1. Recognize the related legislatures and
regulations to support the needs from your institution.
In the Hearne ISD School system there is a great need for an
Instructional Technologist to assist teachers with creating diverse lessons to
engage all learning styles in the classroom. As of right now there are limited
resources teachers have for support with instruction through technology.
Our district does not
have a Professional Development Plan for Technology so therefore one will need
to be developed in the near future as well as a technology plan for students. Faculty/Staff
need more professional development that can be used in the classroom and not
just made aware of what is out there.
Teachers are always in training but how much training are they actually
receiving to be able to successfully implement what they have learned in a
lesson and feel confident that the students will learn.
There is a need to have funds available to employ a teacher
for the computer lab(s) on the elementary campus to have computer classes for
students at the elementary level.
2. Develop the objectives for the school
technology plan based on the needs from your institution.
Target Population: Hearne ISD and Elementary
School K-6
Since a plan has to be developed a committee has been made
to work on both plans at once. The
Technology Plan/Technology Professional Development Plan is currently being
developed for Hearne ISD.
Objectives:
- Hearne ISD will hire and maintain a highly qualified Instructional Technologist to work with all teachers to help with the implementation of more technology in their instructional lessons.
- Hearne ISD will have a Technology Plan/Technology Professional Development Plan in place to use for the 2012-2013 school year.
- Hearne ISD will employ a highly qualified teacher to teach computer classes on the elementary campus to grades K-6 instructions will be aligned with the TEKS for technology and the technology plan.
The technology applications curriculum has six strands based
on the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S) and
performance indicators developed by the International Society for Technology in
Education (ISTE): creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration;
research and information fluency; critical thinking, problem solving, and
decision making; digital citizenship; and technology operations and concepts. (Texas
Education Agency, 2011)
3.
Identify the objective for each area of Technology, Funding, and
Management. Provide the needed elements for each objective to make sure that
it’s measurable.
Technology Objective:
Students use creative thinking and innovative processes to
construct knowledge and develop products. Through the study of technology
operations and concepts, students learn technology related terms, concepts, and
data input strategies. Students develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and
decision-making skills by collecting, analyzing, and reporting digital
information. (Texas Education Agency, 2011) Student mastery of
basic computer skills and knowledge of hardware and software usage capability
will determine if objectives are being met by each student. Adequate computer
skills will promote student success in the classroom and create lifelong learners
in the growing digital society.
Funding Objective:
Hearne ISD will allocate funds to employ an Instructional
Technologist for the district and a Technology/Computer Lab Teacher for the
elementary campus to satisfy the requirements of the Technology Plan. Funds will be generated from the State and
other Grants for technology usage. The objective should be met by the beginning
of the 2012-2013 school years with specific job descriptions in place.
- Many of the barriers that currently exist to
implementing the recommendations of the Long-Range Plan for Technology,
1996-2010 involve the lack of adequate funding for administrators and
educational technology staff to fully address their students’ educational
needs.
Management Objective:
Utilize a functional Technology Plan/Technology Professional
Development Plan to ensure the advancement of all students in technology though
curriculum and instruction. Provide sufficient professional development for all
professional staff to use technology provided on the campus proficiently to
implement more technology into instructional lessons. The objective can be
measured by frequently monitoring technology implementation by the teachers and
student achievement according to the goals in the technology plan.
References:
Long Range-Plan for Technology. (2010, August). Retrieved February 23, 2012, from
Texas Education Agency:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082&menu_id=2147483665
Texas Education Agency. (2011, September 26). Retrieved February 26, 2012,
from Chapter 126. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology
Applications: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter126/ch126a.html
My district does not have Instructional Technology Specialist either nor does my school have a Technology Plan. We actually quote from the district's technology plan in our School Improvement Plan. I have set out to enlist a group of teachers to again try to establish a technology committee who will in turn create a technology plan and assist in overseeing technology purchases for our school and helping teachers learn how to use the new and old technology (Chapel Hill-Carrboro, 2004). What are you planning to do at your school? Do you plan on seeking alternative funding through grants?
ReplyDeleteReference:
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, (2004). Best Practice:School Technology Committee. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from: www.chccs.k12.nc.us/itd/itd/011704mtac.doc
I am not sure what the district is going to do about funding but I just found out the reason we are not getting funding through eRate is because we do not have a Technology Plan. So once the plans are complied then hopefully someone will apply for that funding. If I am offered a job as an Instructional Technologist then YES, I will search for more funding for our district. Right now I am swamped with school and I cover 2 grade levels as an Inclusion Teacher so I have run out of hands. I am hoping to be able to help our teachers become more creative when planning lessons but its hard to do when the district wants you to strictly use CSCOPE.
DeleteOur committee is in the process of developing a plan for students and professional development.
Marlise,
ReplyDeleteThe professional development situation at your school sounds very similar to my school. Teachers are aware and know that technology (in theory) is more engaging to students, but they are unsure of how to actually incorporate it into their lesson plans. "The challenge for our education system is to leverage the learning sciences and modern technology to create engaging, relevant, and personalized learning experiences for all learners that mirror students’ daily lives and the reality of their futures. In contrast to traditional classroom instruction, this requires that we put students at the center and empower them to take control of their own learning by providing flexibility on several dimensions."
Reference: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. National Education Technology Plan 2010, U.S. Department of Education.Retrieved from: http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf
Kayla,
DeleteThis is so true. If you take a closer look our students can use technology better than most teachers. It is to our advantage as an instructor to let students use more of their own knowledge to learn more in the classroom. They need to be more creative in class so why not let their smartphones, iPods, iPads, become useful in class instead of being shut off and out of sight.
Marlise, please elaborate more for each question.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: Based on the needs and weaknesses you indentified in your Report I, please list the standards from the NETS and ISTE to direct your proposed technology plan.
Question 2 & 3: Each objective should include a minimum of 3 elements - targeted population, objective, and the measuring methods. Please refer to the writing format for the objective in CSTE5337. The objectives you proposed in question 2 & 3 should match with the direction of required standards in Question 1.
Please let us know if you need some clarification for writing the objectives.
In your funding objective to get a technology specialist I think that it is a great goal. Sometimes having someone to ask questions to who is in your district and available can help teachers to be more involved in their technology. A specialist can really boost the use of technology in the classroom, just by giving teachers the security of having someone who can make their technology get the best use in their lessons. I hope that is something that your district would be able to do in the future! :)
ReplyDeleteBridget,
DeleteI have several teachers who ask me things all the time about my class because they want to learn more. Most of the time the teachers lack basic trouble shooting skills for their computers or even their Smartboards and if I am there and can help that helps a teacher continue teaching without having to call the tech support and wait hours or days before the problem can even be addressed. Teachers want to know how to make their lessons more engaging and have students do more on the computers to have more participation which enhances progress.
Great Blog! It's sounds like your district has a great understanding that there is a technology need in the schools. I do hope however that they are seeking educators such as yourself to assist creating and implementing the technology changes being made. You have a great ideas and insight into the needs of your campus!! I also agree with you and Kayla that at this point most teachers are aware of the opportunities technology can bring to curriculum and instruction the goal now is to teach them how to use it.
ReplyDeleteI found this site where several teachers have posted videos about how techology has changed their classrooms over time.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/21/technology/20101121-brain-teachers.html
Amy,
ReplyDeleteYes, they have a great understanding about the need but have to figure out how it will work in the budget to hire someone for a instructional technologist. Hopefully with the new plan it will show the need and the school board will have to act on it. The teachers are very interested in how this will help there planning in the future.