This summary is from the web conference held on February 18th.
The discussion started with everyone introducing themselves and putting what school/district they taught in. Then everyone started asking about TK 20 and how that fits into the grad program and the expectations of using this program to finish the masters. Most of the discussion was spent talking about getting certified and the steps necessary to become an administrator. It is good to collaborate with other people across the state to learn and verify how to go through this process. I feel as though most of us are learning as we go and some find the bits of information that we need to take the next step. This discussion was very informative and it was good to see the viewpoints and opinions from some of my fellow grad students.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
EDLD 5352 Action Plan
| No. | Activity | Timeline | Responsible Person(s) | Resources | Measure and Evaluation |
| 1 | Assist campuses in providing training to teachers in designing engaging instruction with the use of technology | May of 2012 | Curriculum Facilitators, Principals, Asst. Principal for Curriculum, Teachers on Special Assignment | Grant Funding, Staff Development funds | TAKS results at 100% or above with 15 percentage point increase in commended scores |
| 2 | Train teachers to develop and implement Differentiated technology lessons for instruction of students in all special programs (Dyslexia, SPED, GT, ESL) | May of 2012 | Director of Special Programs, Principals, Technology Leadership Team, Asst. Supt. C & I | Printing costs for training materials | Feedback from session evaluation forms; lesson plans and sample Lessons; All 5th & 8th grade students in special programs pass the TAKS Reading test |
| 3 | Provide in-depth data disaggregation for state and district assessments | May of 2012 | Teachers on Special Assignment, Principals | Technology Department, Membership in Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics (TASM), Region 10, Region 4 Curriculum Development | Participation at training sessions Evidence of teachers utilizing data analysis to drive instruction |
| 4 | Coordinate the alignment and articulation of technology both vertically and horizontally to deliver a rigorous curriculum to all students | May of 2012 | Curriculum Facilitators, Principals, Asst. Principal for Curriculum, Teachers on Special Assignment | Staff Development Funds, Technology Curriculum | Completed curriculum documents; documentation in lesson plans |
| 5 | Develop, administer, score and analyze data on TEKS CHECKS for grades 3-12 | August 2012 | Teachers on Special Assignment, Principals | TEKS manuals, Teacher work day to spend analyzing data | Analyzed data aligned with district goals and objectives |
| 6 | Implement a uniform technology initiative throughout the district | December 2013 | Technology Coordinator, Campus Technology Coordinators, Teachers on Special Assignment, Assistant Principals | Gaggle program cost, Staff training costs to implement the program, software updates | Program is started and all teachers are using new program at least two times every week in the fall semester |
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
EDLD 5352 Blog Posting #1
My focus for this posting is no the progress of teaching and learning, which is one of the four components of the Texas Long Range Plan.
After analyzing my school data I saw that this area was our biggest weakness. The role of teaching and learning in the 21st century schools has changed drastically in the last decade. A major factor in this change is the role technology has played on education.
As educators and schools we must shift our teaching strategies and ideas from a teacher-centered curriculum to a more student-centered curriculum. If our students continue to be passive learners, even with the use of technology, then they are not being prepared for becoming critical thinkers as they leave the school system. Change is slow in education, but this is one area that needs to be talked about more often.
The trend has been consistent with slow growth at both the local and state levels in Texas. Not all districts fit into this category, but most schools are lagging behind in providing adequate progress for integrating technology in the classroom. I think with continued staff development and growth in the area of technology leadership the teaching and learning category will see marked improvement.
Technology and its uses are still fairly new to education. I think a vast majority of educators desire to have student-centered technology based classrooms. The real question lies in how we get there and do it well. As more educators continue to lead in this area the rest of education will follow.
After analyzing my school data I saw that this area was our biggest weakness. The role of teaching and learning in the 21st century schools has changed drastically in the last decade. A major factor in this change is the role technology has played on education.
As educators and schools we must shift our teaching strategies and ideas from a teacher-centered curriculum to a more student-centered curriculum. If our students continue to be passive learners, even with the use of technology, then they are not being prepared for becoming critical thinkers as they leave the school system. Change is slow in education, but this is one area that needs to be talked about more often.
The trend has been consistent with slow growth at both the local and state levels in Texas. Not all districts fit into this category, but most schools are lagging behind in providing adequate progress for integrating technology in the classroom. I think with continued staff development and growth in the area of technology leadership the teaching and learning category will see marked improvement.
Technology and its uses are still fairly new to education. I think a vast majority of educators desire to have student-centered technology based classrooms. The real question lies in how we get there and do it well. As more educators continue to lead in this area the rest of education will follow.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Week 4 Posting
Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template
Goal: To find the correlation between classroom use of technology and student achievement and participation.
1. Meet with Administrators/Staff to approve action research plan
Review Action Research Plan with staff to refine the goals and objectives
2. Observe two classrooms at least three times with teachers who use technology
Observe classrooms and note how technology affects students engagement. Document specifics of how student engagement is affected.
3. Observe two classrooms at least three times with teachers who do not use technology.
Observe classrooms and note how lack of technology affects students engagement. Document specifics of how student engagement is affected. Make note of the differences in classrooms from different days and each day’s use of technology.
4. Interview at least four students on their perspective of teacher use of technology.
Interview each student chosen randomly with administrators approval.
5. Interview the four teacher’s classrooms I observed.
Interview each teacher and email ahead of time to schedule the interview. Maybe the interview will be done by email if time is short.
6. Compile interview questions from teachers and students. Assess to see if there are any correlations between teacher and student assessments of technology.
Have other teachers look at my questions and results to check for any biased results or questions.
7. Interview librarian and observe library to see how technology correlates with student engagement.
Verify if students are more engaged while on library computers for their class projects. Interview librarian to see if she sees in strengths or weaknesses in student use of technology.
8. Assess whether more observations are necessary. If so complete 4 more observations of students and 2 new observations of different classrooms.
Have students fill out questions in interview, interview other teachers after classroom observations.
9. Reflect on findings and decide if there is a correlation between teacher use of technology and student achievement.
Look for correlations and if data is hard to disseminate then discover how these problems can be fixed for more research.
10. Begin to specify if some modes of technology are more effective than others.
Categorize all the different modes of technology and which were most effective.
Goal: To find the correlation between classroom use of technology and student achievement and participation.
1. Meet with Administrators/Staff to approve action research plan
Review Action Research Plan with staff to refine the goals and objectives
2. Observe two classrooms at least three times with teachers who use technology
Observe classrooms and note how technology affects students engagement. Document specifics of how student engagement is affected.
3. Observe two classrooms at least three times with teachers who do not use technology.
Observe classrooms and note how lack of technology affects students engagement. Document specifics of how student engagement is affected. Make note of the differences in classrooms from different days and each day’s use of technology.
4. Interview at least four students on their perspective of teacher use of technology.
Interview each student chosen randomly with administrators approval.
5. Interview the four teacher’s classrooms I observed.
Interview each teacher and email ahead of time to schedule the interview. Maybe the interview will be done by email if time is short.
6. Compile interview questions from teachers and students. Assess to see if there are any correlations between teacher and student assessments of technology.
Have other teachers look at my questions and results to check for any biased results or questions.
7. Interview librarian and observe library to see how technology correlates with student engagement.
Verify if students are more engaged while on library computers for their class projects. Interview librarian to see if she sees in strengths or weaknesses in student use of technology.
8. Assess whether more observations are necessary. If so complete 4 more observations of students and 2 new observations of different classrooms.
Have students fill out questions in interview, interview other teachers after classroom observations.
9. Reflect on findings and decide if there is a correlation between teacher use of technology and student achievement.
Look for correlations and if data is hard to disseminate then discover how these problems can be fixed for more research.
10. Begin to specify if some modes of technology are more effective than others.
Categorize all the different modes of technology and which were most effective.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Action Research Activity Plan
My Action Research Question
How does the use of technology in my school correlate with student achievement and involvement? Are the goals of technology use within our school clearly communicated? If not how can they be communicated better? Through the results gathered my school will obtain a more refined idea of technology use within the school and its affects on our student population.
Goal: To find the correlation between classroom use of technology and student achievement and participation.
Action Step(s)
1. Meet with Administrators/Staff to approve action research plan
2. Observe two classrooms at least three times with teachers who use technology
3. Observe two classrooms at least three times with teachers who do not use technology.
4. Interview at least four students on their perspective of teacher use of technology.
5. Interview the four teacher’s classrooms I observed.
6. Compile interview questions from teachers and students. Assess to see if there are any correlations between teacher and student assessments of technology.
7. Interview librarian and observe library to see how technology correlates with student engagement.
8. Assess whether more observations are necessary. If so complete 4 more observations of students and 2 new observations of different classrooms.
9. Reflect on findings and decide if there is a correlation between teacher use of technology and student achievement.
10. Begin to specify if some modes of technology are more effective than others.
How does the use of technology in my school correlate with student achievement and involvement? Are the goals of technology use within our school clearly communicated? If not how can they be communicated better? Through the results gathered my school will obtain a more refined idea of technology use within the school and its affects on our student population.
Goal: To find the correlation between classroom use of technology and student achievement and participation.
Action Step(s)
1. Meet with Administrators/Staff to approve action research plan
2. Observe two classrooms at least three times with teachers who use technology
3. Observe two classrooms at least three times with teachers who do not use technology.
4. Interview at least four students on their perspective of teacher use of technology.
5. Interview the four teacher’s classrooms I observed.
6. Compile interview questions from teachers and students. Assess to see if there are any correlations between teacher and student assessments of technology.
7. Interview librarian and observe library to see how technology correlates with student engagement.
8. Assess whether more observations are necessary. If so complete 4 more observations of students and 2 new observations of different classrooms.
9. Reflect on findings and decide if there is a correlation between teacher use of technology and student achievement.
10. Begin to specify if some modes of technology are more effective than others.
Week 3 Posting
This week I have specified my goals for my action research project. This is helping me balance teaching and coaching and starting to implement my project to see how technology affects student performance and participation. My day is full, so this is good that I am getting a better idea the dates of when to observe classrooms and communicate with other staff what I am doing, so they can be reflecting on the afect of technology they have seen this year at my school.
This week is spring break for me so I am glad I get some time to work on refining my action research project before beginning the process in the next few weeks.
This week is spring break for me so I am glad I get some time to work on refining my action research project before beginning the process in the next few weeks.
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