Week Five
Fourth Technology Review - Staff Development in Instructional Technology
Anchorage School District, (2007,08,24). Spring 2006 After-School Workshops for. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from Anchorage School District Web site: http://www.asdk12.org/depts/itech/profdev/wkshpspring06.html
I had a surprisingly difficult time finding a resource that I wanted to use for this review. I found this one (which I believe is pretty good) and was intrigued by where it’s from. I guess I didn’t think that Anchorage Alaska would be a place where cutting edge staff developments in technology would take place. Nothing against Anchorage, I was just surprised.
What caught my attention right away is how recent and up to date this information is. A lot of times when I have searched for articles / resources, I will find one thing from ten years ago that was good. In other words, it may not be continually updated / added on to. This school district website lists Staff Development opportunities that are offered on a WEEKLY basis. To me, that is really impressive.
Many different types of staff developments are offered, ranging from training on the web-based grading program to using the OSX operating system on Macintosh computers. The author of this website also has easy to navigate links for everything to do with technology in this district. Obviously, whoever is the tech coordinator in this district is extremely well organized and qualified.
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/itech/profdev/wkshpspring06.html
Week Four
A Process for Evaluating Student Records Management Software
Vecchioli, L (1999,12,13). A Process for Evaluating Student Records Management Software. Retrieved October 2, 2007, from Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation Web site: http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=6&n=14
This article seems to be one that is well written and has stood the test of time. Since its original publication in 1999, it has been viewed over 23,000 times. It is written by a college professor from Rutgers University. The article was written with practicality in mind, and systematically takes the user through the process of evaluation.
The first step is to create a school-wide committee for the purpose of gathering information and evaluating software. The committee should include administration, teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, secretaries and anyone else who may use this program now and in the future.
The next step for this group is to discuss what needs would best be met by computer integration. This will usually consist of, but not limited to: school records, attendance, scheduling, and grades. The main purpose of using computer software is to save time. The group should analyze how particular software does this and is it user friendly.
Next, the administration should discover how this software tracks student data for detailed record keeping and analysis.
Finally, the committee needs to see the software in action. They must visit other schools that are currently using this software. They need to determine if the software will fit their district’s particular needs. The bigger the district, the bigger the need, and the more care must be taken to pick the appropriate software. Managing a school district is as complicated as running any other large business.
Response: I believe that this article demonstrates a clear and concise process for evaluating administrative software. I’ve looked at some other resources that were much longer, and I don’t know if they were any better. Granted, we have evaluated software in other classes during this master’s program, so perhaps I feel more comfortable doing this now? For me, (and I’m sure my other colleagues) it was almost a review. There was really nothing in this article I disagreed with. BRAVO!
Week Four
Chapter 4 – Technology in Educational Administration
Chapter 4 describes the importance of technology for the actual “running” of a school district. The most important aspect of running a large business, such as a school district, is the managing of data. The larger the business, the more data there is to manage. This is accomplished by the creation of databases.
The author explains in detail what a database is, including all the parts or terms. These include: character, data element, data record, data file, database and database management system. The first four terms describe the information in the database, and the system is the program in which the user runs the database. Most of us have experience working with databases I would think, I therefore understand their power. An example of a common database system is Microsoft’s ACCESS.
Data bases can be as simple as an electronic spreadsheet. In fact, when I took CED 510, the instructor taught us how to use Microsoft EXCEL as a database system. He also told the class the Microsoft was planning on merging WORD and EXCEL into one program. In schools, the most common uses of databases are: 1. managing student information and 2, managing budgetary information. Spreadsheet programs can create useful bar graphs and pie charts using the embedded data.
Office automation programs are and have been widely used to make businesses run more efficiently. These programs are word processors that replaced typewriters. Email, desktop publishing and the internet have of course, made communicating even easier for businesses. All of these programs play their part in making a school run in today’s world.
Week Three
Third Technology Review - Application of Instructional Technology
Starr, L (2002/10/16). Technology Integration Made Easy. Retrieved September 24, 2007, from Education World Web site: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml
This assignment is written with the intention of creating a “real world” situation. The perspective is that of a regular teacher who wants to integrate technology and not someone who is earning a degree in instructional technology. We have the knowledge and resources we’ve learned about throughout our program. For those teachers who are “on their own”, what would they do?
The article was found the way most teachers would find information: on Google. Scanning the results page one would find a website listed entitled “Technology Integration Made Easy”. Most teacher would undoubtedly check into this one. The site, http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml, is actually very much what the title says it is.
The article is posted on an educational website called Educator’s World. It is written from an educator’s point of view and offers many suggestions on how a teacher could begin to implement technology into the classroom. As “advertised” in the introduction to this article, there are over twenty activities and fifty website resources listed. If one were beginning the task of integrating technology into the classroom, this would be a great place to start from. If you were already using technology in your classroom, perhaps this site would offer you some ideas that you didn’t think of before.
Week Two
Technology Planning - resource review
The resource I found for technology planning is called “Technology Planning Tools” and can be found at http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tpt.html. It is a very extensive resource that talks about everything involved in the process of planning. Included topics are:
-Roles in Technology Planning
-Visioning for Technology
-Taking Stock for Technology
-Prescribing Action
-Evaluating and Updating
-Assessing the Plan Assessing Technology Tools
-Assessing Technology and Curriculum
In fact, this webpage is part of a larger resource entitled: “Planning for Change and Technology” http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/pfcnt.html which also discusses what they call “strategic planning tools” and “planning resources”.
The very first thing this resource talks about is involving the school board. As we have discussed, we must have our leaders involved in the change process, and the board controls the purse strings. It then discusses the need to pre-plan, plan and plan some more. It explains the different roles that administrators have in the process.
Next they discuss the process of creating a vision for your plan. This is not an easy process. There are many things and people to consider, including: governance, curriculum, community involvement, professional development, funding, technology uses, and equity.
The plan must evaluate / asses what is currently happening in the district. “Where we are and where we want to go.” The next step is to prepare for action. Where will training take place? Who will train? How will the technology improve student learning. All these questions and more must be answered before any action takes place.
Finally, it’s all about assessment. One must assess the plan itself, followed by the technology tools and lastly the technology itself and curriculum. I could write about this for weeks! Now I know why my district’s technology plan is 188 pages!
--Jamie Beckman
Week Two
Chapter Three – Technology, Learning and Equity Issues
This chapter begins by discussing the role of technology. 20-30 years ago, people predicted that computers would replace teachers as the main source of instruction in the classroom. The teacher, would become a facilitator rather than the traditional role of a teacher, that being a teacher! The author discusses the stages in childhood when computer education should begin. There are basically two camps / major opinions on this. One, is that schools should wait until a child is 7-11 years old. That is when, arguably, that students begin thinking logically. The other camp believes that the earlier we introduce students to computer technology the better. (That’s how I feel). There are specialized keyboards, equipment and software developed for younger children. My four year old has been “playing” on a computer since he was two and half, three years old.
The discussion of computers in special education is discussed. There are resources that technology provides (especially for the extremely physically handicapped) that traditional methods of education simply do not. People who have trouble seeing, hearing or even turning the pages of a book can have technology that assists them. Even more specialized is equipment for those that are severely unable to move but have normal brain functions.
Equity and Gender Issues are discussed. At first I thought “here we go, girls are better than boys in…..” I was happy to find that the authors point was planning for gender equality as it pertains to access. Studies show girls are less likely to voluntarily sign up for computer related classes. Requiring all students to take certain courses is a way to contradict that. Minority issues are then discussed. The author states that this is probably the most complex issue. In the past, the ratio of student to computer was much better in suburbs compared to urban area schools. Recent report show that this has become better, but results vary from state to state. Of course we can only control what happens at school, and the issues of home life will have great effects on outcomes as well.
The socioeconomic situations have a huge effect on education. On a positive note, access to technology is becoming more and more prevalent. Some states have committed to putting a laptop computer in the hands of every student. In the future, access to the internet may not be a problem for anyone. The nation is becoming wireless as we speak. As the author states: we as educators need to be aware and sensitive to these issues regarding the use of technology in education.
Nice summary of chapter - Louis
Chapter One – Introduction to Technology and Planning
Chapter one is an introduction to the purpose and need for this text. It began with an interesting and insightful story about the first two females to cross Antarctica on foot. Despite being in one of the most remote and uninhabitable places on earth, they were still able to communicate with the world through technology. It evidently was a very surreal experience that applies to all of us. No longer is the world such a big place. Are we as educators, using this technology to make global connections in our classrooms? Where are we compared to other institutions?
Chapter one continued with a brief history of technology and its relationship and purpose in businesses and schools. We learned that initially in the 1960’s computers were designed for administrative purposes. Management, finance, and operations were some of the tasks that computers were designed for. Schools also used computers for administrative tasks, but it was not until the 1970’s and more so the 1980’s with the release of micro-computers did computers begin to dive into the realm of assisting the education of students.
Because of a variety of reasons, number one being cost, the business world has always been ahead of schools in terms of implementing technology. There primary need for administrative type software in turn drove designers to focus on computer programs in those areas. Larger school districts or ones controlled by the state were the first to be able to afford the technology. Early software was not necessarily accepted by teachers and their attitudes affected the rate of technology implementation as well.
Since the beginning of technology integration in schools, there are many of the same problems that affect many school districts today. Where do you put your resources? Do schools invest in hardware, software, staff training and support? What is the cost of maintenance and repairs to equipment? All of these questions, in addition to limited knowledge and resources have been detrimental to progress.
The bottom line, we discover is the need for planning. In order to have an effective change, school districts must plan extensively. The answer to the above questions is that all areas must be addressed. Hardware, software, staff development and training and maintenance are all cogs in the wheel. Each is independently and collectively vital for the whole process to work. The need for coordinators who are trained specifically in the area of educational technology are vital. This is the purpose of this book.
--Jamie Beckman
Chapter Two – Basic Concepts of Planning
Chapter two explains the process that is planning. Simply stated, I believe the author is stating that planning is an essential and complicated process. For successful technology planning to occur, one must know the background of the organization, establish goals and objectives, know the current trends of technology, assess outcomes, re-evaluate the plan and make adjustments.
The chapter begins by examining what a school system is. The first model used to do this is the General Social System Model. Although this model is relevant, especially when examining the needs of us as humans, it is thought to be inefficient. Decisions in this model are based on consensus rather than what is best. The Continuum of Economic/Rational and Social Process Models of Organizational Behavior is one that is commonly used in the business world. It attempts to demonstrate how schools operate similarly to businesses. It is found that this is difficult however to compare student learning to profit.
The author then explains that there are four common elements of educational planning.
- Comprehensiveness - a plan must serve everyone
- Collaboration - the need to involve everyone
- Commitment – people involved need to stick to the plan
- Continuity – the ability to change the plan when necessary.
The author then describes the process used in planning for technology. He gives us a model that works from the outside in, similar, I think to a “Understanding by Design” model. Also discussed and utilized area number of existing guidelines from various states and school systems. Included is a typical timeline for implementation.
An interesting section to me was the amount that was written about the need for educators to have a positive attitude when it comes to evaluation. Evaluation is necessary and there will most de4finetely be positive and negative results. We as educators must be prepared for that.
It is up to the ones planning to create a plan that best serves the group. This planning committee must use the model or a combination of several models that will work the best. The “Four C’s” mentioned above are critical for success.
--Jamie Beckman
Technology Needs Assessment
I began by using the Technology Needs Assessments URL and found that a lot of them were dead links. I started in the middle on the Minnesota link and tried working my way up. The next two were dead as well! I became frustrated, so I used mamma.com to search for a technology needs assessment.
The first one at the top ended up being a real good one in my opinion.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdTechGuide/appc-5.htm
I believe this is from a site that Louis recommended. It covers most everything and anything technological that one may use in a school. It starts as simply as what kind of computers you are comfortable with. What hardware are you familiar with? It covers administrative programming, student centered software, and staff development. It lists AV equipment which is technology too.
Edmin Open Systems, (1998, 12). Technology Needs Assessment Survey. Retrieved September 12, 2007, from An Educator's Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdTechGuide/appc-5.html
The second needs assessment I found is:
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/assessment.htm
This assessment is not as extensive as the first one, but pretty straightforward. Instead of listing hardware / software individually, it groups them together. Depending on what you were trying to learn, I can see the advantages of both of these assessments. The first one might seem a little overwhelming for the novice to fill. The amount of information listed may intimidate some staff members as well. The second assessment is much more easy to read and understand.
SIEC Technology, (2002). Retrieved September 12, 2007, from 2002 Technology Needs Assessment and Evaluation Survey Web site: http://www.siec.k12.in.us/assessment.htm
Article / Resource Review
http://www.dhutton.com/change/process.html
I looked at a number of websites that explain the change process. For me, I like the bottom line. Keep it simple. This website was exactly that. The process is laid out in a clean and concise matter. After a brief introduction, David has a visual chart that explains the change process in a matter that for me, was easy to understand.
He states that first one must identify the major barriers ahead of you and determine whether what you want to accomplish is even possible. Secondly, and probably most importantly, (and like we found out in the game we played), is to get the administration involved.
From there, it’s all about communication, evaluation and implementation. The process is complicated of course, but he explains it pretty clearly. Of course one must always deal with unexpected complications that will undoubtedly occur.
He offers some additional resources for the reader to explore. He humorously says its everything you need to know “in just 364 pages”! Obviously this handbook goes into great detail about the how the process works. Since we are reading about this in our text as well, I appreciated the simplicity of his page.
Citation:
Hutton, D. How the change agent connects with the organization. Retrieved September 16, 2007, from David Hutton Associates Web site: http://www.dhutton.com/change/process.html
--Jamie Beckman
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