning experience in just becoming familiar with the system. In other conferences in other courses however there has been no main topic and the conversations become very unstructured and social very quickly making it difficult to gain any real information. I believe one of the keys to keeping a webconference useful is to start with a main topic, for example the current weeks assignment, and keep the questions focused within that topic.

Week 4 Assignment- Technology Staff Development -EDLD 5352 - SP2 11 - EA1250

 Action research plan and program timeline 

Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/ End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Assessment/ Evaluate need	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee	Begin survey’s March 28th. Allow 2 weeks for all replies to be returned.	Internet acess, computer, manpower, time	Survey teachers for needed training and level of ability for several technology pieces (Moodle, Turning Point, TI83, Probewares etc)
Identify target areas	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee	April 11th through April 29th	Manpower, time	Highest need training areas based on survey. Create pair/share teams based on ability levels to build lessons together
Research	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee	Continuous throughout program	Computers, Manpower, Time	Teachers can be placed in groups of three teachers at different technology & experience levels to integrate technology into existing content for upcoming lessons.
Develop plan and procedures	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee/ Department Representatives	May 2nd through May 20th.	Manpower, Time	Create draft plan of four day summer workshop on integration of technology and content. Teachers will receive teacher choice hours for time spent in workshop.
Present the proposed procedures to Department Dean for additional input and final approval	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee Chairperson	May 23rd through May 27th.	Manpower, Time	Present plan to Department Dean for approval or revisions
Finalize Procedures	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee/ Department Representatives	Time dependent on changes required. To be complete before beginning of workshop August 1st.	Manpower, time	Make adjustments to plan as recommended
Begin Workshop	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee/ Department members	Week of August 1st through 5th	Computers and various technologies, Manpower, Time, Facilities (Rooms), Refreshments and snacks	Teachers placed in pair/share teams of three. Schedule is set for morning technology seminars and afternoon content/technology integrations.
Evaluate program	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee	August 5th through 9th	Computers, Manpower, Time, STaR chart, AEIS report, Developed Lessons	Part 1- Online survey of overall program effectiveness. Part 2- Was there enough time in the workshop to complete multiple lessons? Part 3- Did lessons rank in the Developing, Advanced or Target area according to STaR Chart standards?
Reflection	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee, PDAS Supervisors, Department Deans	Part 1 – August 15th  Part 2 – Ongoing throughout Fall semester.	Computers, Manpower, Time, STaR chart, AEIS report, Student and Teacher survey data	Part 1- Were teachers able to build several true lessons (not presentations) integrating new technologies? Part 2- Were those lessons actually effective during the school year based on student scores on summative evaluations and student/teacher surveys?
Presentation of data	Carey Minchew/ Technology Committee Chairperson	At scheduled department meeting first month of Spring Semester.	Computers, Manpower, Time, STaR chart, AEIS report, Student and Teacher survey data	Present findings to full department outlining successes and failures with the workshop. Have teachers complete survey to determine continuation of program.

Organizational Chart of individuals involved with Technology Staff Development

Associate Superintendent

For Instruction and Technology Services

Oversees all areas of research and information technology.

Executive Director

For Research and Information Technologies

The Executive Director is in charge of technology professional development and compliance with the district technology plan, student technology standards and teacher technology standards of the district.

Campus assistant principal in charge of curriculum

The curriculum AP creates the master schedule which includes access to computer labs and other campus technologies.  They also coordinate technology professional developments.

Campus assistant principal in charge of the technology committee

The Assistant Principal overseeing the technology committee is in charge of compliance with the district technology plan, student technology standards and teacher technology standards at the campus level.  Creates the agenda for and conducts technology committee meetings.

Campus Instructional Technology Support Specialist

The campus instructional support specialist is in charge of evaluating and supporting staff members in use of available technologies. Works in conjunction with the assistant principal in charge of the technology committee to ensure all campus technology needs are being met.

Technology Committee

(One representative from each department)

Department representatives help create professional development activities and act as communicators between the department and the committee. Representatives are also in charge of trouble shooting any technology issues before initiating work orders for technology repair.

EDLD 5352 Week 2 Post # 3

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) for 2010 sets out to provide a guideline for building up the technologies in the education system. The model presented by the NETP clearly defines goals and recommendations for five different areas, all geared towards implementing technology to empower content-based knowledge. With the priority in mind of transforming the educational system in America, the NETP proposes the recommendations and goals for the following areas:

·       Learning - All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society.

·       Assessment - Our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement.

·       Teaching - Professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all learners. 

·       Infrastructure - All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it.

·       Productivity - Our education system at all levels will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff.

One of the areas that I am most enamored with is the proposition to reorganize teaching and learning. Teachers of today must embrace the changes in today’s highly technical society. Moving from the old model of teaching where transitions and use of time were structured towards standardizing instruction and allowing for a general learning pace, this plan describes an ideal change to meet the learning styles and needs of individual students. Much like a college structure where students have electives and mandatory classes, I envision the school system allowing for personal growth depending on each student’s interests and natural skills. Another interesting topic mentioned in the NETP is how technology can empower learners by extending the learning time through online learning and allowing them to reach the resources needed for their academic achievement.

U.S. Department of Education. (2010). Office of Educational Technology. National Educational Technology Plan, Draft. 85. Retrieved from: http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf

EDLD 5352 Week 2 Post # 2

The Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 was created because the education system in Texas recognized the importance in bringing our schools into the 21st century along with our 21st century learners. The Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 was created to track the state's development and growth from September 2006 to August 2008.

The Progress Report showed findings from the Texas STaR Charts that are mandated by the state to evaluate a campus’s progress in meeting the goals of the Long-Range for Technology. It appears that there is a steady increase in the number of schools that are in the Advanced Key Star Classification in all four Summary Areas of the chart. The area that has had the greatest increase is the Infrastructure for Technology area. I believe this is because the resources we need to grow with our 21st century learners are becoming more readily available the extra time for training to keep up in the other Summary Areas of the STaR Chart.

The area that I would like to see the most growth happen in is teaching and learning. I believe this is the area that is the most directly related to student growth. It is likely to be the most difficult to see growth in. The sub-category of online learning within teaching and learning is to me the most important. Because of the success for several students on my own campus in completing credits using PLATO (a computer based course for several subject areas) I can envision students statewide taking courses from home and being very successful in taking ownership of their own learning.

Torres, T. (2011, January 26). Texas education agency - long range plan for technology (lrpt). Retrieved from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082&menu_id=2147483665