Kilgore High School Texas STaR Chart

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EDLD 5352 WEEK 2 ASSIGNMENT- EDUCATOR PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020 is a plan that is shared by school districts across the state to implement technology in the classroom for student learning. The plan has different areas of focus in which to attain goals. I belive that the area of Educator Preparation and Development is one of the most important areas in which to improve upon. Professional development is vital to classroom teachers in order for them to better understand technology and find ways to incorporate it in their classrooms for student learning.
In this area, my campus was assessed and given a developing technology level of progress. This means that technology is used for adminstrative tasks and classroom management. There are minimal use of online resources and administrators expect teachers to use technology. Seventy-four percent of campuses in the state of Texas fall in this category. Nationally, states have set the bar high in this area through the use of professional development. Our state and our campus are currently improving professional development for educators in order to keep up with the progress of the nation.
My campus is trying improve upon this area through means of professional development for teachers. We understand how important it is for teachers to learn new technology as it is fast changing and student demanding. The state has provided districts with standards for professional development. Educators and Leaders alike are required to attain a recommended amount of hours per year for professional development and growth. This tends to be the trend as a nation as states struggle to meet the demands of the No Child Left Behind Laws.
I believe that in order for my campus to improve in this area that our professional development should be more specific oriented. We are required by the state to attend professional development training courses and workshops. We are not required to attend technology workshops nor do we have to have a certain amount of hours in the area of technology. This would really be beneficial to my campus, educators, and to the state in order to keep up with nationally and more importantly worldly trends. This would contribute to reaching our goals as a campus, as a state, and as a nation.

Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS for EDLD 5352 Week 1

The Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS give students the foundation they need for student performance in future grades. Students will understand and learn how to use the mouse, keyboard, and touch screens. They will also use applications such as software that uses audio,video, and graphics to listen to storybooks. In addition, they will learn the very basic units of a computer and some of its terminology.
A spiraling curriculum is one where the basic needs are learned and a foundation is set for future classes. These classes build upon each other so that the student can achieve greater and more advanced learning. The Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS do just that. They give pre-k students pre-requisite skills to meet the challenges of kindergarten. Kindergarten will give skills to students that they will need in first grade and so on.
Students can master a series of TEKS because they have multiple opportunities to do so. For example, A child uses a program for storytelling. The student will next learn how to use the mouse to open that same program. This is followed by the student learning to open a different program that allows the student to draw with the mouse. The learners ability of using a mouse is being perfected and getting more challenging in order to master this skill.

Long-Range Plan Summary for EDLD 5352 Week 1

I acquired much needed information from the readings of the Long-Range Plan. I found that technology is the foundation for the future of education. We must provide access and attain technological resources for our students in order for them to succeed in tomorrow's world. We are lagging behind as a nation because every school or classroom is not made available to the strategies for the advancement of technology. Our children are computer savvy and want to learn to communicate through the use of technology.
The Long-Range Plan introduces a vision to get this process started. It is designed to get leaders,teachers, and communities on the same page. It also defines the roles and lists requirements for each particpant. A time frame is established along with phases within the plan to help keep everyone on pace to reach the vision.
My new learning can assist me in several ways as an instructional leader for technology use. I have learned that I must get community involvement in order to achieve the Long-Range Plan. Community members can help to provide the resources and funding needed for technology in the classroom and schools. I also understand that professional development plays a major role for leaders and teachers to be effective in the 21st century. Technology is moving at such a rapid pace that we must constantly be learning new tools in order to create successful learners in the future.

Technology Assessments for EDLD 5352 Week 1

After taking the Technology Applications Inventory survey, I found my greatest strength to be in the communications domain. I use technology on a daily basis to communicate with colleagues among our campus. I use multiple tools and programs to effectively share and obtain information. Our district has just implemented a new software program district wide. This program has enhanced my technological skills in this area. The poorest area of the assessment was in the problem solving domain. I believe the explanation of this outcome lies in the fact that I do not integrate other subject areas in my technology products nor do I have the background to do so. I was average in the areas of foundations and information acquisition. Though I have experience in these areas, it is minimal and needs improvement.
The SETDA Teacher Survey exposed areas of my campus/district that needs improvement in the technology field. Although my district is working hard to improve technological skills with introduction of new software programs, updated computers, and classroom equipment, we do not research enough data about how technology is impacting overall student performance. Our approach to technology is more about giving teachers and students the means but not the way. Technology is deemed very high upon our list of objectives and goals. Leaders explore and innovate new technological ideas. We are in the beginning process and our skills are getting stronger. We have ways to communicate via internet with parents and the community. Programs have been installed for parents to obtain grades, assignments, and a course syllabus for their child's class by way of computers.
I agree to a certain extent of the outcome of both surveys. I believe that they are only partially accurate and do not entail the overall success of technological skills. There were areas that I know I need to improve upon, but do not feel that I will be unsuccessful if they are not perfected. Teachers should be given the option of how much technology to place in the classroom. All students are different and learn in many different ways. However, it is vital for the teacher to take into consideration of what skills students need to know to be effective 21st century learners.