Professional development action plan
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Friday, March 18, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Week 2 Post 3
The NETP is a comprehensive report of President Obama’s vision and goals for education in America. It is very similar to the TLRTP in many ways. It addresses five areas of educational need: Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure and Productivity. The primary goal of the plan is to increase the percentage of Americans with two or four year college degrees from 39 percent currently to 60 percent by 2020. It focuses on having all high school students college-ready regardless of race, background, disability or language.
The learning component includes what and how curriculum is used. Flexible schedules and use of distance learning are possible with 24/7 connectivity. Science and math are prioritized in the STEM programming. In the area of teaching, the focus is on the delivery of instruction, building the capacity to shift to a model of connected teaching. Collaboration is the trend. Support for educators through in-service training and continuing education are indicated as a high need to ensure educators are equipped to meet the challenges of rapidly changing technology. Technology –based testing is highlighted for more accurate evaluation and assessment of student learning. Learning must be personalized to best meet the needs of the individual learner, however budgetary constraints must also be considered when planning for technology implementation. Upgrading the infrastructure will take a concerted and coordinated effort among agencies to maximize use of funding available.
I really like the goals set out in this plan. My biggest concern is creating mandates without funding for their full implementation. As with the stimulus money, there are limitations. Sustainability must always be considered. Programs dependent upon grants can become burdensome for districts when that funding runs out. The purchase of equipment and programming should be done in such a way that local districts can continue utilizing them after the grant money has expired.
The learning component includes what and how curriculum is used. Flexible schedules and use of distance learning are possible with 24/7 connectivity. Science and math are prioritized in the STEM programming. In the area of teaching, the focus is on the delivery of instruction, building the capacity to shift to a model of connected teaching. Collaboration is the trend. Support for educators through in-service training and continuing education are indicated as a high need to ensure educators are equipped to meet the challenges of rapidly changing technology. Technology –based testing is highlighted for more accurate evaluation and assessment of student learning. Learning must be personalized to best meet the needs of the individual learner, however budgetary constraints must also be considered when planning for technology implementation. Upgrading the infrastructure will take a concerted and coordinated effort among agencies to maximize use of funding available.
I really like the goals set out in this plan. My biggest concern is creating mandates without funding for their full implementation. As with the stimulus money, there are limitations. Sustainability must always be considered. Programs dependent upon grants can become burdensome for districts when that funding runs out. The purchase of equipment and programming should be done in such a way that local districts can continue utilizing them after the grant money has expired.
Week 2 Post 2
I began reading the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology Progress Report and was overwhelmed by the amount of information it contained. I had no idea it was so immense. I was also unaware of many of the programs in place by TEA and the ESCs to assist districts in meeting the challenges of bringing our educational technology into the 21st century.
I wish my district was involved in the Technology Immersion Pilot program. We have a large percentage of at-risk and economically disadvantaged students and I believe that providing access to a computer 24/7 would have a huge impact on learning. Reducing the ratio of students to computers to 1:1 would be an amazing opportunity to reach beyond the school building walls.
I was also unaware of the Vision 2020 program as well. I would have loved to be one of the participants. I can see the application of distance learning as a real means of offering a wider variety of courses for students. Teacher sharing would benefit smaller districts. Can you imagine a small district such as mine being able to offer Spanish, Latin, German and French instead of just Spanish? It would be awesome. Foreign language is just one area that could be immediately impacted by access to this type of technology.
The Connections program also grabbed my interest. I work directly with at-risk students and dropout prevention is always on my priority list. Being able to engage students in such dynamic ways and offer more flexible scheduling would surely be a benefit to the students I encounter.
I am going to explore these programs further to see how I might be able to bring them or something like them to my own campus.
I wish my district was involved in the Technology Immersion Pilot program. We have a large percentage of at-risk and economically disadvantaged students and I believe that providing access to a computer 24/7 would have a huge impact on learning. Reducing the ratio of students to computers to 1:1 would be an amazing opportunity to reach beyond the school building walls.
I was also unaware of the Vision 2020 program as well. I would have loved to be one of the participants. I can see the application of distance learning as a real means of offering a wider variety of courses for students. Teacher sharing would benefit smaller districts. Can you imagine a small district such as mine being able to offer Spanish, Latin, German and French instead of just Spanish? It would be awesome. Foreign language is just one area that could be immediately impacted by access to this type of technology.
The Connections program also grabbed my interest. I work directly with at-risk students and dropout prevention is always on my priority list. Being able to engage students in such dynamic ways and offer more flexible scheduling would surely be a benefit to the students I encounter.
I am going to explore these programs further to see how I might be able to bring them or something like them to my own campus.
Week 2 Post 1
From the Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support section of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, this area encompasses the implementation of technology and sustaining school improvement and technology innovation. Leadership plays a crucial role in creating a vision and being a catalyst for change.
I think the vision is key to the success of this plan. Administrators must help others see what is possible and lead the way. It is imperative for our educational leaders to embrace change and technological advances with confidence and courage. On my campus, the principal is very supportive of innovation and encourages risk-taking among the staff in implementing technology into the curriculum. He continually seeks out effective strategies to integrate modern approaches with the delivery of instruction.
Budgeting is always a priority. Without funding, new hardware and programs cannot be purchased. Leaders must be mindful of the applications of available technology to ensure that they are getting to most bang for their buck. Many districts are utilizing freeware or shareware to reduce the cost of obtaining programs.
My recommendation for improvement in this area is simply to examine before investing. Monetary resources are so tight right now that no one can afford to invest in technology that may quickly become obsolete or does not meet the needs for which it is intended. Before purchasing expensive hardware or software components, I would complete a needs assessment and prioritize what is most important. I would seek out others that are currently using the equipment or programs and seek advice on its quality. I would also make sure that training and support is adequate to ensure that my teachers will use the technology and it doesn’t just gather dust.
I think the vision is key to the success of this plan. Administrators must help others see what is possible and lead the way. It is imperative for our educational leaders to embrace change and technological advances with confidence and courage. On my campus, the principal is very supportive of innovation and encourages risk-taking among the staff in implementing technology into the curriculum. He continually seeks out effective strategies to integrate modern approaches with the delivery of instruction.
Budgeting is always a priority. Without funding, new hardware and programs cannot be purchased. Leaders must be mindful of the applications of available technology to ensure that they are getting to most bang for their buck. Many districts are utilizing freeware or shareware to reduce the cost of obtaining programs.
My recommendation for improvement in this area is simply to examine before investing. Monetary resources are so tight right now that no one can afford to invest in technology that may quickly become obsolete or does not meet the needs for which it is intended. Before purchasing expensive hardware or software components, I would complete a needs assessment and prioritize what is most important. I would seek out others that are currently using the equipment or programs and seek advice on its quality. I would also make sure that training and support is adequate to ensure that my teachers will use the technology and it doesn’t just gather dust.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Here we go again...
Okay, I haven't looked at this blog since I was working on my Research class. I don't particularly like blogging. It isn't something I look forward to doing, but I will keep an open mind and see if I can find a way to use this more. Right now, this site is blocked from my school, so I can't use it as a way to collaborate while I am planning or working on instruction there.
I attended the first Web Conference. There were about 100 folks in the chat. It was very hard to keep up with the typewritten chat and the sound was intermittant so I couldn't keep up with the voice either. I am glad we have a transcript of the voice chat, but I wish we had the text chat documented as well. There were so many questions that I may have missed the answers to or would like to be able to review.
So, there it is. The first blog of the Instructional Leadership course. Hooray!
I attended the first Web Conference. There were about 100 folks in the chat. It was very hard to keep up with the typewritten chat and the sound was intermittant so I couldn't keep up with the voice either. I am glad we have a transcript of the voice chat, but I wish we had the text chat documented as well. There were so many questions that I may have missed the answers to or would like to be able to review.
So, there it is. The first blog of the Instructional Leadership course. Hooray!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Revised Action Inquiry Plan
The end of week 4 has arrived and I have finished the revisions to my action research plan. It was difficult to complete the class assignment because I didn't have many comments and suggestions to use for revision from this blog. I am finding that meeting with my collaborative partner is the most beneficial way for me to explore ideas and garner new perspectives on the plan to refine it.
I do want to thank my commentors for contributing.
Here is the revised plan on the template. I apologize for the small size, but it would not post in the template format on this blog other than as a picture.
Goal: The goal of this research inquiry is to improve the educational outcomes in the domain of math for students in the subgroups of economically disadvantaged and special education at Lampasas High School.
I do want to thank my commentors for contributing.
Here is the revised plan on the template. I apologize for the small size, but it would not post in the template format on this blog other than as a picture.
Goal: The goal of this research inquiry is to improve the educational outcomes in the domain of math for students in the subgroups of economically disadvantaged and special education at Lampasas High School.
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