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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Long-Range Plan: My Opinion
Part of the Texas Long-Range Technology plan is to create infrastructure for technology. This is a sphere where I've seen a tremendous amount of growth on my own campus as well as in my school system.
Infrastructure for technology means having the appropriate hardware (computers, projectors, document cameras, etc.), as well as the software, networks, and tech support to be able to integrate them into the classroom seamlessly. The area of Infrastructure includes looking at the ratio of students to computers as well as the speed and quality of the internet connection.
In the area of infrastructure, there's been a lot of progress in the last several years. When I was in college, my campus was just beginning to integrate wireless internet, but now it seems crazy that any learning environment wouldn't have wireless. The idea that tech support is supposed to be on hand and ready to help is another relatively new phenomenon. When I started working in schools, tech support came eventually and oftentimes I had to surrender my computer to get the support I needed. We've also seen a lot of changes in what kind of hardware is expected in a 21st century classroom. When we walk into classrooms, we expect to see a projector (not an overhead) and possibly a document camera as well. In some schools, walking in to find a SmartBoard or similar piece of technology is commonplace. Nationally, there's also been growth in the area of one-to-one computing in schools. More and more districts are looking at having a one-to-one ratio so that every child can have constant access to a computer.
One of the trends I see in Infrastructure locally is that money is misallocated. Schools purchase technology so that they have the infrastructure partially in place. The challenge is that the infrastructure cannot stand alone. Use of technology requires leadership and educator development. Without these two components, investing in infrastructure is useless. Nationally, hardware is often seen as a silver bullet. "If we just have these (fill in the blank with technology here) than our students will achieve..." For example, my school purchased several Promethean boards, which are a great piece of technology. However, they were set up on rolling frames with rolling projectors so that throughout a lesson, they would constantly need to be recalibrated, rendering the board practically useless. I went into one teacher's classroom and she was showing a movie on the Promethean. I asked what the connection was between the board and the film and she replied that her pull down screen was broken. A $2,500 screen is what we bought because we didn't have the correct infrastructure to integrate the boards into classrooms.
My challenge for schools as they continue to invest in infrastructure for technology is to consider if the technology is a "best fit" for their campus. Do we have the tech support to help teachers use this technology? Do we have access to the kind of bandwidth that this video streaming repository requires? Do we have the capability to mount our SmartBoards and projectors in classrooms? If the answer to these questions is no, then perhaps the money would be better directed on simpler infrastructure (like improving the network or ensuring that all classrooms have a projector). Otherwise all that fancy technology will just be collecting dust.
Infrastructure for technology means having the appropriate hardware (computers, projectors, document cameras, etc.), as well as the software, networks, and tech support to be able to integrate them into the classroom seamlessly. The area of Infrastructure includes looking at the ratio of students to computers as well as the speed and quality of the internet connection.
In the area of infrastructure, there's been a lot of progress in the last several years. When I was in college, my campus was just beginning to integrate wireless internet, but now it seems crazy that any learning environment wouldn't have wireless. The idea that tech support is supposed to be on hand and ready to help is another relatively new phenomenon. When I started working in schools, tech support came eventually and oftentimes I had to surrender my computer to get the support I needed. We've also seen a lot of changes in what kind of hardware is expected in a 21st century classroom. When we walk into classrooms, we expect to see a projector (not an overhead) and possibly a document camera as well. In some schools, walking in to find a SmartBoard or similar piece of technology is commonplace. Nationally, there's also been growth in the area of one-to-one computing in schools. More and more districts are looking at having a one-to-one ratio so that every child can have constant access to a computer.
One of the trends I see in Infrastructure locally is that money is misallocated. Schools purchase technology so that they have the infrastructure partially in place. The challenge is that the infrastructure cannot stand alone. Use of technology requires leadership and educator development. Without these two components, investing in infrastructure is useless. Nationally, hardware is often seen as a silver bullet. "If we just have these (fill in the blank with technology here) than our students will achieve..." For example, my school purchased several Promethean boards, which are a great piece of technology. However, they were set up on rolling frames with rolling projectors so that throughout a lesson, they would constantly need to be recalibrated, rendering the board practically useless. I went into one teacher's classroom and she was showing a movie on the Promethean. I asked what the connection was between the board and the film and she replied that her pull down screen was broken. A $2,500 screen is what we bought because we didn't have the correct infrastructure to integrate the boards into classrooms.
My challenge for schools as they continue to invest in infrastructure for technology is to consider if the technology is a "best fit" for their campus. Do we have the tech support to help teachers use this technology? Do we have access to the kind of bandwidth that this video streaming repository requires? Do we have the capability to mount our SmartBoards and projectors in classrooms? If the answer to these questions is no, then perhaps the money would be better directed on simpler infrastructure (like improving the network or ensuring that all classrooms have a projector). Otherwise all that fancy technology will just be collecting dust.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Pre-K Technology TEKS
The Pre-Kindergarten guidelines for technology are not so much a set of standards but more a set of suggestions on what young children can do with technology. They go through 5 domains: social and emotional development, language and communication, emergent literacy: reading emergent literacy: writing, and mathematics.
One of the most important skills developed in Pre-Kindergarten is the idea of having a self-concept. If they can express themselves in some way, they're well on their way to being able to express themselves in digital media. I also thought the idea of learning about responsibility was important because as the students grow, they're expected to understand and explain ideas of copyright and source citation. If they've developed a basic moral concept as a young child, the concept of information as property will come much more quickly.
One of the most important skills developed in Pre-Kindergarten is the idea of having a self-concept. If they can express themselves in some way, they're well on their way to being able to express themselves in digital media. I also thought the idea of learning about responsibility was important because as the students grow, they're expected to understand and explain ideas of copyright and source citation. If they've developed a basic moral concept as a young child, the concept of information as property will come much more quickly.
Spiraling or Scaffolding Curriculum
A spiraling curriculum is a curriculum where students have multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills. Good curriculum products are spiraled and scaffolded, both vertically (across grade levels) and within a single course. For example, in my school's social studies curriculum, students have multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of map reading. "Map reading" looks different in sixth grade than it does in high school, so the curriculum needs to take that into account, even though the learning goal sounds very similar. Sixth graders are expected to read a map, find the compass rose, use a basic key and answer simple fact questions. My ninth graders use a similar skill set to look at much more complicated maps. Rather than just answering basic questions about maps (which is what our sixth graders do), 9th graders are expected to compare multiple maps of an area to draw conclusions about a place. Obviously, this skill is much more complicated and requires the skills that they learned in sixth grade.
The Technology TEKS are also scaffolded to show mastery of a set of skills over a long period of time. A great example of this is in the TEKS for keyboarding, which are in the Fundamentals strand of the Technology TEKS. The TEKS for kindergarten through fifth grade are the same. The standard explains that students should be using touch-typing and that they should be able to type numbers, letters, symbols and punctuation. The TEKS add a caveat--that the keys being used are "grade-level appropriate." Since most first graders aren't using percents in their math classes, it doesn't make sense that they'd use them in technology. However, they would probably learn how to use the dollar sign as money is common in word problems. This TEK changes a little when you look at the middle school standards (grades 6-8). The middle school students should be doing everything the elementary kids can do, but they should be starting to format their work correctly. The TEKS cite that there should be one space between punctuation and the beginning of the next sentence, they should know how to use smart quotes, and should use the correct dashes and slashes. Without the skills they had learned in elementary school, this simply doesn't make sense. However, in doing this secondary skill, they're continuing to practice the skill they learned in the younger grades.
The Technology TEKS are also scaffolded to show mastery of a set of skills over a long period of time. A great example of this is in the TEKS for keyboarding, which are in the Fundamentals strand of the Technology TEKS. The TEKS for kindergarten through fifth grade are the same. The standard explains that students should be using touch-typing and that they should be able to type numbers, letters, symbols and punctuation. The TEKS add a caveat--that the keys being used are "grade-level appropriate." Since most first graders aren't using percents in their math classes, it doesn't make sense that they'd use them in technology. However, they would probably learn how to use the dollar sign as money is common in word problems. This TEK changes a little when you look at the middle school standards (grades 6-8). The middle school students should be doing everything the elementary kids can do, but they should be starting to format their work correctly. The TEKS cite that there should be one space between punctuation and the beginning of the next sentence, they should know how to use smart quotes, and should use the correct dashes and slashes. Without the skills they had learned in elementary school, this simply doesn't make sense. However, in doing this secondary skill, they're continuing to practice the skill they learned in the younger grades.
Long Range Plan Analysis
For my Week 1 Instructional Leadership assignment, I wrote summaries for the different sections of the Texas Long-Range Technology Plan. In looking at my own potential future as a principal, I see the Long-Range Plan as a great guidepost to show what we're supposed to be doing at our campuses technologically. I like the way the work and tasks are delegated to a variety of stakeholders; technology is not just the school's responsibility. It's up to parents, service centers and TEA to respond to campus' technology needs.
One thing that I'll be sure to do is inform parents of their role in our technology plans. I bet if I asked my students' parents, few or none of them would have heard of the Long-Range Plan. Of those few that may have heard it existed, I doubt that anyone would know that they are supposed to play a role in its execution. I would make sure to include parents in conversations about technology so that they can play a role in their students' technology education.
As a school that receives most of its funding through grants, I wondered how my school would fund all of this. I can promise that we don't have enough money to go 1:1 on computers (although teachers are 1:1, so I guess that's a start). To make this plan work, it's going to take more than principals. TEA would have to shift the way that it allocates funds if we're ever going to get the kind access to technology that the Long-Term Plan suggests.
One thing that I'll be sure to do is inform parents of their role in our technology plans. I bet if I asked my students' parents, few or none of them would have heard of the Long-Range Plan. Of those few that may have heard it existed, I doubt that anyone would know that they are supposed to play a role in its execution. I would make sure to include parents in conversations about technology so that they can play a role in their students' technology education.
As a school that receives most of its funding through grants, I wondered how my school would fund all of this. I can promise that we don't have enough money to go 1:1 on computers (although teachers are 1:1, so I guess that's a start). To make this plan work, it's going to take more than principals. TEA would have to shift the way that it allocates funds if we're ever going to get the kind access to technology that the Long-Term Plan suggests.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
EDLD 5352 Assignment
I just finished taking a (small) battery of assessments on how effectively I use technology in the classroom for my graduate school class on Instructional Leadership. It was really interesting to think about my own technology use in the classroom and try to assess what prevents me from using technology as often as I should.
In thinking about my strengths as a leader in technology, I think the first thing that comes to mind is that I'm willing to take a lot of risks with instruction. If it's research based, I'll give it a whirl. Even if I think a strategy or a piece of technology might not fit in with my style, I'll try it once, or sometimes even twice to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Our school librarian has used me as an example of a teacher who's using digital resources regularly. This risk-taking attitude is one that I could pass along to the staff at my school. Sometimes, we are so focused on what we're trying to do to meet the rigorous demands of our assessments that we forget that we need to meet our students where they are; where they are is the 21st century.
In the assessments, I realized that I'm not particularly good at solving problems using technology. There's a lot of software that I don't know very much about. I was especially humbled by the amount of audio and visual technology that I don't know how to use. I'd love to have my students make movies or videos, but I don't know how to help them troubleshoot if something goes wrong with the technology.
I also realized that some of the challenges I have in using technology are systemic and outside of my control unless I move into a leadership position at my school. There's a massive disparity between the campuses in my district. My school has so many more resources than our sister school in Brownsville and than the new campuses that were launched last fall. Compared to them, we're way ahead of the game.
Still, I think I'd be a more technological teacher if I could count on the technology we have, or at least be able to count on tech support if something went terribly wrong. In the meantime, I realized the importance of creating systems and procedures for technology use in my classroom. I think having procedures would really strengthen my use of the resources that I do have access to.
In thinking about my strengths as a leader in technology, I think the first thing that comes to mind is that I'm willing to take a lot of risks with instruction. If it's research based, I'll give it a whirl. Even if I think a strategy or a piece of technology might not fit in with my style, I'll try it once, or sometimes even twice to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Our school librarian has used me as an example of a teacher who's using digital resources regularly. This risk-taking attitude is one that I could pass along to the staff at my school. Sometimes, we are so focused on what we're trying to do to meet the rigorous demands of our assessments that we forget that we need to meet our students where they are; where they are is the 21st century.
In the assessments, I realized that I'm not particularly good at solving problems using technology. There's a lot of software that I don't know very much about. I was especially humbled by the amount of audio and visual technology that I don't know how to use. I'd love to have my students make movies or videos, but I don't know how to help them troubleshoot if something goes wrong with the technology.
I also realized that some of the challenges I have in using technology are systemic and outside of my control unless I move into a leadership position at my school. There's a massive disparity between the campuses in my district. My school has so many more resources than our sister school in Brownsville and than the new campuses that were launched last fall. Compared to them, we're way ahead of the game.
Still, I think I'd be a more technological teacher if I could count on the technology we have, or at least be able to count on tech support if something went terribly wrong. In the meantime, I realized the importance of creating systems and procedures for technology use in my classroom. I think having procedures would really strengthen my use of the resources that I do have access to.
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