School officially starts on Monday, so I thought I would put down my thoughts before I leave my classroom today. We have been "hard at it" for the last eight days here at Cameron Elementary with inservice workshops and staff developments. It was GREAT! I don't mean to be sarcastic I am really and honestly excited about what we have been doing since August 10th. Our inservice was based primarily around technology, and we learned a boatload of things that are actually applicable to our classroom immediately! I am so excited to begin the new year, more excited than I have been in a long time.
In fact, so excited that I stepped back and examined, "Why, I had such a high feeling during this inservice?" And I have come to understand that because the inservice and workshop was applicable to my classroom as well as everyone else's. I took ownership of what we learned about LIVEbinders, ProjectShare, plus numerous web 2.0 tools, therefore I can say that I will retain this information and actively implement my learning in my teaching.
So my message is that to remember as an administrator you are still a teacher and want to make your staff development practical, applicable, and meaningful to the teachers who are going to be required to sit through it, just the same as we ask teachers to make their lessons practical, applicable, and meaningful to students. More so now than ever before I can understand why it is essential for a teacher to facilitate her teaching and learning in this fashion because it is the deciding factor in success and long-term achievement for our students and faculty alike.
Spring Fever
Hello again! It's that time of year, which I must say is my most favorite time of the year! SPRING! There are so many things that I enjoy about this time of year. From the new smell of green grass, spring flowers, baseball games, to chatter about the end of the school year and TAKS Testing, as well as, the many end of the year activities in our school. All of these things just make this time spectacular. I believe that one main reason I enjoy this time of year is because everyone has a sense of accomplishment of having worked hard to prepare our students for the next grade level and we have (to quote my favorite saying) "fought the good fight and finished the race!" There is a sense of self-worth like no other, when you as a teacher send your class on to the next grade level, knowing that they have grown and are more prepared for life-long learning. I find myself thinking back to the first of the year remembering that the beginning of the year was full of the unknown and uncertainty. Now a person can really see how much the teachers, students, and all stakeholders have grown since those long-ago August days. I am proud of the teachers that I work with and I think we have had an exceptional year at Cameron Elementary. In fact, I am anxious for TAKS to hurry up and get here, I think our students are really going to achieve monumental success. You're probably thinking, "WHAT! TAKS hurry up????" HAHA! Well, it's just because I haven't ever been one of those teachers that panics during April because of TAKS Testing. My thoughts have always been that I worked hard all year long preparing my students for this standardized testing and this was their time to shine and show everyone what they know. I view being a teacher as a perfect opportunity to have a direct influence on our child's future. It is my job to teach them about all the aspects of life and learning, so that when they do leave my classroom they can achieve success by being life-long learners. Teachers are supposed to teach students how to help themselves and be sufficient in whatever aspect they approach. This is why I have always just "taught" my students well, instead of worrying if they new all the "tricks and strategies" of the TAKS Test. There is no replacement for good solid teaching and learning. It is also for this reason that I am a fan of differientiated learning and student-centered learning. Every student needs different levels of teaching and instruction to become a life-long learner. With that said, now you can see my real reason for this post.....to provide some insight on my personal "mission statement!" I beleive that education is changing, we can't teach any longer straight from the book, with zero "pizzazz!" We have to put the content and instruction into the language of our students. We have to put it into a new technological language, which may not necessarily be everyone's most comfortable language. Technology is a scary word for some people. But I am living proof, that it is possible. I really enjoy technology and it's endless opportunities in the classroom. Through completing my Master's I was able to embrace the 21st Century learning practices. Something I think all teachers should participate in. I want to be clear, I am not calling for an re-invention of the wheel, just a simple re-alignment or upgrade if you will. We want a 4-wheel drive Dodge 3500, instead of a 2-wheel 1988 Oldsmobile! :) While at the same time remaining faithful to the rigorous content we have always taught. We need to embrace that change as teachers and prepare our students in the best way that we know how to make sure they succeed in this 21st Century. I know I am up for the challenage and look forward to the challenage. When I think of this new challenage of education, I compare it to the feeling at the beginning of the school year, to that unfamiliar nervous feeling everyone has which is also at the same time intermingled with an excited adventorous feeling. So you see, that is why I wrote about the feeling of accomplishment a teacher possesses during the spring months today. Because, I believe that we as educators have had that "springy" feeling for a while now....it's time for some August feelings....new, unfamiliar, yet excited and adventurous! I know I am ready!
Analysis of How Educational Leaders Might Use Blogs
Okay, so we're back to blogging. Which if you have been keeping up with my blog you will know that although I wasn't a fan at first, but I have grown to truly enjoy updating my blog. I plan to keep up my blog now as long as I am an educational leader, because it allows me to "reflect" on my thoughts and actions and even sometimes vent! I believe that educational leaders could benefit from using blogs in a variety of ways. First of all blogs provide an excellent outlet for discussion and sharing ideas with someone from outside the loop. What I mean is that sometimes as a leader it is helpful to "bounce" your thoughts off of someone in a similar situation as yourself. Many times as an educational leader I just simply needed to interact and share my thoughts and ideas with someone of the same caliber. Secondly, blogs would benefit educational leaders by providing a resource for even more experiences, actions, and reflections. After all, expertise stems from reflection and through a blog educational leaders would have that many more opportunities to reflect on others' experiences and actions. Finally, I think blogs would enable educational leaders to attack broad statewide issues through "power in numbers!" Blogs would create an immediate ongoing discussion board relating to every hot topic in education, just as our discussion board has done through Lamar. Instead of having to read about issues in a monthly magazine or periodical, educational leaders would have an opportunity to immediately be aware of topics and give their own personal opinion and feedback. In conclusion, I think blogs encompass 21st Century Learning and we as educational leaders should "set the pace" for our teachers and students.
What I have learned about Action Research!
Action Research! I have learned a lot about action research over the past week. To begin with action research isn't all what I thought it would be, like many educators I saw the term "research" and my heart skipped a beat! I was instantly back in my college Literature classes dreading the amount of laborious work I was about to be asked to do...and thinking I hate this! However, after reading and learning about what action research really is, I quite like it and plan on using it over and over again, throughout my journey as an administrator. Action research is defined as a process of a principal engaging in systematic intentional study of her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what she learns as a result of the inquiry. In lamen terms, this simply means that as a principal I will constantly engage in a study of my own practices and what I am doing on the job or how my campus is running and I will use my own knowledge and that of other administrators and teachers to attempt to re-vamp or "fix" any problems or instances that might occur. I really am looking forward to implementing action research. I have already begun some of the steps to action research this summer by reflecting on what I need to change and "do better" as a Reading Coach for next year. I have learned that I can use action research to make myself a better principal and administrator. I know understand that I can seek out change and reflect on my practices by posing questions and also that I can gain insights to those questions by analyzing data along with reading relevant literature and make effective changes based on a new understanding developed during my "research!" In my mind, action research is almost equivalent to some classes a friend of my families has to attend, you see he is a Vet and must attend these "continuing education" classes every so often. To me, action research is just that continuing education, only it's based on what specific implementations or problems you need to solve at your specific campus. As a principal, my learning is not ever going to be over, I am going to constantly have to "swing with the pendulum" if I want to have a successful campus and staff, action research is my tool to constantly improve teaching and learning no matter how long I have been an administrator.
Hello AGAIN!
Well....kinda forgot I had a blog! Crazy, huh? I was thinking today, and thought maybe I would give this blog thing another shot, and when I come to think about it and use it, I realized that I really like writing down my thoughts! It has become sort of enlightening....I hope! :)
Summer is finally here and I am already starting to feel the pressure of all the million things I have to get started on before school starts...seems like the rat race is just around the corner. I have started my annual summer swimming lessons, (not for me of course, but for all the little kids in my town), they seem to be going well and we have alot of kids signed up! I am also in the middle of building a new house and although that has been fun, it tends to get kinda of frustrating at times, making decisions constantly....I am constantly telling people that if money was no object, I would be a great house builder because it seems that everything that I like is always the most expensive! :) No really, it has been fun and I am super excited about getting to move in around the first of August...yep, you heard me the first of August just about the time when I will be trying to get all of my presentations ready to go for the beginning of inservice for the teachers! Good thing I have enjoyed my lazy days at the pool so far this summer because in about another month I am going to be so busy it's not going to be funny~! Seems kinda ironic huh, to sit here all summer enjoy the "dog days" and not really having to do anything except work on my tan, run, and play with Mack and then having to do nine million things in a span of two weeks! Well, that has always been my life, seems like it runs me instead of me running it! :) Have a good July, I'll keep updating this blog~!
Summer is finally here and I am already starting to feel the pressure of all the million things I have to get started on before school starts...seems like the rat race is just around the corner. I have started my annual summer swimming lessons, (not for me of course, but for all the little kids in my town), they seem to be going well and we have alot of kids signed up! I am also in the middle of building a new house and although that has been fun, it tends to get kinda of frustrating at times, making decisions constantly....I am constantly telling people that if money was no object, I would be a great house builder because it seems that everything that I like is always the most expensive! :) No really, it has been fun and I am super excited about getting to move in around the first of August...yep, you heard me the first of August just about the time when I will be trying to get all of my presentations ready to go for the beginning of inservice for the teachers! Good thing I have enjoyed my lazy days at the pool so far this summer because in about another month I am going to be so busy it's not going to be funny~! Seems kinda ironic huh, to sit here all summer enjoy the "dog days" and not really having to do anything except work on my tan, run, and play with Mack and then having to do nine million things in a span of two weeks! Well, that has always been my life, seems like it runs me instead of me running it! :) Have a good July, I'll keep updating this blog~!
Week #5 Assignment Course Reflections
Prior to beginning this Instructional Leadership Course I was anxious and nervous at the same time. I graduated high-school ten years ago and more often than not, I feel like I am on the backside of technology. I don't consider myself, "out-of-the-loop" like some educators I know, but I did think that I knew just enough about technology to know that I didn't know near enough! I envisioned this course covering a multitude of topics and information, and quite frankly, I figured that I would struggle from day one. However, once I understood the concept behind technology, and creating 21st Learners, I felt very intrugued and interested in creating a 21st Centure Learning atmostphere in my classroom, more so than I already had. I actually surprised myself in that I knew more about technology than I originally thought. I thought this course was going to focus on the "techie" side of technology, not the administrative ideals as it did. Even thought I missed the initial mark of what this course was going to consist of, I feel that my learning did align with the majority of the outcomes that I envisioned. Not only can I illustrate waht a 21st Century campus should look like in the form of technology, but I have gained useful insight regarding technological functions, data, and usage. I am now confident creating a post to my blog account, which I use daily and plan to continue to use. In addition, I can accurately elaborate on various search engines, Wikis, Web 2.0 tools, etc. In the end, this class exceeded my expectations and taught me much more than I had envisioned because I learned the skills and knowledge base myself and learned how to apply and administer these skills and knowldege personally.
The work I do in my school consist mainly on working with struggling readers to improve their learning by raising their oral reading fluency rate, and expanding their comprehension skills, among other things. The outcomes that I achieved from this course are immensely relevant to the work that I do. Everything that I learned during this course, from implementing the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, to re-vamping our Acceptable use Policy incorporates nicely with my classroom lessons because I have students who are in desperate need of technological instruction to better succeed in school. I have already begun the work of creating a blog for my small group pullout classes beginning at the first of the year. Also, due to the vast amount of knowledge I reveived regarding internet safety for children and dealing with internet predators, I have begun sending home "Techie Tips" with my students each week, in hopes of educating our parent population. Also, I am working to constatnly remind my campus of copyright laws and restrictions in which I am striving to maintain "best practices" at my campus. I would say that the wealth of information I learned form this course had drastically changed the way in which I approach technology, I am not afraid to use it anymore and I realize the benefits it can produce.
I don't believe that there was even one outcome from this course that I didn't achieve, I do know that I wasn't prepated for the changes that were going to effect my teaching style after I obained the knowledge that I have from this course. Since beginning this course, I am more aware of technological obstacles and goals and I can't in good conscience ignore them. I came into this course with an open-mind and a thirst for knowledge, which in my opinion, is all it takes to learn and suceed in life. I know so many teachers who are negative towards technology for no other reason that just being plan stubborn, they are set in their ways and don't want to change. Despite the fact, that change is proven to be positive for our students. I believe that some teachers could approach this course with a negative attitude and that could possibly prevent them from obtaining some of the outcomes designed through the coursework! I was thrilled at the beginning of this course, because I am comfortable enough with my inadequacies to understand what I need to work on; I feel this is hard for many administrators. I understand that technology is a very important piece of public education right now, and it's only going to get more involved and important through my career, therefore, through this course I made the choice to embrace technology which enabled me to achieve all the outcomes of this course.
The course assignments at first glance were daunting. I will have to admit, that each week as I opened up the assignment on Monday morning, I would catch myslef holding my breath, praying it wouldn't be something I had not ever heard of, or something that my computer wasn't capable of. The moment when I read over Assignement #1 the feeling in my stomach was one of excitement and dread. Excitement because, I thought, (Yes!), I am finally going to learn something about technolgy that I didn't know before. Learning something new meant I would become a better teacher and more in-tune with my students. I was also dreading the assignment because; I knew that it was going to take me out of my comfort zone dealing with technolgy. The instuctions in each week's assignment proved to be a lifesaver and I actually began to look forward to each week in anticipation of what I would learn to do this week. I also found myself wanting to "wander" out on my own and begin to take risk trying new things applying the technology skills I had been learning. I thought this was ironic when I realized what I was doing, because the Texas-Long Range Plan for Technolgoy stresses the importance of teaching students to take risks and apply their knowledge. I was very successful in carrying out the course assignments.
Before beginning this course I knew that I was a strong teacher. I have always been the kind of teacher who strives to use the "best practices" in my classroom and with everything that I do. I attend workshops every year in order to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in Reading. I also encourage other teachers to "go the extra mile" in their classrooms, by incorporating interactive lessons, success initiatives, and down right good'ole teaching methods. However, when it came to technology, I always felt like I was inadequate and didn't measure up to the technology standards as I should. I do not consider myself a "digital native" as our students consider themselves, but on the other hand I don't think that I am completely unattuned to the technology era in which our students live. I believe because of my strong work ethic and wanting to succcedd in life and make my students be the best they can be, that I entered this course wanting to learn more about my lack of technology skills. I leanred that the way that I am, helped me to succeed in this course. I learned just exactly what I needed to do to become more literate with today's technological standards. By being the type of person that I am, I believe that it helped me to be successful concerning technolgy and learn more. The first step to learning is admitting how much you need to learn.
I believe that the educational value of blogs can contribute to a students' learning immensely. Blogging is the 21st Century. As a student I can keep up with specific blogs which relate to my interest solely, and I don't have to worry about filtering through tons of spam and junk e-mails to stay up-to-date with want I want to know. In my opinion blogging, is the bridge that is going to unite teachers and students in the 21st Century. As a teacher, I have been to countless staff devleopment workshops discussing student discipline and creating relationships with those students. Teaching in a low-socio economic district it is sometimes hard to maintain a positive relationship and keep our students headed in the right direction, once they leave the school campus and return to their homes. As a teacher, blogging gives me the inside scoop on what that student is doing afterschool while he/she is at home. As a blogger, I can follow my students blogs and correspond with them outside of class over class topics. I beleive that when I assign opinion papers or reflections to our readings students will report more on their feelings and be themselves when posting comments to their blog. The concerns that I have as an administrator is that students will hold a high standard of ethics and morals when working with thier blogs and blogging in education. Also, as an administrator I worry about whether my teachers are creating positive personal relationships. Blogging can make or break a classroom. Yes, we want students to open up while blogging possibly more so than they would do in person. But, on the other hand a teacher has got to create that positive relationship with trust in person before a student is going to care enough to elaborate on their viewpoints and opinions in a blog. I beleive that blogging can used to communicate with all stakeholders because they can check it anytime and the can set their account up for a RSS feed and have constant feedback from you. At my campus a couple of years ago we were all given the information to set-up our classroom homepage from the district website. Like all the other teachers I set up my homepage, but after much dilema....it was one of the hardest things I have done through technology. As a result, very few teachers webpages have timely information, they basically all just say, "Welcome to Class!" because they are so not user friendly! On the other hand, using a blog is super easy. I absolutely love it! Teachers could update their blog account in a matter of minutes, I do! I believe that teachers would enjoy the immediate communication and feedback they recieved from stakeholders if they were bloggers.
In conclusion, this course enlightened my perspective regarding technology and the future of public education. In my opinion the future is no longer grim, just a huge opportunity awaiting our students to become successful learners.
The work I do in my school consist mainly on working with struggling readers to improve their learning by raising their oral reading fluency rate, and expanding their comprehension skills, among other things. The outcomes that I achieved from this course are immensely relevant to the work that I do. Everything that I learned during this course, from implementing the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, to re-vamping our Acceptable use Policy incorporates nicely with my classroom lessons because I have students who are in desperate need of technological instruction to better succeed in school. I have already begun the work of creating a blog for my small group pullout classes beginning at the first of the year. Also, due to the vast amount of knowledge I reveived regarding internet safety for children and dealing with internet predators, I have begun sending home "Techie Tips" with my students each week, in hopes of educating our parent population. Also, I am working to constatnly remind my campus of copyright laws and restrictions in which I am striving to maintain "best practices" at my campus. I would say that the wealth of information I learned form this course had drastically changed the way in which I approach technology, I am not afraid to use it anymore and I realize the benefits it can produce.
I don't believe that there was even one outcome from this course that I didn't achieve, I do know that I wasn't prepated for the changes that were going to effect my teaching style after I obained the knowledge that I have from this course. Since beginning this course, I am more aware of technological obstacles and goals and I can't in good conscience ignore them. I came into this course with an open-mind and a thirst for knowledge, which in my opinion, is all it takes to learn and suceed in life. I know so many teachers who are negative towards technology for no other reason that just being plan stubborn, they are set in their ways and don't want to change. Despite the fact, that change is proven to be positive for our students. I believe that some teachers could approach this course with a negative attitude and that could possibly prevent them from obtaining some of the outcomes designed through the coursework! I was thrilled at the beginning of this course, because I am comfortable enough with my inadequacies to understand what I need to work on; I feel this is hard for many administrators. I understand that technology is a very important piece of public education right now, and it's only going to get more involved and important through my career, therefore, through this course I made the choice to embrace technology which enabled me to achieve all the outcomes of this course.
The course assignments at first glance were daunting. I will have to admit, that each week as I opened up the assignment on Monday morning, I would catch myslef holding my breath, praying it wouldn't be something I had not ever heard of, or something that my computer wasn't capable of. The moment when I read over Assignement #1 the feeling in my stomach was one of excitement and dread. Excitement because, I thought, (Yes!), I am finally going to learn something about technolgy that I didn't know before. Learning something new meant I would become a better teacher and more in-tune with my students. I was also dreading the assignment because; I knew that it was going to take me out of my comfort zone dealing with technolgy. The instuctions in each week's assignment proved to be a lifesaver and I actually began to look forward to each week in anticipation of what I would learn to do this week. I also found myself wanting to "wander" out on my own and begin to take risk trying new things applying the technology skills I had been learning. I thought this was ironic when I realized what I was doing, because the Texas-Long Range Plan for Technolgoy stresses the importance of teaching students to take risks and apply their knowledge. I was very successful in carrying out the course assignments.
Before beginning this course I knew that I was a strong teacher. I have always been the kind of teacher who strives to use the "best practices" in my classroom and with everything that I do. I attend workshops every year in order to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in Reading. I also encourage other teachers to "go the extra mile" in their classrooms, by incorporating interactive lessons, success initiatives, and down right good'ole teaching methods. However, when it came to technology, I always felt like I was inadequate and didn't measure up to the technology standards as I should. I do not consider myself a "digital native" as our students consider themselves, but on the other hand I don't think that I am completely unattuned to the technology era in which our students live. I believe because of my strong work ethic and wanting to succcedd in life and make my students be the best they can be, that I entered this course wanting to learn more about my lack of technology skills. I leanred that the way that I am, helped me to succeed in this course. I learned just exactly what I needed to do to become more literate with today's technological standards. By being the type of person that I am, I believe that it helped me to be successful concerning technolgy and learn more. The first step to learning is admitting how much you need to learn.
I believe that the educational value of blogs can contribute to a students' learning immensely. Blogging is the 21st Century. As a student I can keep up with specific blogs which relate to my interest solely, and I don't have to worry about filtering through tons of spam and junk e-mails to stay up-to-date with want I want to know. In my opinion blogging, is the bridge that is going to unite teachers and students in the 21st Century. As a teacher, I have been to countless staff devleopment workshops discussing student discipline and creating relationships with those students. Teaching in a low-socio economic district it is sometimes hard to maintain a positive relationship and keep our students headed in the right direction, once they leave the school campus and return to their homes. As a teacher, blogging gives me the inside scoop on what that student is doing afterschool while he/she is at home. As a blogger, I can follow my students blogs and correspond with them outside of class over class topics. I beleive that when I assign opinion papers or reflections to our readings students will report more on their feelings and be themselves when posting comments to their blog. The concerns that I have as an administrator is that students will hold a high standard of ethics and morals when working with thier blogs and blogging in education. Also, as an administrator I worry about whether my teachers are creating positive personal relationships. Blogging can make or break a classroom. Yes, we want students to open up while blogging possibly more so than they would do in person. But, on the other hand a teacher has got to create that positive relationship with trust in person before a student is going to care enough to elaborate on their viewpoints and opinions in a blog. I beleive that blogging can used to communicate with all stakeholders because they can check it anytime and the can set their account up for a RSS feed and have constant feedback from you. At my campus a couple of years ago we were all given the information to set-up our classroom homepage from the district website. Like all the other teachers I set up my homepage, but after much dilema....it was one of the hardest things I have done through technology. As a result, very few teachers webpages have timely information, they basically all just say, "Welcome to Class!" because they are so not user friendly! On the other hand, using a blog is super easy. I absolutely love it! Teachers could update their blog account in a matter of minutes, I do! I believe that teachers would enjoy the immediate communication and feedback they recieved from stakeholders if they were bloggers.
In conclusion, this course enlightened my perspective regarding technology and the future of public education. In my opinion the future is no longer grim, just a huge opportunity awaiting our students to become successful learners.
Cameron Elementary Action Plan
Assignment Week #4 Instructional Leadership
Cameron Elementary Action Plan
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Opinion Piece: Educator Preparation and Development
This week in my coursework I was asked to compose an opinion piece over one of the four areas of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. The four areas include Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure for Technology. I chose to write about Educator Preparation and Development for two reasons. The first being that my campus in the Texas Campus STaR Chart was low in this area and the second reason being that I believe this is one of the more important areas of the Long-Range Plan.
This section is very important to our goal of creating 21st Century Learners. Today, teachers must be able to prepare students for their future in by assuring that all students will thrive in the world after they finish their public education. As teachers we need to have the skills needed to change instruction to meet the needs of this upcoming generation of Texas Students. Through this area of the Long-Range Plan we are focusing on Professional Learning which is an ongoing process that will provide current educators with the knowledge and skills and classroom strategies needed to transform teaching and learning. Educators and school districts alike, must take the initiative to increase personal learning through ongoing professional development or continuing education.
In Texas we have already make progress in this area. Teachers are now required to meet Technology Applications educator standards. Not to mention, educator preparation programs are providing coursework that addresses these standards and their relationship with core subject areas. Veteran teachers are also getting their fair share of professional development regarding the SBEC Technology Applications Standards through ongoing job-embedded professional development. To ensure that educators can support the move from traditional schooling to 21st Century learning Texas must prepare teaches for significantly diverse roles, students and technologies. Currently, professional learning should include new ways to teach that lead to improvements in student academic achievement. Trends in the classroom today include teachers using instructional strategies that reflect current research, modern contexts which engage students in learning, and classroom assessments the measure more effectively what students are learning.
To further improve this area and further my campuses gains in this area I believe we should continue to provide job-embedded professional development. As a classroom teacher this is the best way that I learned and implemented technology in my classroom. We as a state and a campus to need make sure that we teach our educators in the same manner as we teach our students, they need to know how to apply the skills, not just be able to perform one of two select maneuvers. I also believe providing staff who are on-site ready to assist teachers as they move through the scale of knowledge of technology would establish a comfort zone where the teachers would be more likely to take a risk within technology, thus establishing a culture or norm of how teachers at my campus integrate technology into their instructional settings.
In conclusion, I believe that Texas has taken the precautionary steps to maintain the high standard or success and achievement that our students are so accustomed to. By improving my campus' achievement in this area, I hope to align my school directly with the goals and plans Texas has for Public Education through the year 2020.
This section is very important to our goal of creating 21st Century Learners. Today, teachers must be able to prepare students for their future in by assuring that all students will thrive in the world after they finish their public education. As teachers we need to have the skills needed to change instruction to meet the needs of this upcoming generation of Texas Students. Through this area of the Long-Range Plan we are focusing on Professional Learning which is an ongoing process that will provide current educators with the knowledge and skills and classroom strategies needed to transform teaching and learning. Educators and school districts alike, must take the initiative to increase personal learning through ongoing professional development or continuing education.
In Texas we have already make progress in this area. Teachers are now required to meet Technology Applications educator standards. Not to mention, educator preparation programs are providing coursework that addresses these standards and their relationship with core subject areas. Veteran teachers are also getting their fair share of professional development regarding the SBEC Technology Applications Standards through ongoing job-embedded professional development. To ensure that educators can support the move from traditional schooling to 21st Century learning Texas must prepare teaches for significantly diverse roles, students and technologies. Currently, professional learning should include new ways to teach that lead to improvements in student academic achievement. Trends in the classroom today include teachers using instructional strategies that reflect current research, modern contexts which engage students in learning, and classroom assessments the measure more effectively what students are learning.
To further improve this area and further my campuses gains in this area I believe we should continue to provide job-embedded professional development. As a classroom teacher this is the best way that I learned and implemented technology in my classroom. We as a state and a campus to need make sure that we teach our educators in the same manner as we teach our students, they need to know how to apply the skills, not just be able to perform one of two select maneuvers. I also believe providing staff who are on-site ready to assist teachers as they move through the scale of knowledge of technology would establish a comfort zone where the teachers would be more likely to take a risk within technology, thus establishing a culture or norm of how teachers at my campus integrate technology into their instructional settings.
In conclusion, I believe that Texas has taken the precautionary steps to maintain the high standard or success and achievement that our students are so accustomed to. By improving my campus' achievement in this area, I hope to align my school directly with the goals and plans Texas has for Public Education through the year 2020.
Texas Campus STaR Chart Summary
This powerpoint summarizes Cameron Elementary's Campus STaR Chart beginning with the year 2006 through 2009. This was created by Wendy L. Mahan for Instructional Leadership EA1162 Week #2 Assignment. Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Texas Campus S Ta R Chart Summary (Pp)
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Summary of Pre-K Technology Applications
The Pre-K Technology Guidelines outline five domains of Applications for Pre-K. The five domains consist of Social and Emotional Development, Language and Communication, Emergent Writing, emergent Reading and Emergent Math.
The first domain Social and Emotional Development concerns the children's social and emotional development, as it is important for school readiness. These skills give children a sense of who they are and what they can do. This domain encompasses strategies such as establishing positive relationships with teachers and other children, participating in the class community, respecting others and becoming an active contributor to the community. This domain encompasses four skills: Self-Concept, Self-Control, Social competence, and Social Awareness.
The second domain of the Pre-K standards is the Language and Communication. This domain is occurs when teachers support children's language and communication development by integrating activities into daily routines, playful, and purposeful activities to encourage their use of language. This domain encompasses five strands, Listening Comprehension, Speaking Skills, Speech Production, Vocabulary Skills, and Sentence and Sentence Structure Skills.
The third domain is Emergent Literacy Writing. This domain focuses on young children beginning to learn about the forms, features and functions of writing as they watch adults write and participate in their own early writing activities like drawing and scribbling. Children's motivation to write increases when they learn their writing conveys meanings. This domain consist of four strands, Motivation to Write, Independently Conveys Meaning, Forms Letter Skills, and concepts about Print Skills.
The fourth domain emergent Literacy Reading illustrates that pre-kindergarten literacy experiences provide the foundation for learning to read. As children watch adults engage in reading and writing activities, they are motivated to learn to read and write. This domain encompasses four strands much like the Writing. Motivation to Read, Phonological awareness, Alphabet Knowledge, and Comprehension of Text Read Aloud.
The fifth and final domain of the Pre-K TEKS is Mathematics. Because children have a natural tendency toward Math, teachers can extend and support this interest by integrating math activities into daily routines and by planning brief, focused math activities in small groups. This domain is divided into five strands: Counting Skills, Adding To/Taking Away, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Measurement Skills, and Classification and Pattern Skills.
I believe the Pre-K TEKS layout the foundation for student performance in future exponentially well. These TEKS have taken the basic functions and "best practices" of technological 21st Century Students and watered them down sufficiently so that a 4 year old can begin to get a grasp for the things that are required of them in school. Students are totally immersed from the beginning of school in technology and the "ways of technological thinking!" Because the Technology Applications TEKS are a spiraling curriculum Pre-K students are hit from all different directions each year as they progress through public education with what is required of them. It is my hope, that as an educator in conjunction the State of Texas, that 13 years from now when these Pre-K students are out in the real world, we have given them the hard-core definite tools for taking on the world. I think the Pre-K TEKS do a great job of the first step toward success of that goal.
I would like to elaborate another form of spiraling or scaffolding curriculum much like the Technology Applications TEKS which are designed as a dynamic, spiraling curriculum. This summer I had the opportunity to attend a two-day workshop in which I was updated with the new English, Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) TEKS for Kindergarten through English IV. These newly revised and updated TEKS are another great example of scaffolding/spiraling TEKS. The ELAR TEKS begin in Kindergarten and continually begin to build and spiral back upon themselves until English IV. This type of curriculum makes it very easy for teachers to strive to educate her students to think critically and analyze their instruction and learning. We all know that if we expect students to think critically and analyze information that we bring to them, they have to know that information backwards and forwards. I think that the Technology Applications TEKS and the new updated ELAR TEKS do a good job of scaffolding the information so that by the time the students are ready to think critically and analytically, they have the background knowledge to do so effectively. In my opinion, scaffolding and spiraling is the only way to approach curriculum and learning standards.
The first domain Social and Emotional Development concerns the children's social and emotional development, as it is important for school readiness. These skills give children a sense of who they are and what they can do. This domain encompasses strategies such as establishing positive relationships with teachers and other children, participating in the class community, respecting others and becoming an active contributor to the community. This domain encompasses four skills: Self-Concept, Self-Control, Social competence, and Social Awareness.
The second domain of the Pre-K standards is the Language and Communication. This domain is occurs when teachers support children's language and communication development by integrating activities into daily routines, playful, and purposeful activities to encourage their use of language. This domain encompasses five strands, Listening Comprehension, Speaking Skills, Speech Production, Vocabulary Skills, and Sentence and Sentence Structure Skills.
The third domain is Emergent Literacy Writing. This domain focuses on young children beginning to learn about the forms, features and functions of writing as they watch adults write and participate in their own early writing activities like drawing and scribbling. Children's motivation to write increases when they learn their writing conveys meanings. This domain consist of four strands, Motivation to Write, Independently Conveys Meaning, Forms Letter Skills, and concepts about Print Skills.
The fourth domain emergent Literacy Reading illustrates that pre-kindergarten literacy experiences provide the foundation for learning to read. As children watch adults engage in reading and writing activities, they are motivated to learn to read and write. This domain encompasses four strands much like the Writing. Motivation to Read, Phonological awareness, Alphabet Knowledge, and Comprehension of Text Read Aloud.
The fifth and final domain of the Pre-K TEKS is Mathematics. Because children have a natural tendency toward Math, teachers can extend and support this interest by integrating math activities into daily routines and by planning brief, focused math activities in small groups. This domain is divided into five strands: Counting Skills, Adding To/Taking Away, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Measurement Skills, and Classification and Pattern Skills.
I believe the Pre-K TEKS layout the foundation for student performance in future exponentially well. These TEKS have taken the basic functions and "best practices" of technological 21st Century Students and watered them down sufficiently so that a 4 year old can begin to get a grasp for the things that are required of them in school. Students are totally immersed from the beginning of school in technology and the "ways of technological thinking!" Because the Technology Applications TEKS are a spiraling curriculum Pre-K students are hit from all different directions each year as they progress through public education with what is required of them. It is my hope, that as an educator in conjunction the State of Texas, that 13 years from now when these Pre-K students are out in the real world, we have given them the hard-core definite tools for taking on the world. I think the Pre-K TEKS do a great job of the first step toward success of that goal.
I would like to elaborate another form of spiraling or scaffolding curriculum much like the Technology Applications TEKS which are designed as a dynamic, spiraling curriculum. This summer I had the opportunity to attend a two-day workshop in which I was updated with the new English, Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) TEKS for Kindergarten through English IV. These newly revised and updated TEKS are another great example of scaffolding/spiraling TEKS. The ELAR TEKS begin in Kindergarten and continually begin to build and spiral back upon themselves until English IV. This type of curriculum makes it very easy for teachers to strive to educate her students to think critically and analyze their instruction and learning. We all know that if we expect students to think critically and analyze information that we bring to them, they have to know that information backwards and forwards. I think that the Technology Applications TEKS and the new updated ELAR TEKS do a good job of scaffolding the information so that by the time the students are ready to think critically and analytically, they have the background knowledge to do so effectively. In my opinion, scaffolding and spiraling is the only way to approach curriculum and learning standards.
Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology
This week in my coursework, I was asked to familiarize myself with the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology. I began by reading extensively through the plan, which contains four main parts: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support, and lastly Infrastructure for Technology. Honestly, prior to reading the plan I was a little confused, not really understanding what each part of the plan was going to encompass. Was it going to give me specific instructions until the year 2020, or was it only going to give me suggestions as to how to guide and integrate it at my campus?
The information I acquired from this plan answered both of the above questions far beyond my expectations. I have to admit after analyzing this plan and comprehending the information I feel one hundred percent more confident and self-assured, no to mention qualified to guide, integrate, and implement technology on my campus.
The plan outlined expectations of technology in all areas, specifically a vision of technology in Texas schools. Although, I consider myself fairly techno0logically advanced, I did have some lingering doubts that I was going to fall short of the technological expectations Texas is making on our classrooms. By reviewing the Expectations of the Plan section, Defining the Need for Change section, Introducing the 21st Learner section, and Teacher Voices section I was able to understand what the whole point of the Long-Range Plan. Because, we are in a technological age and our students are the diversified learners that they are, there is an insurmountable need to integrate technology into our schools. This plan outlines just how to do that. Because, I can remember when I was "in the classroom" and struggling with trying to reach everybody on their diversified levels with the type of instruction that fit their learning style I could identify with many of the conditions upon which the plan was written. As an administrator because it is my responsibility to define the current and future challenges impeding educational and economic progress, and develop a strategic educational response, this where I would pick up the Long-Range Plan. We as educators are in a moment of change, and we all know how hard change is for educators, using the plan to guide a campus through integration and use of technology is essential. I feel confident that I now have recommendations to fall back on regarding Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support, and Infrastructure for Technology.
The information I acquired from this plan answered both of the above questions far beyond my expectations. I have to admit after analyzing this plan and comprehending the information I feel one hundred percent more confident and self-assured, no to mention qualified to guide, integrate, and implement technology on my campus.
The plan outlined expectations of technology in all areas, specifically a vision of technology in Texas schools. Although, I consider myself fairly techno0logically advanced, I did have some lingering doubts that I was going to fall short of the technological expectations Texas is making on our classrooms. By reviewing the Expectations of the Plan section, Defining the Need for Change section, Introducing the 21st Learner section, and Teacher Voices section I was able to understand what the whole point of the Long-Range Plan. Because, we are in a technological age and our students are the diversified learners that they are, there is an insurmountable need to integrate technology into our schools. This plan outlines just how to do that. Because, I can remember when I was "in the classroom" and struggling with trying to reach everybody on their diversified levels with the type of instruction that fit their learning style I could identify with many of the conditions upon which the plan was written. As an administrator because it is my responsibility to define the current and future challenges impeding educational and economic progress, and develop a strategic educational response, this where I would pick up the Long-Range Plan. We as educators are in a moment of change, and we all know how hard change is for educators, using the plan to guide a campus through integration and use of technology is essential. I feel confident that I now have recommendations to fall back on regarding Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support, and Infrastructure for Technology.
Responses and Reflections: Technology Applications Inventory & SETDA Building Survey
This week in my Masters class I gained much needed insight and learning regarding Instructional Leadership and Digital-Age Teaching and Learning. I am now familiar with Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, The Technology Application TEKS, and their four domains. Before I was able to fully understand technology in public education and what it takes to be an administrator (who will provide adequate support and knowledge regarding technology) I had to complete two technology assessments in order to assess my own weaknesses and strengths in this information age.
The first assessment I completed was the Technology Applications Inventory. This is a self-assessment of requisite knowledge required for implementation of the Technology Applications TEKS. By completing this assessment I assessed my knowledge and skills in the four strands: Foundations, Information Acquisition, Solving Problems, and Communication. Before I began the assessment, I believed that I would perform greatly, after all I am only 28...how out of touch could I really be with technology? HA! That was a long shot. I wasn't terrible, but I wasn't what I would consider technological savy either. I fared better in some domains than others. Seems like Foundations and Solving Problems seemed to be the areas where I need the most work. However, after analyzing my responses to the assessment, that I still don't understand how "exactly" the Internet works today....all I know is it works! I attribute this to my personality and social spirit. Figuring out how and why something like the Internet worked, was trivial and boring to me. I knew I wasn't ever going to be a computer technician so therefore, I didn't ever take the time to learn. Acquiring information the second domain, that was a breeze. I acquire information and apply it daily on my campus. I am the Reading Recovery Teacher and recently this year we implemented a new Accelerated Reader program....guess who was in charge of setting the whole thing up and "acquiring all the info?" I feel pretty confident and secure in my knowledge of acquiring information. Domain three seemed to be another area where I was weak and could use improvement. However, this one is more specific than Foundations, in Domain Three Solving Problems I struggle with anything that has to do with Excel and spreadsheets. I have no excuse, I learned this in school and from what I understand it is so easy I could easily re-learn it...which I am going to! Of course in the communication domain, I fared really well. I absolutely love to email and communicate through technology.
The second assessment was The State Educational Technology Directors Association Building Survey. Honestly, this survey was not nearly as informational or comparable to the first. I wasn't able to come away knowing what I needed to improve upon, or what specifically the assessment was measuring like the Technology Applications Assessment. I believe my campus and district is very technological advanced and we strive to put technology first and foremost within our classrooms and learning environments. But, after I completed the assessment I don't feel that my district/campus or any other surrounding districts in Central Texas measure up. My district/campus uses technology in the Math and Science classrooms daily, but not as much in the Reading/ELA classes, which is something we need to work on. We also need to apparently according to the assessment collect data to determine whether technology is impacting student achievement in one or more core content areas. I also believe that my particular campus could benefit from offering more substantial lessons and content for the Computer class which our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students attend at least twice a week. This would give us ample ways to improve our scores on this assessment.
After completing these assessments I now know what is in store for me and my students in the future. I have determined personal professional development goals for technology for the future. These goals will help me to increase the knowledge and skills for success in the information age.
The first assessment I completed was the Technology Applications Inventory. This is a self-assessment of requisite knowledge required for implementation of the Technology Applications TEKS. By completing this assessment I assessed my knowledge and skills in the four strands: Foundations, Information Acquisition, Solving Problems, and Communication. Before I began the assessment, I believed that I would perform greatly, after all I am only 28...how out of touch could I really be with technology? HA! That was a long shot. I wasn't terrible, but I wasn't what I would consider technological savy either. I fared better in some domains than others. Seems like Foundations and Solving Problems seemed to be the areas where I need the most work. However, after analyzing my responses to the assessment, that I still don't understand how "exactly" the Internet works today....all I know is it works! I attribute this to my personality and social spirit. Figuring out how and why something like the Internet worked, was trivial and boring to me. I knew I wasn't ever going to be a computer technician so therefore, I didn't ever take the time to learn. Acquiring information the second domain, that was a breeze. I acquire information and apply it daily on my campus. I am the Reading Recovery Teacher and recently this year we implemented a new Accelerated Reader program....guess who was in charge of setting the whole thing up and "acquiring all the info?" I feel pretty confident and secure in my knowledge of acquiring information. Domain three seemed to be another area where I was weak and could use improvement. However, this one is more specific than Foundations, in Domain Three Solving Problems I struggle with anything that has to do with Excel and spreadsheets. I have no excuse, I learned this in school and from what I understand it is so easy I could easily re-learn it...which I am going to! Of course in the communication domain, I fared really well. I absolutely love to email and communicate through technology.
The second assessment was The State Educational Technology Directors Association Building Survey. Honestly, this survey was not nearly as informational or comparable to the first. I wasn't able to come away knowing what I needed to improve upon, or what specifically the assessment was measuring like the Technology Applications Assessment. I believe my campus and district is very technological advanced and we strive to put technology first and foremost within our classrooms and learning environments. But, after I completed the assessment I don't feel that my district/campus or any other surrounding districts in Central Texas measure up. My district/campus uses technology in the Math and Science classrooms daily, but not as much in the Reading/ELA classes, which is something we need to work on. We also need to apparently according to the assessment collect data to determine whether technology is impacting student achievement in one or more core content areas. I also believe that my particular campus could benefit from offering more substantial lessons and content for the Computer class which our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students attend at least twice a week. This would give us ample ways to improve our scores on this assessment.
After completing these assessments I now know what is in store for me and my students in the future. I have determined personal professional development goals for technology for the future. These goals will help me to increase the knowledge and skills for success in the information age.
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