Week+2


 * Week 2 Assignment, Part 2.2: **** Week Two Addition to Comprehensive Examination **

Technology in the educational environment should be as diverse as the students in our schools. Fortunately, we are just now beginning to see a trend in the way curriculum is provided with the use of technology. My vision for educational technology is the continual upgrade to newer technology, in order to match what the business world is working with. This will enable students to achieve new levels of creativity.

The Information Systems course helped me gain essential information, as it required me to interview people that have seen much change over their career as educators and develop an idea for how the classroom should look in five years. What I found so interesting about this class is that I completed it almost 4 years ago and when I think back about it, the classroom has changed little just in the last 4 years. For one of the projects I interviewed the Read 180 teacher, Mrs. Temco at the Adaptive Behavior Center (ABC) about the many changes in the processes of communication, planning, and delivering of instruction throughout her 28 years in Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District. Mrs. Temco and I began discussing that first and foremost, 28 years ago “there was not a computer in any of the schools” and if she were told that there would be machines that would help you prepare a lesson, communicate with staff, and deliver a lesson she would not have believed it. The author of Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement discusses change and the critical need to introduce new technology into the classroom.
 * Week 2 Assignment, Part 2.3 ** : ** Reflections on Course-Embedded Assignments for EDLD 5362 Information Systems Management as shown in the Internship Handbook, Course-Embedded Assignment document in the Resource section of the course. **

I also create my idea of what the 21st century classroom would look like in 5 years. I stated that my hopes for my classroom in five years is that I can continue providing a collaborative environment, where all students involved are capable and feel safe sharing. I would improve my current methods by striving to include blogging and other software into the collaborative learning, so students will then be able to use digital media to share ideas and discuss topics selected by the facilitator. (McCrea) Technology has already greatly influenced the ability of educators to diversify their lessons to better suit individual students but I feel that the future will not only help diversify learning but alleviate the pressures on teachers and students. Just in the last five to ten years, online communication has become the new way of seeking outside sources of information and opinions outside of school. In this same way, I intend to bring that type of collaboration into my classroom by opening my doors through software programs such as Wiki and blogging. I have already introduced my students to the idea of blogging within the district but hoping that one day we will be able to blog about subjects that we are studying such as History, Science, or Geography. I have often through how great would it be, to be able to blog about China with someone living in China or when studying our solar system, blog with an actual astronomer or Nasa? Visit Matt described how he allows children to stay connected to the internet, using their smart phones during his classes to interact in blogs that he has set up specifically for the class.

With the introduction of mobile devices, people are now able to stay connected to the internet and the wide range of information it can provide. Technology is becoming so much smaller and due to this, students would be able to stay connected to the school intranet so that textbooks could be accessible via net as well as assignments, projects, and interactions with teacher’s no matter where in the school the teacher or student may be. A great example of using different types of media besides the hard copy of a textbook is written by Malissia Bell. Ms. Bell describes in her article, that many schools have begun putting textbooks on iPods and other sources so that students have this media with them at all times.(Bell)

Cloud computing in the classroom would be used so that all the information such as readings, homework, and other data can be held or stored off site but easily and quickly accessible through a network. Media is becoming smaller and, therefore, we have access to so much more information so cloud computing will help ease the burden of the individual schools. Smart objects are used to place a person that is speaking on an overhead projector or review a test that was taken and turned in minutes before. If teachers have the knowledge to create tests or quizzes through programs that can automatically grade them, the options for review would be limitless. Students would no longer have to go home worrying about how they did on the test. The students would have automatic feedback through some type of computing device. After the software grades the test, the teacher can project the percentages of passing and not passing onto a smart object such as a smart board or screen. Anyone who has any type of experience with the internet has found the amount of information that is produced when searching a topic may be daunting but with the use of Personal Web, the type of information can easily be focused to the desired information. (Morris)

Bibliographic Citations

Bafile, Cara. "School Races to Promote Reading Through Podcasts." //Education World// Education World, 10 May 2009. Web. 4 Feb. 2010. .

Honey, M. (2005). //Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement//. Retrieved January 15, 2010 Jamshed, L. (2007, April). //Technology In The Classroom, TEAchnology//. Retrieved January 15, 2010

Ivers, Karen. //A Teacher's Guide to Using Technology in the Classroom//. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2003. N. pag. Print.

Matt, Visit. "Mobile Technology Goes to School." //Education World// N.p., 2009. Web. 4 Feb. 2010. Path: [].

McCrea, Bridget. "5 K-12 Technology Trends for 2010." //Technology Trends for 2010// 2.2 (2009): 1-4. Print. Morris, Carol M. "Loud Computing, Big Data, and Open Access ." //D-Lib// Jan. 2010: 1-4. Print.

Ullah, A. (2003, June 24). //Critical Issue: Using Technology to Support Limited- English-Proficient (LEP) Students' Learning Experiences//. Retrieved January 15, 2010


 * Week 2 Assignment, Part 2.4 ** : ** Reflections on Course-Embedded Assignments for EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology as shown in the Internship Handbook, Course-Embedded Assignment document in the Resource section of the course. **

Teaching with Technology was a class that focused heavily on the use of technology within gifted and talented classrooms and best practices. I gained many new ideas about how to critically look at my teaching strategies and apply new concepts such as differentiation, R.A.F.T. activities and online group work. I watched a short video, by Mr. John Abbott, where he discusses how a true learner will build on past material and expand on what has already been learned. I gained the knowledge that a learner will build upon frameworks, until a concept is truly learned. Although I did understand the importance of using technology in the classroom, I did not fully comprehend what activities I should be doing to really help my students achieve the next level of understanding. With Teaching with Technology, I began to further understand that it is ok for students to develop their own ideas and concepts that were not the same as mine. I also began to see how important it was for me to be the facilitator and take a step back for my students learning. It is ok for me to check for students learning but to give the learner more freedom to research and learn in ways they understand.

I use to feel that I needed to be a driving force in my student learning career but I have since learned it is more important for students to be engaged in their own learning, through self inquiry. I struggled greatly in this class, with the online group work. I found it very difficult to work with people collaboratively online, due to not meeting face-to-face and because of time restraints between team members. Although as time went on, we developed a way that we could all contribute at different times and still have engaging conversations, where everyone was a contributor. I learned a great deal from the use of online collaboration such as ways to maneuver around obstacles such as time restraints. We used Googledocs to post questions and reflections for our different responsibilities and whenever we would email one person, we would CC all the other team members, so everyone in the group would be up-to-date with how the projects were proceeding. Googledocs was a very valuable tool in that we all used it to put the project together as we built our individual parts. Once we had perfected our lessons and activities, one of the other team members posted it to our website.

I have already begun using some of the strategies I’ve learned through this course in my classroom and have even had students build projects using Googledocs. My students love this because they already spend so much time on the computer when they get home. Students find that instead of trolling around the internet and chatting endlessly with friend on instant messenger, they are developing projects with a group online, long after they have gone home. I have had several students’ state they feel like they learn so much more, while on the computer, developing new ideas with their friends.

Some questions did arise when I was working on this project with my team members such as how do you know if all members are pulling their share of the weight of the project? I really need to find out more information about how to avoid one or two group members doing all the work, while others in the group, that have not put as much effort into it, reap the benefits. I am still trying to critically look at this and let all of my students know it is an expectation that everyone in the group works efficiently and honestly.


 * Week 2 Assignment, Part 2.5-6 ** : ** Reflections on the readings in Chapters Three and Four of your text, ISTE’s Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards, pages 57-99. **

Standard III: Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum in your textbook Williamson & Redish (2009) state, “In an era when the needs of students are rapidly changing, schools are not providing digital-age learning experiences” (p. 57). Chapter 3 discusses the importance of having a technology facilitator, within the school, which helps teachers integrate technology in ways that support curriculum. With the use of technology support personnel, teachers will be given material that is tried and has been successful. The most important thing to remember is that teachers must implement technology, within the classroom, to match what children are using outside of the learning environment. One stunning statistic is that sixty-five percent of students have stated they have some type of internet access at home but only fourteen percent at schools (Kaier & Rainie,2005). This is a staggering percentage because of the direction our business world is heading. A positive trend that is moving through education is that learning is moving from a concrete learning model to an exploratative model, where students gain new knowledge by building on what they have previously learned through personal fact-finding, not the teacher standing at the front of the classroom, feeding students information.

The new technology model states “once student technology standards are aligned to curriculum, resources have been selected, and grade level benchmarks developed, a curriculum guide for student technology standards can be published” (p. 63) Reading this statement was interesting because having this type of guide will greatly help implement new technology standards across the board. I am sure in implementing this, the hope is with many forward thinkers, that technology guides or paths will be sent forth for all in education. Bibliographic Citations Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //Technology facilitation and leadership standard: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.


 * Assignment 2-6: **** Reflections on Technology Facilitator Standard IV: Assessment and Evaluation in your textbook. **

“Computers and networked environments may significantly contribute to alternative assessment methods outside traditional testing models” (p. 79). The state of Texas has determined that the TAKS test is now being phased out and the new STAR test will take its place in determining how well the student has gained new information and with this, I am sure computer/technology-based testing is sure to come. Technology is the way of the present but I do want my students to still feel comfortable with a paperback book for certain projects and assignments. Chapter 4 goes into great detail about data collecting and on the usefulness of using technology in the classroom. Williamson & Redish discuss the performance indicators include assessing student learning, collecting, analyzing, and reporting data, and evaluating technologies for effectiveness. Educators need to use these to indentify that the technology they have implemented is helping the students to be as successful as possible.

When beginning my education career as a teacher, I had a goal of eventually going into technology so that I could put these resources into the hands of teachers that work with students everyday. When looking in the technology closet, I found 4 Airliners that had never been opened. I gave 2 Airliners to Mathematics teachers and 2 Airliners to the Social Studies department, where there is a lot of discord between teachers that the book is the best way of teaching history. The Math department really embraced the idea of using this great manipulative tool to help their students but the History department took a little more convincing. One of the tools went to a younger teacher that has a lot of technological background and he used it almost daily. The students really enjoyed it and his class saw a drop in behavior concerns and improved engagement.

I have been the technology liaison for 2 years now and I fully understand the importance and urgency of using technology in the classroom, as we have twenty-eight young adults, that we need to teach a massive amount of information, with little time to do it. Self-explorations with the use of technology really helps lessen the load for the educators and change a teacher-directed classroom to a differentiated student-focused learning environment.

Something I still need to do research on, is how to obtain more grant money to put this technology into the hands of people that need it the most. With the ever-changing technological environment, keeping up-to-date is challenging. Bibliographic Citations Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //Technology facilitation and leadership standard: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.