E rate and PN-G Campus Technology introduction

E rate and PNG Technology introduction

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Web Conference #2: 11/23/2010

              My second web conference was very enjoyable, except for the audio. The sound was delayed or it overlapped. I am currently trying to figure-out, why that is occurring. I had the same issue on the first web conference. I wanted to make sure, I hadn’t missed anything important, on the first web conference; so, I went back to the recording and listened to it. I found out, that the audio was just fine on the recording. It must have been my lovely internet speed. I was so excited, to find out; that we are going to setup an informal facebook page. On the facebook page, we can collaborate and ask questions. I am a very verbal and visual learner. I had just completed, my first weeks work and was completely exhausted. I couldn’t believe; how much time, I was spending doing graduate work. I went to the second web conference and found out, that my classmates felt the same way. Reassurance is so important, when the teacher isn’t easily assessable. I do enjoy these web conferences. I look forward to the next one.

Web Conference #1 (optional) 11/18/2010

         My very first web conference, wow; I was very nervous and apprehensive. I managed to set-up my microphone and headset, correctly. I have to say, I was very overwhelmed; by all of the information, I had to process in a short period of time. I was second guessing myself, on every assignment and task. Once, I was in the web conference; my nerves started to settle down. I still wasn’t sure, what, I was supposed to do. The web conference helped me, clarify a few assignments; I wasn’t sure how to do. Dr. Abshire was very patient and understanding; of the nerves, that we all seemed to have. I came away from the web conference reassured. When in doubt,  in a regular, face-to-face classroom; I could pick up on physical cues and ask questions in-person, if I’m not sure. Online learning definitely has its challenges. I am learning to work around them. Web conferences are definitely worth the time and effort.

National Education Technology Plan

        The National Education Technology Plan calls for an immediate action, to transform education in our schools.”Specifically, we must embrace innovation, prompt implementation, regular evaluation, and continuous improvement. The programs and projects that work must be brought to scale, so every school has the opportunity to take advantage of their success. Our regulations, policies, actions and investments must be strategic and coherent.” (NETP, 2010) The NETP addresses, a comprehensive use of technology for educators and students. Our students are exposed to technology; that most of our veteran teachers have little or no knowledge. The NETP outlines five goal areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.

        The first goal of the National Educational Technology Plan is learning; “All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences; both in and outside school, that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society.”(NETP, 2010) Our schools should already have empowerment, as a high priority.

        The second goal of the National Educational Technology Plan is assessment; “Our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement” (NETP, 2010) Our school districts will definitely have to put pressure on old habits, old ways; in order to implement technology, in our change resistant schools.

The third goal of the National Educational Technology Plan is teaching: “Professional educators will be supported; individually and in teams by technology, that connects and inspires more effective teaching for all learners.”(NETP, 2010) Teaching in a school district implementing this goal would be exceptional.

        The fourth goal of the National Educational Technology Plan is infrastructure: “All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning, when and where they need it.” (NETP, 2010) If teachers had the tools and infrastructure they needed, imagine how effective and efficient their jobs work be.

        The fifth goal of the National Educational Technology Plan is 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.” (NETP, 2010) Productivity will take competent, goal driven administrators to accomplish this goal.

        Our country has a huge undertaking to implement change. “Redesigning education in America for improved productivity is a complex challenge that will require all 50 states; the thousands of districts and schools across the county, the federal government, and other education stakeholders in the public and private sector, to come together to design and implement innovative solutions. It is a challenge for educators, leaders, teachers, and policy makers committed to learning—as well as technologists, and ideally; they will come together, to lead the effort.” (NETP, 2010) I see a great need, for change in our nation’s schools; especially in technology. The National Educational Technology Plan is a good place to start. I hope to be on the forefront of this change as it is implemented.



Reference:

U. S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (2010). Transforming american education: learning powered by technology. draft national educational technology plan 2010

Port Neches-Groves ISD Technology Plan

                
               My first initial attempt, at finding a local ISD close to my home; was Port Arthur ISD, I researched for nearly an hour and still could not locate a technology plan for Port Arthur ISD. I then proceeded, to the next closest ISD; PN-G. Port Neches-Groves ISD or PN-G ISD’s district has four goals that are supported by objectives. These objectives are accompanied by strategies to accomplish those four goals. The strategies generally, include budget allocation, the staff’s specific responsibility, and projected timelines. The goals, objectives and strategies are designed to correlate and comply with the National Long Range Technology Plan, The E-Rate criteria, and the No Child left behind act. The PN-G technology plan goals are as follows:

                 PN-G’s first technology plan goal is; to incorporate current tools of technology, as an integral part of education. The first of objective of this goal is; to enhance academic achievement, of students through the use of current and appropriate technology. There are four objectives, under goal one. There are 19 current strategies, listed to accomplish this first objective. The second objective for goal one is; that teachers will demonstrate progress in instructional delivery, student assessment, and professional communication technology competencies. There are 12 strategies to help accomplish this objective. The third objective of goal one in PN-G’s technology plan is; that PN-GISD administrators will demonstrate progress in instruction leadership, data, and analysis/management & communications technology competencies. There are eight strategies, to help accomplish this objective. The fourth objective of goal one is; the PN-GISD staff will demonstrate progress, in technological competencies according to job responsibilities. There are 4 strategies, to help accomplish this objective.

PN-G’s second technology plan goal is; to participate in professional development, to acquire instructional strategies and pedagogy necessary, to facilitate learner-centered curricula that integrate the use of technology tools. There are two objectives, to support this goal. The first objective is; to provide opportunities, incentives, and support for educators, to develop best practices using technology. There are 11 strategies, to help accomplish this objective. The second objective is; to allocate sufficient funding for staff development. There are six strategies, to help accomplish this objective.

PN-G’s third technology plan goal is; to include technology-based information systems when making district or campus instructional/curriculum and management decisions. There are four objectives, to support this goal. The first objective is; to integrate technology into instruction/curriculum and management and administration. There are four strategies, to accomplish this objective. The second objective is; to integrate technology planning into campus plans and district plans. There are six strategies, to help accomplish this objective. The third objective is; to coordinate school-community resources for technology. There are eight strategies the help accomplish this objective. The fourth objective is; the district polices will be developed & communicated, to all personnel. There are six strategies, to help accomplish this objective.

PN-G’s fourth technology plan goal is; to ensure that technology infrastructure is implemented and future needs are accessible, within the framework of the technology plan. There are three objectives to support this goal. The first objective is; the district will maintain dependable data and telecommunications networks. There are eight strategies, to help accomplish this objective. The second objective is; to coordinate all funding sources, to achieve technology plan goals. There are seven strategies, to help accomplish this objective. The third objective is; the district will maintain or retain expertise for installing and supporting the infrastructure. There are five strategies to, help accomplish this objective.

PN-G’s technology plan states:

“Serving a K-12 school population of approximately 4800 students, the district strives to provide excellence in education through modern tools of technology…Considerable initiatives for development, involving technology in curriculum and instruction are currently underway… The Port Neches-Groves school district employs a Technology Specialist at each middle school campus to facilitate the integration of technology into curriculum and instruction, therefore, increasing their ability to teach technology. These Technology Specialists are certified classroom teachers, who are currently completing their technology certification thru the University of North Texas. These Technology Specialists maintain yearly logs of all lab use and assist teachers, in their technology efforts. They also plan and document, through sign-in sheets and evaluation forms, campus technology staff development each six weeks of the school year. They are also instrumental in facilitating technology-rich interdisciplinary curriculum units, which are evidence by publication on their campus websites…

Additionally, the District continues to local allocate technology funding on an annual basis to support technology. PN-G has made a commitment to improve the quality and value of education in the district through the passage of a $123 million bond issue in 2008, of which $6,951,113 dollars was dedicated to technology… The technology department continues to research alternative means in which to supplement our technology costs through eRate funding, Title II Part D, and stimulus fund, when available. Their IdentiInstructional needs are: continued just-in time training opportunities; continued yearly Instructional Technology Planning Survey; technology specialists at each campus to facilitate technology integration; increased numbers of teachers/staff, who meet SBEC standards; improved ratings on Texas STaR Chart; and provide training for district systems. PN-G’s technical hardware needs are: increased technicians/technical support; advanced network management software; increased bandwidth to the ISP; and server upgrade needs.

The district’s technology plan is revised each fall semester by the district’s Technology Task Force. Committee members are asked to present the revised plan to their respective campuses thru faculty meetings and/or Campus Improvement Committees and make final recommendation…

 The assessment process addresses two areas of technology: instruction and technical/infrastructure. Beginning in spring 2004 Instructional Technology Surveys have been administered to all faculty and staff. The data collected from these surveys is compiled and the information used to plan for instructional needs the next school year…

The technical/infrastructure portion of the technology plan is reviewed and evaluated one a year by the Director of Information Services, the Network Supervisor, and the technical staff…The Technology Department consists of 5 persons to handle all district technology needs including most of the computer maintenance and all network items…

The technology department will review bi-annually, the state of technology within our district to evaluate the effectiveness of new technologies and telecommunications to meet the needs of our district. The additional technology should increase job performance and enhance curriculum needs. All time lines are expected to be met. Exceptions are addressed on an individual basis, if needed.” ( port neches-groves isd long range plan, 2010)

I have found through this assignment, that district technology plans can be very lengthy and complex. What I have learned is that all districts are not created equal. Port Neches-Groves ISD has mapped out comprehensively, their needs and expectations in their technology plan.  They have a good understanding of what they have and need to improve their technology.

Reference:

Port Neches-Groves Independent School District, Technology Department (2010) Long range technology plan. Port Neches, Tx.

Technology Assessments

               Technology Assessments

      Assessment means to assess or evaluate. As leaders, if we do not know; what an educator knows, about a new skill or technology; how can he or she teach the new skill to their students?  If we don't know the level of our students skill how can they learn effectively? Because of our varying diverse, ethnic and economical backgrounds; assessing technology skills,  is needed now, more than ever.  While, I was taking the technology assessment surveys last week, I was shocked at how little, I knew about technology.  As I progressed through each survey, I found that I knew less and less. Without assessments surveys; I wouldn’t know, what I didn’t know, I didn’t know.

      “It is common for educators to introduce new technology into instructional settings assuming that it has positive impacts on teaching and learning. However, without assessing, it is impossible to understand if, how and to what extent the technology helps instructors and learners. This is because the degree of impact is determined by how the technology is integrated in the instructional settings.  Our knowledge of the extent that the technology improves teaching/learning is only as good as the questions we ask, the data we collect, and analysis we perform. The assessment of instructional technology offers several practical benefits, all of which support continual improvement of teaching and learning:  Technology assessment, clarifies what you want to achieve by introducing the new technology; Provides information on what works well and challenges; identifies problems; early so that they can be corrected or minimized; Helps tailor the use of technology to foster students’ learning; Informs future decisions for technology introduction. Provides information about students/users’ reactions toward the technology; Guides future evaluation efforts by clarifying what additional information is needed.” (Anonymous, 2007)

      Assessing technology, is a proactive way to figure out, what a teacher or student knows; however, there can be draw backs. If the assessments; are not fair, accurate, or up-t0-date, the assessments are not valid.  If the appropriate data and STaR charts are not accurate, and procedures are not correctly followed; then results can be misleading. In order, for more validity to be present, in our technological assessments; we need formal and informal technological assessments; that can be reported to a centralized system or method of data collection. Once the data is collected; the information must be immediately, put to use for planning, budgeting, problem-solving, and implementation.  Technology can become obsolete over night, staying-on-top of assessment can prove to be a daunting task.  If we all work together; board members, administrators, teachers, parents, and students; we will be able to pull-off implementing current technology. Technology assessments must be the beginning, middle and never- ending  journey to catch-up to our current educational technological capabilities.

Reference:

Anonymous (2010, August 15). Why assess instructional technology? Retrieved from http://www.utexas.edu/academic/ctl/assessment/iar/tech/plan/why/

Learning curve and all

Howdy all,

Welcome to my blog. WOW! What a learning curve this has been. This was quite the experience. This is my very first blog. It was kinda scary, but I'm here. It was fairly user-friendly. I was surprised at how easy it was to set-up. I would have done this ages ago, if I would have know about it. I use to think that I was computer savvy, but not anymore. I am just beginning to learn about a whole new side of technology, I did not know existed. If anyone has suggestions or tips for me on this journey, please feel free to let me know.

If ya didn't catch the title of my blog; then I will explain. My name is LuAnn. I have been called Lu, by my friends and loved ones all-my-life. Lamar University also, happens to have the same letters for their initials. I found it humorous and wanted to play-on-words; so, I came up with LU's Tech Transformation. I can't help myself; I'm a teacher of a teacher of a teacher...