Technology Integration Action Plan EDLD 5352

Hughes Terrifc Technology STaR Chart Presentation

Texas STaR chart information presentation: EDLD5352

Texas s ta r chart

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Texas s ta r chart

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Post #3--EDLD 5352

Education, as we all, know is essential to the achievement and sustainability of our country. It ensures people can support themselves adequately, and reduces the number of people living in a low income setting. To educate properly and ensure our students can compete with the rest of the world, we must incorporate technology as much as possible into teaching and learning in the classroom. Teachers must change the way they think and teach in the classroom to embrace the 21st century learner wholly. They must engage and empower students in regards to technology and education. Teaching today’s learners is very different from the past. We must provide individualized instruction that meets the academic needs of all students, not just a select few. To meet that goal we must incorporate technology intro our daily classroom instruction. Technology also enhances the teaching in the classroom, along with increasing an educator’s knowledge and point of reference. Technology allows a teacher to instantly access information regarding the curriculum being taught, and produce the most current information to the students. For teachers to be most effective, they must also be prepared to know how to use technology, through the use of technology centered professional development. “Sit and get” professional development is not going to be effective when educating teachers on technology. The trainings must be hands-on and learner centered, with the tools available for use and practice. With the implementation of effective professional development the possibilities for the classroom are exciting and without limit for both teacher and student.

Post #2--EDLD 5352

Texas has always been very good at composing plans to meet the needs of education. Those plans actually being feasible and reasonable is another thing altogether. Yes, we need to advance our use of technology in education to ensure our students stay abreast of today’s knowledge, and can compete equally with our country’s counterpart, but how realistic is the long range plan? Technology has huge potential within our schools. Technology has the potential to advance our children’s minds and knowledge, and also increase academic achievements. Technology has the potential to broaden our minds, and increase communication skills in regards to all stakeholders, such as parents and community members. Technology can increase the educator’s base of knowledge, and provide a vital information link to the curriculum being taught. Technology can increase collaboration amongst the stakeholders as well. Basically though, the most important aspect of technology is the financial benefits it could produce. In this time of budget crisis, technology is being looked at to save us, in the form of online and campus-based computer classes which reduces the number of teachers needed. That’s a scary thought! The progress report has two sections: the long range goal which includes Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure, and the second section describes the services that education service centers across Texas offer the schools. I was surprised at the varying levels of support the service centers offered their schools. The range of services offered went from little services offered to extreme.

Infrastructure for Technology--EDLD 5352--Post #1

The area of Infrastructure for Technology relates to the actual physical components of technology. The number of computers on a campus and in each classroom is considered, along with Internet connectivity, and how many students per computer. As well other technology resources are considered, such as document cameras or SmartBoards to name a few examples. In regards to progress, the majority of schools are classified as Developing Tech or Advanced Tech for the area of Infrastructure for Technology. Most schools though are showing slow improvement towards the Target Tech classification over the past few years. In 2008-09, 31% of teachers indicated they were at the Developing Tech stage on the STaR chart, with only 1% indicating the Early Tech classification. By 2009-10, though, 61% of teachers were indicating an Advanced Tech classification, which shows good growth. Also in 2009-10, 7.6% of teachers indicated a Target Tech classification, which while a low percentage, it had increased 0.8% from 2008-09. The single biggest issue in regards to technology at my school is the lack of professional development. It’s wonderful to have access to the technology tools at my school, but without the proper and habitual training, what good are they in the classroom? While some training is offered, it is rare and minimal at best. This leads to most teachers putting the technology tools on a shelf to collect dust, and proceed with teacher centered instruction, which doesn’t advance the classroom or students. Professional development has to be increased substantially if we are to meet the goals of the state and the needs of our 21^st century learners.

Week 5 Reflection

I’ve learned so much from this course and the content it included, with an emphasis on action research. Action research is an ongoing, continuous process that never stops, preventing an organization from stagnating, and providing a progressive environment conducive to change. It also allows for a thorough examination of current practices, using the techniques of research to determine what could be lacking. Action research allows the vested parties to address issues that are specific to the individual, group, or school, not just issues outsiders believe are important. Action research is also a process that models problem solving, which can be introduced and modeled for teachers, students, and other administrators. In addition, action research has the capability to rejuvenate the learning and professional community alike. Action research follows a process of steps that tend to be cyclical in nature. Action research is more of an introspective, self evaluation tool to determine current abilities and skills, and what changes might need to be made. It can be an individual, collaborative, or school-wide undertaking that happens within the learning community.


Reflection is not new process for me, as it is greatly encouraged by my administration, but developing my action research plan really made me realize exactly how important it is to an educator. As an educational leader, it is vital to reflect on a continuous daily basis. When evaluating any type of project or outcome, to be an effective leader we must ask ourselves a few questions. Was the outcome positive? Is there anything else that could be done to enhance the outcome? If the outcome was not desired, what could be done to elicit better results? Based on the answers to those questions, then we should plan to improve and extend the desired outcome. Reflection also allows teachers to grow professionally, and gain confidence in their abilities and skills. Reflection is a time to understand our self better, and determine what changes need to be made to attain the desired outcome.

I also learned something that was totally foreign to me, which were the strategies for sustaining improvement. Force field analysis is a powerful tool when used correctly, especially in the school setting. There are always forces involved within any organization, both negative and positive. According to Kurt Lewin, who developed the force field analysis tool, there are forces that drive changes and forces that resist change. This definitely applies when developing an action research plan within a school environment. The Delphi Method relies on a team of experts or interested parties that would ultimately be affected by the change. This particular method is normally confidential, with surveys being exchanged and information being shared electronically. The Nominal group technique also has merit, but I hesitate to try this method first, due to time constraints. A facilitator normally leads the discussion within a small group setting, asking members to silently write down what they feel the schools needs/issues are. Each person shares one idea, which is written down, with no discussion at this time. Then a small group discussion follows of the alleged needs, with group members rating the needs from most important to least important. This technique also has merit because judgmental attitudes are not allowed as issues are being discussed, so members feel open to discuss freely. The more I studied these techniques; I feel that a combination of the Delphi method and Force field analysis would supply the greatest benefit for sustaining improvement in the school.