• Summarize Chapter 4 from our text.
   

• Summarize Chapter 3 from our text.

Chapter 3

This chapter looked into some of the issues that school districts are facing now that technology is becoming more prevelant within the schools.  The first section discussed the role of technology in education.  It addressed the issue of how far to take technology and it is suggested that technology be used as a tool and integrated with other teaching and learning as opposed to taking the place of the teacher. 

The second section addressed the issue of when computer education should begin.  Opinions on this topic vary as some schools believe that the earlier the better, while others feel that it can wait and students can learn it later on.  Readiness is one of the biggest concerns; however if done properly, the introduction of technology can be used to enhance instruction in all areas of the school curriculum at the elementary level.  This is seen to be more effective than teaching technology as a subject in itself. 

The third section discussed the use of technology within the area of special education.  Computers have been successfully used to alleviate the hinderances of many students who have difficulties with conventional means, however, special care must be given to selecting the appropriate technological aids and cost can become an issue.

The fourth section dealt with equity issues.  As far as gender is concerned, males tend to favor computer activities more than females.   This needs to be kept in mind when planning computer curricula.  Minority issues are probably the most complex of all issues concerning the use of technology in education.  Unfortunately this is an issue that goes beyond computer education as it relates to larger socioeconomic issues, school financing policies, and urban school environments.  Surveys indicate that typical leaders in the area of technology tend to be affluent suburban districts.  Educators must be sensitive to these issues and look for ways to allow children of all backgrounds the opportunity to experiment and learn with technology.  Socioeconomic issues were also addressed in this section of the chapter.  As part of their planning, administrators and educators should look at providing access to equipment beyond the normally scheduled class periods.  Open access after school is one way to deal with this along with lending or purchasing equipment for homebound or needy students. 

This chapter was meaningful to me for a couple of reasons.  I could relate to the second section because we are in the process of developing a technolgy curriculum and the debate took place as to when we should start holding the students accountable.  The discussion was that we can start as early as kindergarten if the tasks they are required to complete are at their independent level (ie. turn on the monitor, etc).  This would then be evaluated using a checklist format and passed on to the next grade.  The idea is that we can keep adding on to skills mastered at the previous grade level which in turn would hopefully make all students computer literate.  The second thing that struck me was the section that discussed the need to be aware of how many students have access to computer equipment in their homes.  I hand out a questionnaire to parents at the beginning of the year and this year, for the first time, I asked if students have access to a computer and access to the internet.  I was fortunate that they all came back marked with yes to both questions, but I was prepared to work at getting extra computer access time for those who did not have access at home. In conclusion, technology should be looked at as a tool to enrich learning for all students. 

Good summary and your reflection aids in the learning - Louis

• Summarize Chapters 1 and 2 from our text.

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 established a starting point by reviewing the evolution of technology throughtout the years.  At this time, schools are finally starting to make significant strides into the implementation of technology.  Because of this, the need for evaluation, planning, and involvement is necessary.  The end of the chapter introduced the system approach which referred to the basic concepts of input, process, and output as a means for studying schools and school processes.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 begins by describing schools as social systems and introduces us to the idea of the social process model which can be easily adaptable to the educational setting.  The chapter then goes on to compare the social process model to the economic or rational model and explains how difficult it is to measure success in schools because it is not as easy to measure as dollars and cents.  Different districts have different ideas for appropriate costs for their children's education, thus making establishing a means of evaluation that much more difficult.

The chapter then continues with the four major elements of successful educational planning.  The planning needs to be comprehensive in order to successfully link individual needs and objectives into overall institutional goals.  Planning also needs to be collaborative as this not only allows for the exchange of information, but it develops a greater appreciation of different perspectives of a goal, objective, or need.  The third component is commitment.  This is critical because if people are not committed even the best plan will not be realized.  The final element is continuity.  The planning process needs to be continuous and never-ending, especially in the area of technology because it is constantly changing.

The chapter then goes on to discuss the need to plan for technology.  Information and idea gathering, both formal and informal, is a necessary place to begin.  It is important at this stage to include everyone.  The development of a written plan would come next and this plan could cover a period of three to seven years.  Evaluation and feedback would then be critical for continued planning from year to year and it should be understood that not every plan and implementation will be successful.  The suggestion is made to propose using a Four-D-define, design, develop and disseminate-model for instructional development.  It is also recommended to develop, implement and evaluate technology in small increments to make sure that specific goals are met before moving into a large scale adoption.

The chapter concluded with discussing the difference between administrative versus educational applications.  Administrative applications relate to developing or improving information resources, providing or improving new administrative services, and improving or increasing administrative productivity and efficiency.  Instructional applications focus on preparing students to participate in a technically oriented society, enhancing or improving learning and teaching by using technology tools, and providing technology-based curricula for students with special attitudes or interests in technology. 

In summary, planning needs to be comprehensive, collaborative, and continuous.  It needs to have the commitment of all involved and evaluation is critical.  Applications should become the foundation and applications can be provided to meet specific goals and objectives.

• List the Technology Needs Assessments you find

After reviewing several needs assessment tools, I decided on two tools that I felt would be the most useful for gathering information within my school.

The first assessment I selected was from Monroe County Community School Corporation.  I liked the fact that it was multi-faceted and measured not only Needs, but Skills and Interests, also.  As stated in its description, the purpose of the assessment was

1. to determine professional development interests and needs
2. to develop descriptive summary of technology skills and usage
3. to indentify a group of individuals willing to share skills and techniques with colleagues
4. to inventory the type and level of technology in use both at work and at home

Although I did not really care for the format of the assessment, I felt that it gathered a lot of information and that information would be useful in establishing a direction.

Monroe County Community School Corporation, (1996). MCCSC Technology Skills, Interests, Needs Assessment. Retrieved September 16, 2007, from Monroe County Community School Corporation Web site:http://www.mccsc.edu/survey.html

The second assessment that I selected was from the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium.  This tool was developed to compare current instructional practices with a set of indicators for engaged learning and high-performance technology.  The assessment is divided into categories and for each category their is a description of indicators and examples that fall along a continuum.  There are three examples for each indicator and those completing the assessment have to select the example that best describes their current practice.  It is not intended to be a rating of a teacher's skill or ability, but rather a tool to help think through the kinds of activities teachers use to help students learn.  After completing the assessment, a graph is generated to indicate responses.  That graph can then be used to think about the types of activities teachers would like to use more frequently in their classroom. 

I selected this assessment because we are currently in the process of looking into the purchasing of Smartboards for some of our classrooms.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to purchase one for each classroom, so we are looking for ways to decide who should get one and ways to make sure that teachers who get them are going to use them.  I was thinking about this as I looked at this assessment, and I thought it could possibly be used as one form to gather information from staff.

North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium, (1997). Learning with Technology Profile Tool. Retrieved September 17, 2007, from north Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium Web site:http://www.ncrtec.org/capacity/profile/profwww.htm

Lisa Chase

• Article/resource review on Change

The article that I read presented four original models of organizational change that are helpful for assessing change and revealing why change occurs, how change will occur, and what will occur.  The four models discuss leadership through learning and leadership in visioning.  They also describe strategies for leaders to employ to help them not only understand but also deal with the potential causes of change resistance.  Finally, the four models address approaches to institutionalize change so that administrators and other change leaders can focus their attention on monitoring progress and initiating more changes.

The first model is Intiating, Envisioning, Playing, Sustaining: A Theoretical Synthesis for Change and it is best suits the ever-changing needs in the field of education.  It emphasizes planning, a great deal of collaboration, goal setting, evaluating, and celebrating, all key components to effective leadership and a style that works well with teachers, students, and community members.  Each stage is ongoing and as new problems arise the constituents continue to renew, grow, and develop as they work through the cycle.

The second model is The Seven S-Action Words Model for Organizational Change.  This model depicts the actions leaders should consider, no matter what model an organization adopts for change, in order to lead an effective change process: Scan, Select, Sense, Sicken, Sift, Speak, and Spread.  While they are not meant to be practiced in a lineal manner, the process has to start from the identification of what to change and progress towards the attainable goal.  Most of the actions are intertwined and they all depend on the leadership approach to the change process.

The third model is the People Mover Change Model: Effectively Transforming an Organization.  This model has four primary parts-Reflective Motivation, Team-based Preparation, Strategy Implementation, and Evaluation.  This process begins with a focus on the desires of a few individuals and then moves into a team building approach.  Its effectiveness is built on the intuitive level of the leadership in selelcting reliable leaders to shape the vision and implement the strategies and it is designed to encourage individuals to get up and shape their world for the better.

The fourth model is Instituting Organizational Change: An Examination of Environmental Influences.  This model provides a framework for assessing an organization's readiness for change and a model for identifying and implementing organizational change.  The most critical component of this model is establishing an environment that is conducive to change.  Once that is accomplished, assessment of the organization's strengths, weaknesses, and resources can take place.  Once the problem or area to improve has been identified, the next step is to explore change processes that will result in the desired outcome.

Each of the four models presented dealt with critical aspects of both initiating and leading change.  They developed the concept of change leadership through learning and visioning.  They explained leadership strategies for both understanding and dealing with potential causes of change resistance.  Finally, the four change models developed approaches to change that allow change leaders to focus their attention on monitoring progress and initiating more change.

Askren Edgehouse, M., Edwards, A., Gore, S., Harrison, S., &