Good bye 1st Semester. You will be missed!

I cannot believe our first semester is OVER! I am amazed and thrilled that I made it. It was not as bad as I thought it would be and it was as bad as I thought it would be. J There were highs (posting that project and paper after DAYS and DAYS of sweat and stress) and there were lows (having no idea how to do all the assignments and then just taking a deep breath and diving right in!). Mostly there was learning...lots and lots of learning!

Now that I am expected to sit and reflect on all that I have learned this semester, I have blogger brain freeze! O no! This has never happened to me before! I guess I should start with my reflection on 7400 since that was my first ever grad class. This was my first taste of panic that I had felt in a long time! The first assignment of finding an engaged learner video was very daunting and I was shocked when I actually accomplished it. After completing the assignment, I knew that I could do this, but it would be an uphill battle the entire time. I feel like that first very hard task really helped me to understand what the engaged learner indicators mean. Everything we did built off that one task and it was worth it. I am still in awe that I created an engaged learner project and it is not this horrible piece of garbage!!!

7410…huh. I really enjoyed the reading in this class. For some reason, the only thing I can remember doing is that paper! AHH! It is still haunting me! It was a task I never thought I could do when I first read the syllabus, but now looking back on it, it was not the end of the world. J I am expecting to think this a lot as my grad school career progresses. Most tasks will seem like a mountain, but once they are done, they are just a molehill. This was actually my favorite class out of the two (even though 7400 was a close second!). My mind was really opened to the troubles and turmoil’s that face administration and trailblazers. I have seen some of these things before, but it was interesting to see the principal’s perspective. Too much power for me, but I do understand the power better and how it is used as a principal all the way to a lowly teacher like me. Everyone has some sort of power in the education world, if it is only the power of suggestion. No one can make someone else change, but you can always offer to help and sometimes that is just enough to change a whole school.

I know that a lot of people are ready to change the world after this semester. However, I am not a quick to respond type of person. I like to think things through before acting/responding. I am like a sponge. I am absorbing all the information and just when you think I am dry, I squirt all the information back at ya! Just wait until I am ready to squirt!!!

Free Money????

I actually enjoyed finding grants and partnerships this week!  I chose to search for something that I have always wanted to do to see if it is actually feasible.  I found a lot of grants that already support similar endeavors, which really makes me want to pursue it next year!  I just need to flush out the idea so it is more organized.  I am excited now!!!  


I was shocked to see so many grants out there.  I sadly got a little disappointed because I found a lot of grants for specific states, but I did not encounter a lot of Georgia specific grants.  I really wanted use a Florida grant I found, but I am not in Florida!  It was with a Florida power company, but I looked at the Georgia power companies and they did offer grants, but there was not enough information on them.  There were still plenty of grants to apply for and only picking 1 was hard!


I am slowly seeing a technology facilitator coming out in the way I am thinking.  It is a slow change, but it is getting there!  I am not ready to change everything I comfortable with yet, but I have definitely gotten some new ideas I want to try out, once I have flushed them out of course!  


This just might be the shortest blog I have created yet...I am not sure how I feel about this.  I know that I have so many words just running around in my head about my feelings, classes, and school, but I think today is just a simple day.  I like free money and I am excited by the change I am starting to see in myself.  

Safety First!

Internet safety is not always something teachers feel should be there job. That is something the parents should be teaching their children at home.  It has nothing to do with education, but all with parenting.  However, that passive attitude is how children get hurt.  We cannot assume that all parents teach their children how to be safe on the Internet.  They may not know how to talk to their children or do not know about the dangers they may face. There are many things that educators need to address with their students to secure that they are at least aware of the dangers the Internet holds.  I always worry about my students who talk about that they friend anyone on social networks.  They are not aware that just friending everyone is not safe because when you are on the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone!  So the cute guy you friended and are now making plans with just might be a 45 year old bald man.  Not okay!  You should always know who you are friending because letting strangers into your "world" can lead to trouble.
I also worry about cyber bullying and how it affects my students.  I know that while they are in my classroom I can keep an eye on them and intervene if I see bullying.  However, when it occurs on the Internet and no one is there to intervene, it can have detrimental consequences.  We need to find a solution to cyber bullying that is not so hands off on the education part.  There was a cyber bullying problem with some of my students last year and I was told there was nothing we could do on our end. However, the boys involved brought the bully to school and we were able to handle that part of it.  I still wish we could have tackled the real problem, which started on a social network site.  I know that there have been a lot of changes in made in education to protect the students from cyber  bullying, but I am still waiting for my district to jump on the "we need to stop cyber bullying" wagon!

Too Many Plans!

While reading all the different technology plans at the school, district, state, and national level (lions, tigers, bears, o my!) I really started to think about what I wanted and what the “world” wants.  At first, it was a very daunting task with too many words to even comprehend.  After I found my groove of scanning for key words and then copying/paste into a document so I could highlight, I felt better.  I might be a wordy blogger, but words can be scary.  To start at the top, the national plan had key phrases that stood out to me like “for all content areas,” “to reach all learners anytime and anywhere,” and “provide more options for all learners at all levels.”  It is important to keep the learner in the forefront of the plan and not to lose them within the cool new toy obsessions.  The end goal is to help the learner no matter how that occurs (besides bodily harm of course).  When reading the state technology plan, I felt it was very similar to the national plan.  They both had similar themes, but the word choices made them different.  One thing that stood out to me with the state plan was the goal that focuses on teacher proficiency with technology.  How is the learner supposed to improve by using technology incorporated into the standards if the teachers do not know how to turn on their computer?  Teacher proficiency plays a huge role in the integration of technology.  I know certain teachers that do not understand how to delete emails, so how are they going to survive if we do not get them up to par?  Sink and swim is not the right mentality right now when education needs good teachers who just might not be tech savvy yet.  

I liked the breakdown of the national plan compared to the state/district plan.  The breakdown of learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity is very concise and accurate.  Everything seems to fit nicely into those categories.  It also helps lead my thinking into those categories instead of where it was, focused on the learner.  Technology plans cannot be too narrow where they only fit into the triangle hole.  Technology plans need to touch all aspects of education and school life so it can fit into multiple holes and cover all the possible bases. 

While looking at the district plan, it is obvious that it is narrower than the national and state plan.  The wording is very different from the other plans as well.  The district plan uses terms like “increase student engagement,” which was not as prominent in the state or national plans.  I know that all of the plans mentioned something similar to this, but it only really stuck out to me in the district plan: Increase cyber citizenship awareness for students and staff when using the Internet.  Being in the 8th grade and teaching Science, I have never really encountered anyone who talks about this issue.  I am making a huge inference when saying I assume that this is tackled at the elementary level or in the computer Connections class the students take.  However, I am sure that this standard cannot be over taught/stressed.  It should play a more prominent apart of any class that does anything on the Internet.  My classes have to sign a plagiarism contract going, which covers basic Internet rules and regulations.  However, I am sure my students could use more of a reminder and discussion every time we use a computer. 

 

The different technology plans, ranging from the National level to the district level, has helped me identify what is important to me and what is important to the experts. I find it important for technology to be used by a staff of teachers who are knowledgeable and properly trained.  If the work force is not trained, then they will not properly do the job that is expected of them.  Teachers are being told to be highly qualified in content subjects so they can effectively teach, so why can they not be expected to be highly qualified in technology?  A magic wand cannot be waved and everyone knows what they are doing.  It will take dedication, hard work, and support from both the teachers and the administration to create a technology heavy environment.  Another important factor for technology in education is using the technology available and not dreaming of the technology of the future.  Wasting time training and planning for technology that the school MIGHT find money for is not an effective use of time.  Training and planning for what IS available and in the building is a more effective use of time and resources.  You do not need every piece of technology out there when you do not use what you currently have.  It works the same for kids at Christmas time…they see all the new toys on TV, but they do not play with the toys they currently have!!!  We are in a budget crisis, so no more new toys! Fix the old ones and pretend they are new.

Word Count: 3,728. Got to love wordiness on technology in professional development!

Professional learning for educators have always had mix reviews and they are sometimes effective, but sadly, most of the time a waste of breath.  Results-driven education has influenced technology-related professional learning towards changing how teachers use technology, moving more towards effective technology usage instead of only using technology for Word or PowerPoint. The systems approach to organizational management has influenced technology-related professional learning by uniting the teachers within the district and not just within the school. Constructivist views have influenced technology-related professional learning by having the students actively participate in learning with building their own meanings instead of the teacher giving them the information by opening up their brains and dumping it in. 

Technology in schools does not always align with the five constructivist learning concepts.  I most frequently see the first concept (teachers help students build knowledge while letting them apply it to the real world through their creativity).  I know that usually when I hear of teachers using technology, it is with projects that allow students branch out from the concepts learned in class.  I have not seen it happen often, but when I have, the students have been engaged and the technology put in their hands helps them to reach their level of engagement.  I have also seen technology help with concept 2 (instructional strategies and content co-mingling).  While wandering the halls, I have seen teachers use technology to help students learn the material by using different delivery mediums.  They use technology to make notes interactive by hyperlinking to different websites and videos to help keep the students’ interest.  The variety of resources by using technology helps to differentiate the lessons and hit on all ways to learning to help the students.  I also have seen concept 4 (social interactions) with technology because students use technology to create their group projects.  This is seen very seldom, but it has been seen enough to count it in my mind.  The constructivist concepts I see the least of are concepts 3 and 5 (exploring concepts instead of delivering every detail and teacher moves towards guide and presenter).  Most teachers do not embrace these concepts, because they feel like it is too much work or they do not want to see the students fail so much before they succeed…it is too much on the teacher’s part to wait for the success.  It is sad that no one wants to embrace these concepts, with or without technology, because it can really cement the concepts in the students’ brains.  A way to get teachers to embrace all five concepts (instead of just a small population) is to create professional learning environments where teachers see usable examples of the five concepts in action.  You can lecture a teacher until you are blue in the face, but teachers need to be shown from the beginning to the end on how to do it and how to do it successful.  Teachers do not want to fail and make a fool of themselves in front of the students. However, students make mistakes and so do teachers, so this should not be a motivating factor.  By showing teachers concrete examples and encouraging them by helping them will get more of the constructivist learning concepts in the classroom, which can also lead more technology into the classroom!

I agree that technology has not made teachers progress from direct instruction, but has only encouraged it more.  It is easy to let the textbook read itself with the help of technology.

Some weaknesses that exist in staff development is that they are not always supportive of school goals.  Teachers sit in these workshops and learn one topic but never again is it addressed or checked on. Staff development should not be a onetime event where the only time you hear about is that one day and never again is it discussed.  Staff development should support that school’s goals and then the skill learned should be checked on throughout implementation.  Teachers are just like students: seeing something one time is not enough to actually learn it and apply it.

The descriptors of constructivist teachers are seen about as often as the constructivist learner concepts...aka, they can be seen in schools but usually only by the same teachers.  The descriptors I have seen the most (as I wander the hallways, which I am prone to do) allow students to explore their interests with differentiated projects and interactive websites that bring in real world ties. I see these more in projects (just like the constructivist learning concepts), but the other descriptors are hard to find.  I have not seen them in my wandering, but that does not mean other teachers are not using them.  I wish more teachers used open-ended questioning, which could tie very well with technology by create engaging webquests that also pose higher order questions to the students.  I think it would be very easy to encourage dialogue with the students using technology by creating websites or educational social websites that allows students to post questions and help each other.  I have always found that if I can help someone else with a concept, it only further sticks into my memory.  Open dialogue seems very important to growing concepts in the correct way.  Once again, showing teachers workable examples so they can easily recreate them is the best way to use professional learning time.  Teachers are scared of new technology and new ways of thinking, so once they see that it is doable, they are more likely to be willing to at least try it.  This is how my school got teachers to build websites.  They showed off different examples of previously made websites and made sure to pick a variety, so teachers could find one type of website they related to and then recreate it.  Just throwing information at teachers and demanding it be accomplished will get people nowhere and only keep them stuck in the Stone Age!

I found the example of model tech-related professional learning program very interesting for many different reasons. I was first very excited and wanted to be a part of it!  I would love to go through something just like that to learn, which would only help with my teaching, which in term helps my students.  Once my first reaction settled down, I realized that not many teachers would appreciate this.  They would view it as a waste of time and it would take away from other things they could do.  If they wanted to sign up for a professional development then they would have, but a school professional development?  Heck no!  I really thought the active participation would be extremely helpful because it gives the teachers a chance to feel how the students feel.  It also gives the principal the opportunity to experience the teacher side and then can later give feedback and comments on how to do constructivist teaching with technology when the teachers begin working through it.  I am not sure there is anything I would change about this professional learning program.  I feel like it is everything I would want, but I am not everyone.    I could see some teachers having a problem with how involved it is.  They do not want to have to do so much homework, but that is what makes it learning.  There are always going to be naysayers in the world, so I would keep the program the same because I feel it is effective the way it is. 

I agree whole-heartedly with the closing remarks in Chapter 5.  Technology is very similar to the Emperor’s New Clothes!  People are always wanting to stay at the forefront of the technology push, never really looking at what the technology is or caring.  It does not matter if you have the best, but how you use it and what the students get out of it.  Yes, it would be nice if every classroom had an i-pad, but how would that help them?  It would not because teachers would not actually utilize its potential, so the newest may not be something that needs to be invested in.  It will take one person to point out the flaws of the eager technology beavers before some schools put a stop to over-purchasing and focus on using the technology they already have.

With any change in school, there are always different roles the teachers play.  Trail blazers are teachers who are gung-ho for new ideas and changes and want to spearhead the charge for reform.  Trail blazers can be helpful with getting other teachers to try new things, like using new technology in their classrooms.  Resisters are teachers who are complacent.  They like the way things are and just want to be left alone and do their own thing.  However, saboteurs are teachers who do not want to change, but they are vocal about it and try to get others (like resistors) to join them in the destruction of the new ideas.  Saboteurs are very dangerous people but should not be ignored!  Resisters and saboteurs are most likely going to rear their negative heads right when the change is going to take place.  They lay in wait until they realize that the rumors are true and technology changes (or any changes) are ready to take the school by storm.  I find that one of the reasons resisters and saboteurs come out from hiding and actually resist/sabotage is the loss of control.  I know that I like to feel like I am in charge of my classroom, so long as I follow certain rules.  When those rules are changed after I get comfortable, it takes me awhile to accept that I really do not have control, but only a sense of it.  It is important to remind teachers that they still have control and can make the decisions within their classrooms, but they just need to include one more thing.  No one is asking them to be robots and all be alike.  It is only one new idea to try.  There is no reason to change everything that makes the teachers’ teaching special and unique.  Another reason I found interesting was that teachers do not feel confident in their ability to use the new technology or be able to keep with the changes.  I have had this conversation with other teachers before where they feel like they cannot keep up with technology and they are starting to feel old and useless.  This is a horrible feeling to have: a feeling of worthlessness!  The change should be introduced with lots of support and reassurances.  Just telling people about the change and leaving them to drown is going to produce more resisters and saboteurs!  Even the most confident person needs to be reassured once in a while that they are special and they will not be abandoned during the change.  Everyone will make it through the change and it will be successful! There are numerous ways to handle resisters and saboteurs.  One way is to include them in the planning process.  If the resisters and saboteurs are a part of the plan to introduce change, then their concerns will be addressed in a small group setting instead of in a gossip setting.  Being able to troubleshoot their issues before the school gets those issues is going to help create a smooth transition.  Another way to deal with the resisters and saboteurs is to make sure to talk about how technology can help with the curriculum and standards based instruction.  This will help with getting teachers to see that it is not meant to push them out of their jobs, but to help with their jobs.  Appropriate training to help with the transition is needed and not just a 30-minute session and then throw the teachers to the technology change wolves.  Teachers need to feel confident and needed, so extensive training with question and answering sessions will help with the transition, which will help to eliminate resisters and saboteurs. 

One of the current weaknesses in evaluating technology use in the classroom is looking at how much technology classrooms have instead of focusing on how it is used.  Having a smartboard is not effective use of technology, but having students come up to the smartboard to manipulate the text and images helps with the curriculum and standards, which creates effective technology.  Without the backing of standards, technology is pointless in the classroom…it only serves as a way to not help the students. 

Some indicators of successful technology implementation are looking at the role of the teacher.  The teacher should be learning along with the students while simultaneously guiding and facilitating them through the technology instead of just telling them what to do.  Another indicator is to look at student roles, making sure they are exploring the technology instead of following a step-by-step instruction sheet.  Having students use technology to increase their knowledge instead of using for repetition of the knowledge previously learned is another indicator to see if technology is being used effectively.  Technology should enhance and draw in students and teachers instead of boring them. 

In my school, technology rides the educator most of the time.  When hearing people talk, they only discuss that they use technology.  I have rarely heard about how the technology is used.  In order for technology to be successful and effective, the teachers need to get the reigns over technology and use it with the standards.  Letting technology ride all over the lesson will only result in disaster.  Technology should only be allowed in the standards/curriculum pasture so it is does well and helps with the students’ learning.

It is important to both manage and lead technology programs because management and leadership go hand-in-hand.  If manage and leading are separated, then it will result in something being left out, because both managing and leading have their specialties. If one is overlooked, then something will be missing and the program will fall into failure.  However, there are some overlapping specialties for both managing and leading, so it is not hard to combine the two and create an effective technology program.  Leading a technology program is not different from leading a science program, because they both require management and leadership to succeed.  A successful science program requires a heavy focus on the standards, an attainable goal, and a variety of resources.  A technology program requires the same things to be successful.  A technology program needs to focus on the classroom standards as well as the technology standards, needs an attainable goal, and requires a variety of resources.  People should not view technology as a foreign substance that needs to be handled with gloves.  It is the same as any other program trying to get its feet off the ground and should be treated the same.  No more technology segregation! Making sure to tie in instructional goals to content area goals is very important to sustaining an effective technology program.  If the technology goal is not associated with the content area goals, then it is an ineffective program.  The reason students go to school is to receive an education that is run with state standards that every student must master.  The technology program should be helping with these standards or the program will not survive very long.  School funding is partially based on student performance on standardized tests, so if the test results do not improve with the technology, the funding for technology could be cut.  To create and keep a successful technology program, the goals of the school must be kept in mind or the technology program will fade away.

It is important that school leadership must absorb technology leadership, so that all the goals are related and nothing is left out.  Leading a school and leading the school’s technology will only allow for one of them to slip through the cracks, so they must be as one so both goals are reached and succeeded. To move past “in-group” and “out-groups” and get everyone on the same wavelength for technology, the technology facilitator/principal needs to be even more active and participate in the technology change.  He/she should not just introduce it and then hide, hoping everyone is coping well.  He/she should go out into the school, offer suggestions, and see successful lessons implemented.  Helping the staff and working through the bugs with the teachers individually will help to create a cohesive and open environment where the teachers who are good with technology and the teachers who are not good with technology can both flourish, thus resulting in a school with effective technology implementation.

With the fast pace of changing technology and schools trying to keep up creates new demands on teachers that can be hard to deal with.  It is impossible to expect teachers to keep up with changing standards and student issues as well as changing technology.  Technology leaders need to make sure they implement effective staff development and they need to support their teachers instead of leaving them to fend off the technology wolves.  Helping the teachers keep up with the change and providing workshops that can actually help them instead of boring them will help ease the pressure of constantly changing.  Sadly, teachers do not necessarily have the time or stamina to keep up with the latest and greatest technology, but the school should help ease the pressure off the teachers. 

With technology leadership, it can go only two ways: effective or ineffective.  Effective technology leadership helps teachers create engaging classrooms.  Ineffective technology leaderships helps teachers create traditional classrooms, where drill and practice is at the top of the priority list.  Technology is supposed to lead us in new directions with new ideas and activities.  Sadly, technology can lead us in the same direction with the same boring activities.  If the technology leader pushes the new and engaging and tries to dissuade the old and done-before, then the technology should be effectively used.  It is possible to pay tons of money and only have the technology bring us further back to the “old” ways of teaching.  Just purchasing the technology is not enough to ensure an effective use of the technology.  It is how the technology is presented and explained by the technology leader that can make the big decision: effective or ineffective.

The problem I worry about the most when it comes to technology implementation in schools is technology will not be used effectively.  With the state of the economy and schools now being hit with furlough days and smaller budgets, it makes me worry that the technology push will fail because the technology is not being used correctly.  Schools will purchase technology and it will not help them increase test scores or create engaging environments.  If that happens, then it will be harder to get more money for more technology so schools will just stop supporting new and effective technology based on inappropriately supported technology.  To continue to the financial backing of technology, it must be used to support the standards and not to support the old ways that do not actually require technology to teach. 

The problem my school’s improvement plan focuses on is to improve student achievement in reading, mathematics, and science.  To include technology in a new statement could be: How can technology help improve student achievement in reading, mathematics, and science?

Where does my school want to go? They want to increase standardized test scores in reading, mathematics, and science, moving from level 2’s to level 3’s on the CRCT. How will my school get there?  Technology will be used to differentiate instruction utilizing the personal response system and interactive websites to reach all types of learners.  How will my school know when they get there?  When the CRCT results come in and an increase in level 2’s to 3’s compared with previous years will be how my school knows they reached their goal.  A significant percentage increase will be looked at (more than 4% increase). 

I did find the Texas example helpful because I could slowly walk through my school’s goals while also walking through the Texas goals.  I am still not 100% confident in the planning process, but I feel much better than before I read this chapter.  It is a daunting task to accomplish and I just need to breathe and use the resources provided to move slowly through. 

The driving forces that exist at my school revolve around the technology enthusiast who sees technology as a tool to increase student comprehension instead of a tool that is just present in the school.  The restraining forces would be the teachers who like how they teach and see no need to change.  They like their routine and only do the same things every year.  There is no deviating from the pre-set plan.  It would be hard to increase student achievement scores by using technology when some teachers say they only teach 2 days a week and that would make them have to teach more than that. Forming a task force with a mix of resistors and enthusiasts would help to bring the two groups together.  However, I would also want to implement surveys across the school to get the feeling for everyone’s comfort level so appropriate professional learning programs can be set up.  Having the resistors help with the professional learning should help change some of their minds and show them the benefits. However, not every teacher will be sold on the changes, but it could at least help lead more teachers to technology based teaching with an emphasis on standards.

I liked that Texas did their goal setting before the SWOT.  It allowed them to see what they really wanted without having to worry about the downsides.  Getting to the heart of the school’s wants and needs can be very helpful when setting up the school’s plan.  However, without first setting up the SWOT, the planners will not be ready for the naysayers and the saboteurs.  Being prepared is the Boy Scout’s motto and it should also be adopted by technology improvement planners.  Being able to counterattack the saboteurs will help to keep them in check and less likely to end up with a dead plan.  If the goals are set first, then the planners need to keep SWOT in the backs of their minds so they are not ambushed and do not survive the first attack.

More Reading...and look! I got less WORDY!

While doing the reading for this week’s blog, the author refers to the theme of the book stating that technology should focus on pedagogy instead of the technology by itself. If pedagogy is not taken into account, then buying and finding all the technology means nothing. The technology must be incorporated into teachers’ beliefs so they will want to use it. I agree with this, because if a teacher believes in project based learning and the school invests its money in drill/practice software, that particular teacher will not use it and the software will go to waste. For teachers to want to use new technology, it must mesh with their teaching styles. To make sure this happens, the principal and technology specialist must work together. The principal should be involved in the decisions, testing out the technology and troubleshooting any foreseen problems. The principal must keep teaching strategies and student learning in mind throughout the entire process or the technology program will not be successful. If the technology will not help the students, then there is no point in investing in it. The technology specialist should work with the principal, but the technology specialist also needs to be the liaison between the technology and the teachers. The technology specialist needs to try to dissuade the negative trends in their schools, by encouraging and helping teachers use technology with the standards, but that also incorporates each teacher’s teaching style and belief.

Digital divides exist in education. This is worrisome to educators. A “digital divide” refers to equal access to technology for all students. For example, there should be computers in all schools, no matter if they are urban or rural schools. Moving past the accessibility of technology, a digital divide could exist between low socio-economic and high socio-economic schools, gender, ethnicity, or general education students and special education students. There could be a digital divide between any sub-groups of students, because a digital divide can also refer to how the technology is being used. If low socio-economic students use technology for drill and practice and high socio-economic students use technology for research and high order thinking skills, then that creates a digital divide between them. A digital divide could also exist between teachers in the same school. One teacher could have an interactive whiteboard, projector, and a set of clickers and the teacher uses them daily to teach. Next door, another teacher would only have an overhead projector used to give notes and that is the only technology available to that particular teacher. This would create a digital divide between the teachers and then creating a digital divide between the teachers’ students. Digital divides do not help the education system because it only makes education more divided and creates gaps in students’ general knowledge depending on where they went to school and whose class they were in.

Technology programs can fail at any time, but it is important to learn from others’ mistakes so the next plan can be a success! One reason technology plans fail is because of appropriate leadership. A leader should listen to everyone’s ideas and be a part of the planning process. A leader should not make all the decisions by him/her and a leader should not be so hands off that he/she can never be found. I believe appropriate leadership starts with listening and taking an active part in the process. Another reason that technology plans fail is due to lack of staff development. Teachers need to understand the technology they are expected to use and not just “click this and then that.” I believe sudden changes also encourage plans to fail. When someone makes a decision, pushes it on to an entire school population and the changes must sudden and drastic, it is hard to achieve the goal and there be lots of resistance. Teachers like the autonomy they have in their classrooms. When they must suddenly give up their ways, it creates negativity and resistance. If it is a slow change, it is easier to butter up the teachers, which results in better attitudes and better results. I believe that for a successful technology plan, the planner needs to first start slowly (no drastic changes), then have appropriate leadership (not too authoritative, not too hands off, but just right), and develop effective teacher training. A technology plan does not have to be perfect the first time around, but learning from mistakes someone else already did will help to start the plan on the right path.

I do not have experience with technology planning, but my school does have one. It was constructed with a team of teachers, administrators, and the school technology support person. It consists of expanding the schools use of interactive whiteboards and PRS clickers in instruction. The plan also states the want to increase the number of teachers with Webpages. The final part is to explore new technology for both the teachers and the students. Based on the readings so far, this is not a very effective plan since it only discusses using the technology and not how the technology should be used to support the standards.

I do believe that a school-level technology plan is necessary for success because even if there is a district level plan, a school plan can more easily assess the needs of the students through the needs of the teachers. It is important that the teachers have a say in the technology plan based on their needs and a county plan may not always consider their goals. Cheryl Lemke’s quote about not having two plans, but a school improvement plan with a technology plan incorporated really made me think. I understand that technology should help schools improve, so technology should be a part of the school improvement plan. However, I still feel that a separate technology plan can also benefit the school and the teachers. If technology is incorporated in both the school improvement plan and in a separate technology plan, then the likelihood that one of them will work and will find its way to the teachers’ hands is higher. I know that I have never seen my school’s school improvement plan, but I have seen the technology plan (by coincidence though). Without two separate documents, I would know nothing about my school’s goal and wants for technology in the classroom. If the technology plan is integrated into the school improvement plan, some challenges might occur.

However, many pitfalls can occur when creating a technology plan. In order to avoid these pitfalls, the planners need to be aware of the pitfalls and how to counteract/prevent them. Creating a technology plan that is full of technology jargon is only going to prevent teachers from reading it because of the complicated wording, which results in a failure to implement. The plan should also be simple in the structure of the plan because teachers are less likely to back something if it is tedious and could jeopardize the students’ learning and success on standardized tests. A well laid-out technology plan that is going to take five years is not appropriate. Setting small goals that focus on how to use the technology is better because the teachers can see the finish line. Using technology is great, but that should not be a goal. How it is used is better because technology should enhance learning and not just be used because it was purchased. Another pitfall to be aware of would be teacher morale. Teachers need to have a say in the plan and be willing to commit to it. Creating open planning meetings or surveying the faculty for their input and ideas will help with teachers wanting to implement the plan, which will result in better data and outcomes. To successfully create a technology plan, the planners need to be aware of the previously identified pitfalls and any surprise pitfalls lurking in the shadows.

Readings! Every good class starts with background knowledge!

For the first assigned reading in 7410 Instructional Technology Leadership, I got a little overwhelmed! There were so many terms that I had heard of before but never really knew what they meant. I now understand the appropriate definitions, which makes more sense. I had only heard of educational technology as the technology available for teachers. Now that I have read the true definition, I understand that it is not only the technology available but also the process used. This is very helpful because the process is essential. I had never heard of technology integration before though. The way I understand it is that technology integration explains how teachers incorporate technology in the classroom depending on their situation. What I do is not always appropriate for the teacher next to me, so she should do what is appropriate for her and her students. I really did not know the definition of instructional technology before this class (which is kind of sad considering that is what my Master’s in!!!). I just assumed it was technology used during instruction. The definition the book gave expands on my simple definition by explaining that it is the technology used with teaching and learning. The technology needs to encompass both how the students learn and how the lesson is delivered. Learning these new terms helped me keep my “overwhelmed-ness” down because now I can read with ease and not stumble over all the big words!



I found it really interesting to read about the history of educational technology. I had never thought about what came first since I was born into the computer era and raised in the internet era. I just assumed like any “kid” that computers were always around. I knew that people did not always have them, but I never really put in thought into what they did have. Computers played such a big part in my education that it makes me feel that two of the most important historical events in educational technology were the first computer used for instruction and the first computer used with schoolchildren. Since I remember having computers in my elementary school, I know that my educational career was shaped by computers and I cannot really imagine not having any computers to help teach and to help reinforce concepts. I also feel that the birth of the World Wide Web plays an important role in educational technology. The World Wide Web is necessary in my daily teaching and it played a huge part in my educational career with research and basic reinforcement. When a student is not grasping the concepts that are being taught, it is very easy and helpful to use the internet to find a new phrasing or illustration to clarify. Having this quick and fast resource available is helpful in the learning process for both students and teachers to help reinforce extend resources. I would be lost without laptop or a decent Wi-Fi connection!


While reading the section entitled “Lessons from the Past,” I found myself nodding along in agreement. I have learned a lot of the lessons discussed in the reading by observing my past teachers and through my own teaching experiences. I found that the discussions about how technology does not make lesson as much as the teacher does. Even though there are tons of resources available online, it does not mean that students can absorb the information without a little bit of help from a content expert. Yes, there are some students who can read and grasp the concepts with very little effort and could care less if a teacher is in the room or not. However, most students need a variety of explanations then just what they read. A teacher is important in education to help those students who need information introduced in different ways or need more illustrations before they can grasp the main concepts. Teachers are important so they can walk students step-by-step instead of throwing all the information at the students at once and hoping they got it. Teachers help to motivate students and they help get rid of the “I am stupid and cannot learn” syndrome a lot of students develops throughout their educational career. Technology is an important part of education, but without the teachers of the world, there would be a lot of lost students wandering around confused with “I am stupid” attitudes hanging around them.


I know that many people do not believe that education needs technology and that it is sometimes hard to create a compelling case for it. However, I think technology is needed in education and it is not hard to make a compelling case for educational technology. Technology plays a major role today’s society in both the business and social aspects of the 21st century. Introducing students to technology at a younger age helps to prepare them for what society wants from them and then they can evolve as technology evolves. If we wait to educate them, it will be harder and more frustrating to learn new technology when they have not learned the basics. With a society revolving around technology, all schools should be introducing technology in some way!


Research studies do not always show that technology has a positive effect on student achievement in schools, but the studies depend upon teacher knowledge of the technology, teacher comfort with the technology, and the students’ knowledge and comfort-level with the technology. If the teacher does not know what he/she is doing, then the results can be disastrous. If the teacher does understand what he/she is doing and knows what the students should be doing, the results will show a more positive outlook on technology. Technology knowledge should play a role in research studies, because right now, the studies are not showing very accurate results, which results in a lack of funding. In the face of No Child Left Behind and the economic crisis, it is important that we make educational technology stand out in the crowd and not to be frowned upon. Technology costs money and it must be shown that it has a positive outlook for schools to fund it. No Child Left Behind requires scientific research before providing funds. Displaying technology and the benefits it brings is important to keep technology in the classrooms during this stressful time. Having sound research studies will help increase funding and then more students can access new and innovative technology.


I can see how non-educators question technology usage in the classroom. I do not agree with them, but I can see where they are coming from based on my own observations. If you walk through my school, you will see some teachers using technology to benefit the students, but you will also see teachers who use technology that does not benefit the students’ learning. People on the outside do not always see everything that goes on in a school, so they do not always see the benefits but mostly the pitfalls. There are teachers who use technology that is aligned with the standards and it does help improve understanding and motivation with the students. However, there are teachers who do not use technology to emphasis the standards, but to show how they are the “cool” teacher and to just joke around with the students. Being the “cool” teacher does not produce an effective learning environment. Being the teacher who can bring in the standards and the technology to support it should be noticed, so people can start seeing the benefits and not just the “cool” teachers’ effect on education.


Teacher training is important to use technology, but I also feel that teachers need motivation to use it successfully. Training for technology is offered at my school but teachers do not partake so the technology continues to sit and collect dust. There are trained teachers in the building, but I still feel like they do not always use technology to the best of their abilities. It can be very frustrating when hearing teachers tell me that it takes too much time to create a PowerPoint so they write out an overhead sheet or it is too complicated to take a class to the computer lab so they handwrite their papers. The teachers are not motivated to actually use something new and different, so they do not want to learn and deal with the learning curve of technology. Educators always say that motivation is a key factor for students’ learning but it is also a key factor for teachers. I have met teachers who demand the best technology available but then they do not use it because they do not know how and do not want to play with it until it does work. They are not motivated to put in the extra time, so they let the technology sit and it is never used. Teachers need to see that there might be some extra time involved, but the rewards for the students learning outweighs the extra couple of minutes they spent learning. Encouraging teachers to use the available technology would help get more teachers to use what they already have instead of never learning new things and staying in the past when the students are in the future.


Sometimes there are problems with using technology in classrooms but it is usually caused by not being used effectively or implemented correctly. These problems can lead towards research that does not support technology and the relationship with improved student achievement, which results in less funding for the technology. When teachers do not use technology effectively, it will not show the benefits. The research studies need to go into classrooms where technology is used to motivate and engage the students and they will see the correlation between student achievement and technology. It is not right to judge technology effectiveness when teachers are still not attempting to implement the technology the correct and effective way.


Sometimes people say that they received an amazing education without computers, so why cannot today’s students get an education without them too? I can see their point that today’s students can receive an excellent education without a computer; however, they might be lacking a portion of their education that would prepare them for entry into society. It could be argued that they could learn those skills on their own time at home, but that is a lot of pressure for parents and guardians to know the latest technology at home and know how to use it correctly. The readings made a good point by saying that those students who were incompetent with computers would be forced to be our plumbers, but even plumbers use computers. They use computers for simulation training, scheduling, and looking up necessary parts to fix complex clogs. Computers might not play a major role in their everyday plumbing world, but all professions are moving towards computers to help with their daily tasks. A student will not necessarily become a plumber because they are not good with computers, but they will most likely not become a computer technician. A student can have an excellent education without using a computer, but they will have gaps in their technology knowledge that could help them find jobs and survive secondary school. When someone says that their education is better than that man leaning against wall, it is just that person’s opinion. There might be students who feel that computers are not necessary, so they did in fact receive an excellent education without computers, but there will always be those students who need a teacher to show them how to use a computer and could use the motivation that computers bring to education.


I have been using technology to teach since my first teaching field experience. For every classroom I have been in, I have felt that technology has made a positive impact on my students’ learning. I have tried teaching both ways, with technology and without, but every lesson I do with technology, I leave feeling my students had a better grasp of the concepts with the use of technology. I love giving concept checks and quizzes using the Personal Response System (clickers). The students are excited to use the clickers, they are motivated to behave appropriately so they are not taken away, and they are engaged in the questions and answer thoughtfully. After every question, I set-up the program to display the anonymous bar graph of how many students chose each answer with the correct answer highlighted. With this immediate feedback, the students can know how they are doing and the students get to discuss why “A” was the most popular answer when “B” was the correct answer. Without the immediate feedback and discussions, the students will not get to see how everyone is thinking and how they should be thinking fully to grasp the concepts. A pencil and paper quiz would not let them have these types of interactions with analyzing their thinking and joining in a group discussion on the concepts as much as the technology based quiz do.


There are new and improved technology trends in hardware and software development all the time that can take a technology based classroom to the next level of instruction! My school recently got wireless installed for the whole building and it makes a world of difference when using the laptop carts. Before the wireless installation, it was a headache to try to get all the laptops logged on a small router. Now the laptops are logged on in a matter of seconds, which saves a large amount of instruction time. I am also very interested in new technology that can score essays more reliably then a human can. I spend a great deal of time grading short answer and essay questions on tests and quizzes. If a computer program could do the grading, I could be able to see more data on who understood this concept and who needs more time. It would also ensure almost 100% precision when grading. After reading 90 something different versions of an answer, it is not easy to make sure that the grading stays consistent from student 1 to student 90. A computer program would not get a tired mind, so student 90 would still feel like student 1. Having a computer program that grades writing would also help with catching students who love to plagiarize. With the internet being such an integral part of our society, it is very easy to search for information and just copy/paste. I have caught numerous students who do this for their science fair research paper and I am sure even more plagiarized but I did not catch them. A computer program would make sure all students are being honest students and everyone is learning from writing instead of learning how to copy/paste.
 There were a lot of interesting facts that jumped out to me while I was reading about Standard VIII on Leadership and Vision. It really made me think when I read that people are sometimes reluctant to be pro-technology because they may have other things that are more important like passing AYP (annual yearly progress). I had never thought about worrying over AYP or any other issue in schools. I do think about them, but I have never thought technology or passing a yearly test. I think that to pass the big test, I need technology to motivate my students into preparing and reviewing. I understand where their thoughts are leading them to think of the final goal, but is it not important to look at the processes we can take to reach the goal?


I kind of had a “duh” moment when reading about “Qualities of Exemplary Technology Plan.” By the time I made it to the end of the section, I felt like hitting myself on the head and saying “duh” aloud to no one in the room, but my two sleeping cats (I know…too much information about my life!). All the different qualities made perfect sense once I read about them, but I would have left most of them out if I had tried to make a plan on my own. The most important one I saw that I had never thought of before was aligning the plan with district, county, and state plans. How is a successful plan going to work if it counters the state goals? How is it supposed to get support if everyone is focused on the national plan? No one will be able to help you with your plan if they are focused elsewhere. However, if the plans are aligned, then everyone’s thoughts are already in one area and you can just join in!