Web Conference experience

The web conference that I participated was held on March 22, 2011, with Dr. Attaway. I found participating in the web conference very easy. There were some technical difficulties that occurred, such as sound problems and getting video access. These problems were explained by Dr. Attaway as problems that arise from having so many involved in the web conference. Despite these technical problems, all were able to participate in the conference by typing questions or remarks during the conference. There were many that were participating in this experience and I found it enjoyable to realize that many of my cohorts wanted to know some of the same things as I. Some of the main topics of concern that dominated a lot of the discussion were:

                TK20 purchase and who needed to make this purchase and who wouldn’t.

                Internship portfolio questions

                ILD and PDAS training

This was my first experience participating in a Web Conference, and feel that this is an experience that will be used many times in the future. Web conferences could provide valuable assistance in many areas of administrative areas. One of the most obvious ways would be to form a cohort with other principals that set up biweekly times to participate in a web conference. This would give opportunities to explore educational ideas or ask other administrators questions about a number of school issues. Another way that I think that a principal could use a web conference is having a book study with your faculty. Instead of keeping teachers after school to discuss the book and ideas from the reading there could be a web conference where teachers could participate from home in a more relaxed atmosphere. Transcripts of the web conference could be provided and this may encourage others to participate.

I want to thank the professors for including this experience in this Leadership Class.

Technology Action Plan

TECHNOLOGY ACTION PLAN

ARP HIGH SCHOOL

Overview:  This technology plan was formed by the collection of data from several sources including the last three years STaR Chart reports, the  (LoTI) Level of Technology Integration report, the district technology goals, and interviews with technology director Dr. Joy Rousseau, High School Principal Randy Copeland, and department chairpersons from the high school core subjects. After three weeks of researching the campus alignment with the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, it is evident that the greatest need for improvement on our high school campus is in the area of Educator Preparation and Development. The campus is entering an exciting time in respect to technology. With the assistance of the Connections Grant, all students have now been issued a netbook. The campus has also finished installing wireless internet connectivity throughout the campus. These additions have created a superior technology infrastructure foundation. Also after interviewing our campus administration, I feel they are willing to provide whatever assistance and resources that are needed to make our campus a leader in technological education.  It is my thought that with the development of technological skills in teachers there will be an increase in the use of technology in the classroom; thus increasing the rigor and frequency of teaching and learning technology skills throughout the curriculum.

This technology plan was developed to address this need. It includes teacher recognition of technology TEKS, teacher in-service, evaluations of teacher progress, and continued professional growth for teachers.

Persons responsible for integrating this technology action plan:

Personnel Title	Role/Responsibility
Superintendent	Provide financial resources needed for plan.
High School Principal	Provide support for the plan. Provide the opportunity for teachers to attend training sessions. Be a model for technology integrations on the campus. Help evaluate progress of teachers.
Director of Technology	Oversee the technology aspects of the plan. Provide on campus training. Through the grant provide financial incentives to mentor teachers.
Other persons in technology department	Provide day to day support of technology needs and trouble shooting.
Curriculum Director	Provide information on TEKS for technology, also share curriculum expertise and be the contact person for Region Service Center in-service opportunities.
High School Core Curriculum Teachers.	Improve technology skills. Mentor other teachers with less expertise. Attend training sessions provided on campus and at Region Service Center.

Role of Principal:

The role of the principal is vital to the execution of the action plan. As the leader of the campus the principal must make it clear to everyone how vital this plan is to the improvement in student learning and the success of the overall district. The principal is in the position to hold everyone involved in this plan accountable. There must be a buy in by all teachers to improve their technology skills and the principal must not only hold them accountable, but also model this to all stakeholders.

ACTION PLAN – (GOALS, ACTIVITIES, PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE)

GOALS FOR IMPOVEMENT	ACTIVITY	PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE
Increase teacher awareness of Technology TEKS STaR Chart	Professional development activity: 1.  Teachers will be presented with information concerning technology TEKS for High School students. 2.  Teachers will be reintroduced to STaR Chart information and the seriousness of its importance.	Presenters:  Curriculum Director                      Technology Director                      High School Principal Audience:  High School Teachers Evaluation:  survey given to teachers after completion of presentation evaluating the teacher’s assessment of value of presentation.
Increase Teacher Technology Skills: 1. Technology tools     a. smart boards     b. digital projectors     c. document cameras 2. Power point production 3. Blogging 4. Recorded Lessons      a. Pod casting          i. audio only         ii. audio and video	Professional Development Activities: 1. Teachers must attend appropriate training sessions for technology tools that are in their classrooms. These training sessions are provided by our technology department with online follow-up surveys.  2. Teachers must attend Blogging 101 and Blogging 201 workshops provided by the campus tech department. 3. Teachers must setup and maintain their educational blogs on the schools web server. MENTOR PROGRAM           (financial incentive)           Teachers will be given the opportunity to develop and produce work using technology skills. Once they have been evaluated and sanctioned by our technology director then they may serve as mentors for other teachers. This will provide teachers with one on one training by a peer. 4.  Teachers will be provided an opportunity to attend Region Service Center and/or CSCOPE Convention in order to learn ways of incorporating technology into their classroom lessons.	Presenters of training sessions and workshops:  Arp High School Technology Department. Participants:  Arp High School Core Subject Teachers Mentor Program will be presented by Arp Teachers to Arp Teachers. Mentors will be evaluated by their skill demonstrations. High School Principal and Curriculum Director will provide the opportunity for Professional Staff Development using technology in the classroom. Evaluation: will be continuous by the principal, checking progress of teachers’ skills and the use of these technology skills. (Evaluation tool is attached)
Increase Teacher awareness of Acceptable Use Policies and Ethical and Responsible Use using technology	Activity: 1. Teachers will watch the Acceptable Use video provided by the technology department. 2. Teachers watch and read the power point presentation on ethical and responsible use of technology in the classroom and the power point on internet safety. Both are found on the technology page of our website. 3. Teachers will take the test at the end of the AUP and Internet safety to demonstrate understanding.	High School Teachers Evaluation: Graded test and passing standard of 45 or above scores.

Evaluative Process:

There are evaluative instruments in place during all the in-service and training workshops. Some of these include surveys, test, and skill demonstrations. Below is an instrument that will be used by the principal to evaluate the technological progress of teachers.

Technology Action Plan: Teacher Technology Development

PRINCIPALS EVALUATION INSTUMENT

Teacher Progress Chart           Teacher:________________________________

                                                                                                 Date(s) of

ACTIVITY                                                                             Completion/evaluation   Skill Level

Attended Technology TEKS and STaR Chart Presentation Also turned in Survey.		1 2 3
Attended training on technology tools Specific tech tool(s)______________________________         ______________________________		1 2 3
Attended Blogging 101 Introduction to blogging		1 2 3
Attended Blogging 201 Adding power points and recorded lessons to blog		1 2 3
Teachers Blog is operating and updated with classroom information.		1 2 3
Teacher has completed training on AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) and Internet Safety		1 2 3
Teacher passed AUP and Internet Safety Test		1 2 3

SKILL LEVEL   1 = Little Progress

                            2 = Improving

                            3 =   Proficient   

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Blog #3 Transforming American Education

Blog # 3  NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) describes a plan to transform American education with the use of technology.  The NETP presents a model of learning powered by technology with goals in five areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure and productivity. The demands of keeping students equipped with technology skills required by the 21^st century learner are a daunting task for educational leaders today. The Obama administration has two clear goals for education by the year 2020. One of the goals is to raise the proportion of college graduates from 39% to 60% of our population. Secondly, we will close the achievement gap so that all students graduate from high school ready to succeed.  The NETP states that technology is pivotal in improving student learning at all levels of education.  Learning has changed in education today. The teachers will not be the source of information, but rather students will be taught the skills to use technology tools to find information themselves. Technology provides more resources and connectivity for students, and teachers must learn how to provide opportunities for the student to hone those skills. Not only will learning be transformed but also the teaching process will transform. Teachers will be connected to learning data and tools that can help them improve their own instructional practices and become connected to their learners even after they leave their classrooms. Many of today’s teachers do not feel adequately trained in technology uses and creates a gap in curriculum development, and student learning. Addressing this issue will take training for our existing teachers and technology standards set for graduating teachers.

Progress Report on Long Range Plan for Technology

Blog #2  Progress Report on Long Range Plan for Technology

The 2010 Progress Report on the Long Range Plan for Technology,2006-2020 indicates that there has been progress made towards the goals set forth by the three phase plan. Using STaR Chart Data the report mentions that there were less teachers reporting themselves as Developing, indicating that more teachers are rating themselves as reaching Advanced or Targeted tech levels. There was also an increase in teachers rating themselves as Advanced in the teaching and learning area. The Speak Up 2009 survey data collected from students shows an increase of technology use in schools. Also the report states that the gap between Texas students and the national average for technology proficiency is narrowing. All of this different data shows that Texas is making strides in preparing its students for success in the 21^st Century technological world. Other information that was produced in the progress report was the Technology Immersion Program (TIP) progress. The TIP is a program that implements six major components into the schools, including wireless mobile computing device for each student and professional development for teachers and administrators. The TIP project equipped 39 middle schools state wide with 1:1 student to computer ratio. Another program that promotes technology in the classroom is the Vision 2020 Grant that is funded by the No Child Left Behind legislation. Other programs mentioned in this progress report included,  T3 Grant, Connections Grant, and the Rural Technology Pilot Program which offers rural communities on-line courses. All of these programs have been implemented to try and help schools build the need infrastructure for technology growth.  Even the regional service centers are offering professional services to training technology skills to the teachers in the area. Over-all I understand that we in Texas have a long way to go to accomplish all the goals of the Long Range Plan for Technology but we are making strides in the right direction.

Blog Assignment # 1 Texas Long Range Plan for Technology

Educator Preparation and Development

       All the areas of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology are important and together create, when reaching the targeted area, an optimal situation for technology learning and skill development in the school.  The area that is very important to me as a veteran teacher, not well trained in technology, is Educator Preparation and Development. No matter how much technology is provided by the school district if the teachers in the classroom are not prepared to use this new technology the student experience will be hampered if not eliminated. To provide the 21^st Century education to the classroom student the classroom educators must be afforded the opportunities to develop their skills through professional development. And administrators must realize that this professional development will be an ongoing process in order to keep educators up to date with the ever improving technology tools and skills. This new technology will impact not only the curriculum but the avenues in which teachers will present information and the way students will retrieve knowledge, and without proper training opportunities for student learning will suffer.

   Current trends seem to indicate that more resources are being spent on technology in schools not only locally but across the state.  At my school we have just finished our netbook rollout to all students. Now that every student in the district has this technology it will fall to the teachers to initiate lessons that will continually enhance the student’s technology skills. Administrators must focus teacher in-service on technology skills, to provide teachers the opportunities to learn how to incorporate this new technology into everyday learning.