Week 1 Assignments:

• Summarize Chapters 1 and 2 from our text.
• List the Technology Needs Assessments you find
• Article/resource review on Change

 

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Information and Technology Literacy Plan

The first thing I noticed when I took a look at Waukesha’s technology plan is the date of implementation.  I noticed that the plan covers three and a half years.  I know that many districts write their plans for five years, but after conducting research for this class, I have come to realize that a technology plan with a shorter time span may be more effective.  Technology is changing so quickly and a five year technology plan may become outdated before the time span has been completed.

I think the technology plan does a nice job laying out the goals; however, they do not seem very specific.  For example, goal A states “All staff will be proficient in using information and technology to meet the needs of all students and for professional purposes”.  The goal goes on to say that the staff will have greater accountability for using technology resources.  This goal doesn’t seem specific, and it also doesn’t state how it will be measured.  It might be more valuable to state specifics such as: all staff will use the online attendance and grading programs to keep track of student data.

Another thing I noticed about the “goals” section is that it was missing a section specifically devoted to professional development.  I recently read an article, Critical Issue: Providing Professional Development for Effective Technology Use by Ginger Rodriguez (http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te1000.htm), that stated professional development needs to be addressed in the technology plan.  The article also stated that school districts generally devote 15% of their technology budget to professional development, but suggests that 30% of the technology budget should be devoted to training.  Waukesha currently sets aside less than 2% of its technology budget for professional development.  This is definitely an area where more funding can be used.

One thing I liked about the technology plan was the vision.  It states “It is the vision of the School District of Waukesha to create an environment that prepares students to be responsible competent users of information and technology, leading to improved student achievement and opportunities.”  The vision focuses on student achievement and learning outcomes rather than the technology.

The technology plan also includes technology benchmarks for the different grade levels.  I found this to be extremely interesting.  Without this class, I never would have seen the technology benchmarks for students.  These benchmarks are not publicized.  If I did not request a copy of the technology plan, I never would have seen them.

 

 

 

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Administrative Software Evaluation Form Review

 

 

(2005).  Software Evaluation Form.  Humble Independent School District, Retrieved on October 7, 2007 from

http://www.humbleisd.net/education/sctemp/5298fa983f32f8f5fcab177783eeb475/1191816743/Evaluation_Form.pdf

 

 

The software evaluation form located on the Humble Independent School District website has many positives.  First of all, the form is easy to complete and, at two pages, is relatively short.  The majority of the form consists of checkboxes and a few fill-in-the-blank questions.  There is additional space toward the end of the form where additional information can be written in.  Another nice thing about this form is that it can be used to evaluate educational software and administrative software. 

Although the form has its strong points, it is not perfect.  For administrative software evaluation, there are only seven questions.  Someone reading this form would have a hard time figuring out the goal of the software if the “additional information” portion of the form were not filled out.  Some of the questions asked in this portion are “does the software have print capabilities?”, “can the user save work or notes?”, and “is the software easy to use?”.  In this section, it might be helpful to know if the new software needs to interact with the school’s database.  Also, this form does not leave any room for details about professional development.  It might be pertinent to list what type of training, and who is to be trained, before considering the new software.

 

 

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Chapter 4 Summary

 

The fourth chapter of Educational Leadership and Planning for Technology talks about the computer applications available for administrators.  Technology has certainly changed the way teachers teach and students learn, but it has also changed the way a school manages its information.  There are three types of computer applications that have drastically changed the way that schools conduct business: databases, spreadsheets, and office automation software. 

A database is made up of data records and data files.  Data records consist of a collection of related data for a single person.  For example, a student’s data record would be made up of their name, birth date, parent’s name, address, contact information, year in school, etc.  A data file is a collection of related data records.  For example, all of the student data records would make up a student data file.  Schools need to keep track of a wide variety of information including student data, employee data, and financial data.  Before computers, all records had to be kept by hand.  With computers, data can be collected electronically with data records and data files.

A spreadsheet is an electronic grid used in planning and modeling.  Spreadsheets are used by schools in a variety of ways.  For example, a spreadsheet can be used to plan district’s budget.  At Waukesha North, a spreadsheet is used to keep track of the technology budget.

The last major category of computer applications for administrators is the office automation software.  This includes basic programs such as word processing programs and e-mail.  E-mail has certainly changed the way schools have conducted business.  E-mail allows teachers and the administration to communicate throughout the day.  Reminders about school policies, our school’s bulletin, and other important announcements are sent during the day.  When I student taught in Australia, there was drastically less technology available.  Most of the administrative tasks were still done with paper memos and face-to-face conversations.  Having technology certainly makes administrative tasks faster and easier.

 

 

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Professional Development in Technology Article Review

 

Rodriguez, G. (2000).  Critical Issue: Providing Professional Development for Effective Technology Use. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, Retrieved on October 7, 2007 from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te1000.htm.

The question is no longer “should we use technology?”  Instead, the question is “how can we use technology to enhance the learning of our students?”  The main goal of any professional development activity should not be focused on the technology; it should be focused on student learning.

In the article “Critical Issue: Providing Professional Development for Effective Technology Use”, Ginger Rodriguez outlined the goals of professional development.  One of the first goals listed was to make sure that professional development is part of the school district’s technology plan.  All the technology in the world cannot help students if teachers do not know how to use it effectively.  Teachers need professional development opportunities to help them feel comfortable with technology.  If a teacher is not comfortable, he or she is not likely to use it in their classroom.  To increase teachers’ comfort levels, long term professional development is needed---a one day workshop will not suffice. 

During professional development sessions, teachers need to have hands-on opportunities with the new technology.  They also need to be involved with activities they can apply directly to their individual curriculum.  Teachers also need to be given ample time to work with the new technology.  The article suggests that teachers need “collaboration time” to work with colleagues.  At Waukesha North, we currently have collaboration time.  I have found it extremely helpful to talk with other teachers about curriculum and technology during this time.  Without collaboration time, many of these valuable discussions would not take place.

Additionally, teachers need support.  It is inevitable that a teacher will experience some sort of “mishap” when they start using new technology.  If this teacher cannot get immediate assistance in dealing with this mishap, he or she may not be likely to continue using the technology.  This type of “immediate” help is not usually available at Waukesha North.  With budget cuts, we have had to eliminate several technology coordinator positions.  It can take weeks to get answers to technology questions.  The elimination of these valuable positions takes away much needed support.

In addition to technical support, teachers also need administrative support.  Rodriguez suggests that the administration takes part in the professional development activities.  This will allow for the principal to see first-hand what teachers are trying to accomplish and what sort of pit-falls may arise.

Finally, Rodriguez talked about the need for proper equipment.  In order for technology professional development to be successful, teachers need to have access to the technology.  When budgeting for technology, the technology committee needs to include the cost of hardware, software, and professional development.

 

 

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Implementing Technology Article Review

 

Hawkins, J. (1997, July, 1). The world at your fingertips. Retrieved September 25, 2007, from http://www.edutopia.org/node/307/print

In the article “The World at Your Fingertips”, Jan Hawkins talks about the implications of implementing technology into the classroom.  Hawkins starts by stating that the educational field is far behind the business world in terms of using technology to increase productivity. 

Technology can help students achieve more.  The example given refers to students with special needs.  Advances in technology have helped visually impaired students see printed text with the assistance of text enlargers and students with reading disabilities are able to listen to audio recordings.

Technology can be used to help all students, not just those with special needs.  Hawkins points out that most schools are forced to teach with inadequate materials.  Textbooks quickly become outdated and must be supplemented with a teacher’s knowledge.  Technology help bring current material to students.  The internet provides a rich source of information where students can instantly access almost any type of information.  With the incorporation of technology, students are able to research topics more quickly than ever before.  Since it takes students a shorter amount of time to research, they can spend more time analyzing, evaluating, and using their information.

Technology can also connect students from different parts of the globe.  Students are also able to connect with professional experts.  I have seen students become part of tele-conferences with experts in science.  Rather than learning about nature through a textbook, experts can teach students directly.  Also, the use of virtual online tours can help students see places field trips could never take them.  The San Diego zoo, for example, offers a live video feed of different animals habitats 24 hours a day.  Students can get the experience of the zoo with a simple click of a button.

According to Hawkins, with the dawn of the technology era it is no longer acceptable for teachers to rely solely on lecture and drill as their primary method of teaching.  Teachers need to incorporate technology to get their students interested in up-to-date subject matter. 

When teachers are learning to use a new type of technology, it is best if they learn in the same manner they expect their students to learn.  For example, if a teacher expects students to work cooperatively in groups on computers, this is the way the teacher should learn.  One mistake that school districts make is with the follow-up assistance with new technology.  It is only natural that when a teacher starts using new technology on their own, new questions will arise.  Districts need to make sure that follow-up assistance is available.  This assistance no longer has to be conducted face-to-face.  Instead, it can be done via e-mail, teleconferencing, or through on-line forums.

The main point of the article is that the implementation will save time.  Students can access information quicker, field trips no longer have to be an all-day event, and teachers can access assistance without a face-to-face session.  Technology is a powerful tool.  When it is implemented correctly, students and teachers are left with more time to learn.

 

 

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Technology Plan Article Review Resource #2

 

 

See, J. (2001). Developing effective technology plans. National Center for Technology Planning, Retrieved on September 23, 2007 from http://www.nctp.com/html/john_see.cfm.

The article “Developing Effective Technology Plans” by John See originally appeared in The Computer Teacher in May of 1992.  The article talks focuses on the steps for creating an effective technology plan.  It focuses on the timeframe for the plan, the focus of the plan, how to get staff to “buy into” the technology plan, and how to budget for it.

According to the article, a technology plan is most effective when it is made for the short term.  The problem with long range plans is that the technology becomes obsolete before the completion of the plan’s term.  John See suggests that one year plans would allow for the most effective planning.  I would suggest that a school district should come up with a long range technology plan (3-5 years) that is revamped every year to account for the changes in technology.  This could give a school district a vision for its future, as well as ensure that the district would not be incorporating outdated technology.

Ideally, a technology plan would focus on the desired outcome of implementing technology.  We all know that technology quickly becomes outdated.  Rather than listing specific types of technology needed in the technology plan, See suggests that a technology plan answers the question “What do we want our students to be able to do?”  If a desired outcome is to increase student math scores on the WKCE, the plan developers will search for tools to accomplish this.  This is preferable over finding technology, and then deciding how it can be integrated into the curriculum.

Additionally, technology plan developers need to remember that technology encompasses more than just computers.  An example given in the article is “television production”.  Students involved in television production will learn about teamwork, collaboration, planning, research, writing, and technology, just to name a few.  However, the problem with this is that students often participate in this activity once, and never have a chance to improve.

As I read about this example, I realized that I implement this idea into my Programming the Web class.  In this class I teach a unit on digital video production.  Students learn how to work in groups, plan, and how to use technology.  Many of the students end up producing professional pieces, but some students would benefit from another chance.  If I were able to work with other teachers who also make use of digital video in their classrooms, we could help students to improve their work.

John See warned that even the best made technology plans could be rendered useless without a staff development plan.  Teachers must be lead through four steps: awareness, application, integration, and refinement.  As I read this, I realized that my school district does an excellent job with the “awareness” stage, but fails to provide further support.  As a district, we must continue to offer support to teachers learning how to incorporate new technology.

The last major point made by See deals with budgeting for a technology plan.  See suggests looking for more effective ways to spend money.  See criticizes school districts who buy textbooks for K-12 curriculum.  See suggests that the textbook money could be better spent if it were used to buy instructional material for the media center.  Currently I am using an outdated textbook for my Geometry class.  We do not have any immediate plans to purchase a new book.  Somewhere in the future, I could see how using online resources could replace printed materials, but I don’t think we have yet reached this point.  Perhaps this idea could be saved for a future technology plan. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chapter 1 Summary:

 

The first chapter of Educational Leadership and Planning for Technology by Anthony G. Picciano served as an introduction to the book.  The author emphasized that, in order for technology to reach it's full potential, it has to be incorporated into the primary function of the school.  It is considered a waste of time to use technology just to use technology.  Also, the author discussed how the field of education was late getting into the computer game.  Most software companies did not design programs for primary and secondary schools.  However, now there are both administrative and instructional programs available.  Administrative programs iclude grading programs and databases.  Instructional programs include software that is designed for instruction.  Lastly, the author emphasized that we must plan for technology!

 

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Chapter 2 Summary:

 

The second chapter talked about the elements of planning for technology.  There are four major elements: comprehensiveness, collaboration, commitment, and continuity.  In order for a technology plan to be successful, it must include these four major elements.  Also, the school community, the school district, and the school building must be involved in the planning for technology.  When a school writes a technology plan, it usually is written for three to seven years. 

Throughout this chapter, the author emphasized a few things.  One was that schools need to determine what is necessary.  Budgets are usually tight in education, so it is acceptable to use technology that is already available.  However, the author warns about trying to use technology that is out of date.  Educators should not try to "get by" with what they have if it doesn't help reach goals.  Also, the author stressed the importance evaluating and reviewing the technology plan before moving onto the next step of the plan.

 

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Technology Needs Assessment #1:

 

 

(1998, December). Archived: Technology Needs Assessment Survey. Retrieved September 14, 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 reason I chose to include this technology needs assessment survey is because it is fairly simple to fill out for staff.  Staff members can quickly rate their familiarity with hardware and software based on a four choices.  This survey assesses basic technology awareness and use, as well as more advanced topics.  Furthermore, this assessment could be easily modified to accommodate different school districts.

 

 

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Technology Needs Assessment #2:

 

 

(2005, December).  Technology Needs Assessment Form. Retrieved September 14, 2007, from Web Junction: An Online Community for Library Staff Web site:  http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/bld/Library_Tech/docs/TechnologyAssessment_Forms.doc

 

 

This technology assessment form is a little more cumbersome than the first form I posted on my Wiki page.  I chose to include it because it involves somewhat of an inventory of technology.  A technology coordinator could see how many computers and what type of other technology teachers regularly have access to.  This could help an ITC make decisions about what hardware is needed, and what type of software could be feasibly used by the teachers and administration.  This survey goes further in depth about network connections, IP addresses, and the budget.  This type of form could be useful when an ITC is making a proposal to purchase new technologies.

 

Technology Assessment                               DATE:
Library System
Service Location
Contact Person
Equipment
Type		Current			Year 2		Year 3
PC Workstations		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Other Workstations		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Terminals		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Printers		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Routers		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Brand:		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Brand		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Hubs		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Brand		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Telephone System		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Type:
Telephone Sets		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
FAX Machines		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
Other:		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
		Quantity:			Quantity:		Quantity:
NETWORKING
Item				Current	Year 2	Year 3
LAN				[  ] Yes [  ]  No	[  ] Yes  [  ]  No	[  ] Yes   [   ]  No
No. Workstations on LAN
No. of Network Printers
Cabling				Type:	Type:	Type:
Fiber
No. of Network Drops
Wireless Access Points
Connections
Type	Current				Year 2	Year 3
POTS	Quantity:				Quantity:	Quantity:
Centrex/PBX	Quantity:				Quantity:	Quantity:
56 Kb	Quantity:				Quantity:	Quantity:
Fractional T1	CIR:				CIR:	CIR:
1.54 Mb (T1)	Quantity:				Quantity:	Quantity:
10 Mb	Quantity:				Quantity:	Quantity:
45 Mb (T3)	Quantity:				Quantity:	Quantity:
SOFTWARE
Type	Current				Year 2	Year 3
Internet Browser	[  ] Yes [  ]  No				[  ] Yes [  ]  No	[  ] Yes [  ]  No
E-Mail	[  ] Yes [  ]  No				[  ] Yes [  ]  No	[  ] Yes [  ]  No
OPAC	[  ] Yes [  ]  No				[  ] Yes [  ]  No	[  ] Yes [  ]  No
Other:	[  ] Yes [  ]  No				[  ] Yes [  ]  No	[  ] Yes [  ]  No

 

Server Assessment Survey                Date:
Name:
Library:
Branch:
Server Description
ITEM				RESPONSE
Server Name
Server Location
Brand
Model
Processor
Speed
RAM
Hard Drive
Data Backup System
Type of Network Connection
Network Operating System
Type			Version			Number of Users on License
Operating System
Firewall
Other:
Network Services
Services		Yes	No		Notes
File Server
E-Mail
DNS
WEB
Video
Library System
Proxy
Firewall
Other:
Physical Security
Type		Yes	No		Notes
Electronics Rack
UPS
Locked Cabinet
Locked Space
Fire Alarm
Other:

 

Microcomputer Hardware Inventory     DATE:
Library System:						Facility
Computer Name	Location	IP Address	Computer Make/Model	Hard Drive Size	Memory	CD-Rom Y/N	Sound Card Y/N	MAC Address

 

Plan Budget or Cost Estimate
Category	Year One	Year Two	Year Three
Telecommunications
Voice (including long distance
Data
Cellular
Internet Service Provider
Equipment
Server(s)
PC Workstations
Printers
Hubs
Routers
Other
Software
Library Automation
Purchase
Maintenance Cost
Maintenance Expense
LAN
WAN
File Servers
PC & other workstations
Cabling & Electrical
Cable Drops
Electrical outlets
Breaker Box
Transformer
Training
TOTALS

 

 

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The Change Process: Article Review #1 

 

 

(1994). Staff Development and Change Process: Cut from the Same Cloth. Retrieved September 15, 2007, from Southwestern Educational Development Laboratory Web site: http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues42.html

The goal of staff development is usually to change the behaviors of the staff, impart knowledge, or create an understanding of the values of the school.  The article “Staff Development and Change Process: Cut from the Same Cloth”, discusses staff development and the five major components for ensuring its success. 

The five major components of staff development are 1. the presentation of a theory, 2. the demonstration of a new skill, 3. the initial practice of a new skill in a simulated setting, 4. the open-ended feedback about the performance of the new skill, and 5. coaching.  According to the article, only 16-19 percent of the teachers involved in the professional development steps one through four were able to transfer the skills learned through professional development.  When the fifth component, coaching, was added, 95 percent of the teachers were able to transfer their newly learned skills.  The article also discussed how an increase in the number of interventions provided to the faculty correlated strongly with implementation success.

As I read this portion of the article, I couldn’t help but think of the professional development sessions that I have attended.  Often our professional development consists only of the first component: the presentation of a theory.  The staff will sit and listen to one person talk about an educational idea.  Once we leave the session, very few people put into practice the newly acquired information.  The teachers who attempt to implement new ideas receive very little, if any, support or feedback about their implementation.  I think that our staff development sessions would be more productive if we would involve the remaining four components.

The article went on to discuss the change process.  The change process involves five major categories: articulating a vision of change, planning and providing resources for the change, development of the necessary skills, the assessment of progress, providing continuous assistance, and creating an environment conducive to change.  The article states that many programs fail in part, because they lack a vision.  It is important remind people often about the vision of the school.  This will allow teachers and staff to have the school’s vision in mind when they make decisions. 

Thinking about my own school, I don’t have a clear picture of our vision.  I know that, as a school, we want our students to be successful.  However, I don’t think that we have defined “success”.  Additionally, we have recently undergone some radical changes with our schedule.  Since I have become an employee of the school district, we have not revisited our vision.  Right now the school is getting hung up on the details of our program: what to do about our study hall and how to handle our advisory program.  If we spent some time revisiting and revising our vision, I think the solutions to these problems would become clear.

My school district is trying to undergo radical change.  This article made me realize that we seem to be leaving out some critical components of the change process.  If our new system is going to work, we need to re-evaluate our vision, our support system, and how we will achieve our vision.

 

 

 

 

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Week 2 Assignments

 

 

 

Chapter 3 Summary: Technology, Learning, and Equity Issues

 

This chapter talked about different issues related to technology.  The chapter opened up stating two different viewpoints.  In 1980, Seymore Papert was one of the first to predict that the future would bring a computer intensive education.  In 1990, Lewis Perelman predicted that computers will replace teachers.  I think the current situation is closer to Papert's predicition.  I think that computers are used to aid the teaching process, but they will never replace teachers.  I think teachers do more than instruct students---there is a human connection between student and teacher.  In addition to teaching course content, teachers care about their students!  A computer can never substitute this!

 

The chapter went on to talk about gender, minority, and socioeconomic equity.  According to the author, males seem to favor computing, while females tend to avoid it.  Also, females tend to use the internet for productivity, while males use it for play.  I am a computer science teacher, and I have see that it is a male dominated subject.  When I began teacher AP Computer Science, there were no females enrolled in the course.  By my third year, I finally had a female student on my roster.  (The class was then cancelled, but that's a different story.)  Slowly, the female poplulation in my other computer science courses started to rise.  I think, as a female, I serve as a role model for female students.  I think females tend to shy away from computer programming because it is seen as "nerdy" and females do not think they fit in with the typical image of a hacker or computer programmer.  I think that as a teacher, I show some of the female population that it's ok for girls to like computers.  Right now I have a healthy poplulation of females in my programming the web course (HTML), but there are only 3 females in my fundamentals of programming course (Java).  Hopefully with time, I can convince more females that it is fun to program!

 

The case study at the end of the chapter talked about this type of issue.  At Sojourner Truth High School, there was a student that didn't want to be the only girl in computer club.  To try to address this situation, I would try to recruit other girls to join her.  While people cannot be forced to join clubs, a little encouragement could help.  As a former computer club advisor, I think that having a female leader would help encourage girls to join.

 

The chapter also discussed issues with minority equity.  According to the author, African American schools are less likely than white schools to have technology.  When technology is used, African American schools generally use it for "drill and skill", while white schools tend to use it for higher order thinking.  I think that all schools should have access to technology, at least to some extent.  I realize that there are financial strains on many school districts, but there is a strong need to incorporate technology.  All students need to learn to use various types of technology in order to be successful and marketable in the workplace.  Without technology, the achievement gap will continue to widen.

 

The last thing the chapter discussed is socio-economic status.  According to the author, students with a high socio-economic status have more access to technology.  As I stated above, without technology, the achievement gap will continue to grow.  Regardless of gender, race, or socio-ecnomic status, all students need to have access to technology if we have any hope of closing the achievement gap.

 

Good summary of the chapter - Louis

 

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