Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
3/9/11 Web Conference Reflection
I attended the 5352 Web Conference with Cindy Cummings tonight. Over 35 students attended the conference and most students asked questions. There was a brief period of off topic comments about schools and locations, but most of the conference dealt with course topics, TK20, or the internship portfolio. All questions about the internship portfolio and 20 page paper required by the last class were referred to Dr. Rucker. We were all advised not to start the Week 4 project early because the over view was not yet posted. However, many students are planning trips over Spring Break and will be out of town or the country and have no choice. I really wish this class had been better planned to take Spring Break into account. Until now, all of my classes have been very well organized with a valid syllabus and assignment directions. This is the first course out of 10 so far that has ever had a weekly overview that conflicted with or modified the syllabus and assignment directions. Many students find this lack of consistency frustrating. Another source of frustration is the requirement to purchase TK20 in addition to the fees involved with ILD and PDAS training. Overall, many questions were answered in a timely manner during our one hour conference. I was glad to know that other students are experiencing the same questions and challenges with this course as I am.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
5352 Week 2 STaR Chart Presentation
Texas STaR Chart Presentation for New Braunfels High School for years 2007-2010
Texas s ta r chart
View more presentations from bgoethe.
5352 Week 2 Purpose for this Blog
I created this blog as part of the Action Research class to collect my thoughts on integrating technology into my high school. In particular, I will focus on iPads, iPods, and LCD overhead projectors. Over this summer, my school purchased and installed LCD projectors and new teacher computers for every classroom. We have an educational foundation that provides grants to teachers for a class set of iPods. Next year we will open a new 9th grade center that is supposed to have iPads for every student. However, this was decided before the current budget cuts currently impacting my district. This blog is my way of keeping my research into these areas collected in one place for easy access.
5253 Week 2 Blog Posting #3
5352 Week 2 Blog Posting #3
The National Educational Technology Plan focuses on five areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The Obama Administrative has set two primary educational goals to be achieved before 2020. First, the number of college graduates holding a two or four year degree should be increased to 60% of the population. The second goal is to close the achievement gap so that all students from all backgrounds will graduate from high school and be prepared to succeed in college or a career. These goals will be hard to achieve in an era of budget cuts. Focus must be placed on finding cost-effective methods of improving learning and increasing graduation rates.
The learning aspect of the report focuses on replacing one-size-fits all education with personalized learning using state-of-the-art technology to motivate and inspire all students. Today’s students are use to 24/7 access to information and multimedia content. They participate is social networks where they share ideas with people all over the world to collaborate and learn new things. The challenge for education is to incorporate this technology from student’s daily lives into the classroom. We have to create student centered lessons that challenge them to take control of their learning based on a core set of standards. The lessons should be individualized and tailored to the individual needs and interests of the students. The report stresses that learning must become individualized, personalized, and differentiated.
Teaching and professional development also needs to change to take advantage of improvements in technology. Today’s teachers need 24/7 internet connections in their classrooms and data analysis tools to identify areas where students need more learning opportunities. Connection replaces teaching in isolation. Classrooms must be fully connected to content, resources, and systems to allow teachers to become facilitators for student directed learning. Another important area of professional development mentioned in this report is the idea of teacher online learning communities to share ideas. Teachers.tv is a collection of multimedia resources for teachers with content specific and general teaching topics and strategies. I had no idea this resource existed before reading this report.
Overall, this report is very similar to the other two reports we read for this week. However, I do think the Obama Administration has set two very difficult goals to achieve during a recession where education budgets are being slashed. It is very hard to increase the use of technology when schools cannot afford to purchase it. My opinion is that this is a great idea that may fail due to a lack of funding.
Citation:
National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology by the U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf
The National Educational Technology Plan focuses on five areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The Obama Administrative has set two primary educational goals to be achieved before 2020. First, the number of college graduates holding a two or four year degree should be increased to 60% of the population. The second goal is to close the achievement gap so that all students from all backgrounds will graduate from high school and be prepared to succeed in college or a career. These goals will be hard to achieve in an era of budget cuts. Focus must be placed on finding cost-effective methods of improving learning and increasing graduation rates.
The learning aspect of the report focuses on replacing one-size-fits all education with personalized learning using state-of-the-art technology to motivate and inspire all students. Today’s students are use to 24/7 access to information and multimedia content. They participate is social networks where they share ideas with people all over the world to collaborate and learn new things. The challenge for education is to incorporate this technology from student’s daily lives into the classroom. We have to create student centered lessons that challenge them to take control of their learning based on a core set of standards. The lessons should be individualized and tailored to the individual needs and interests of the students. The report stresses that learning must become individualized, personalized, and differentiated.
Teaching and professional development also needs to change to take advantage of improvements in technology. Today’s teachers need 24/7 internet connections in their classrooms and data analysis tools to identify areas where students need more learning opportunities. Connection replaces teaching in isolation. Classrooms must be fully connected to content, resources, and systems to allow teachers to become facilitators for student directed learning. Another important area of professional development mentioned in this report is the idea of teacher online learning communities to share ideas. Teachers.tv is a collection of multimedia resources for teachers with content specific and general teaching topics and strategies. I had no idea this resource existed before reading this report.
Overall, this report is very similar to the other two reports we read for this week. However, I do think the Obama Administration has set two very difficult goals to achieve during a recession where education budgets are being slashed. It is very hard to increase the use of technology when schools cannot afford to purchase it. My opinion is that this is a great idea that may fail due to a lack of funding.
Citation:
National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology by the U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf
Monday, February 28, 2011
5352 Week 2 Blog Posting #2
5352 Week 2 Blog Posting #2
The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is composed of four parts: teaching and learning; educator preparation and development; leadership, administration, and instructional support; and infrastructure for technology. The report explains that today’s students are different because they have grown up with technology and are comfortable using it in their daily lives. The goals of the plan are to give students 24/7 access to digital tools and resources tailored to their own individual needs and learning styles. It wants give parents more direct participation in their children’s education and access to student information. The plan seeks to provide educators with: on demand student information to individualize instruction, 24/7 professional development opportunities, and increased communication and collaboration between school, homes, and the community.
The Long Range Plan wants to create a dynamic and diverse learning community presenting information in a variety of media formats from a wide range of sources. It seeks to create students who can excel in the global economies of the 21st century. This requires students to develop critical thinking and complex decision making skills.
The teaching and learning section recommends continued support for teaching and using technology. However, I did not see any specific technologies or strategies mentioned in the report. It was rather a broad and general overview. The educator preparation and development section focused on educator prep programs that modeled current technology, distance learning, on-line assessments, and electronic portfolios. It seems the Lamar Master’s program is in alignment with this goal.
Leadership, administration, and instructional support focused on embracing technology for daily tasks and budgeting for technology. One of the biggest areas of need mentioned later in the report dealt with a lack of realistic and dependable funding for the project and cited that additional funding is needed. This problem will only get worse in the current budget crisis. The infrastructure for technology section focused on broadband 24/7 connectivity for all users, secure and accurate data, and a 1:1 ratio of students to computers in schools. I do not think the 1:1 ratio will be achieved without additional funding for technology. On the whole the Long Range Plan for Technology sounds incredible, but the question is if the budget will be available to make it a reality.
Citation:
Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology. 2006-2020
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/EktronAttach/FinalCombinedLRPT2020.pdf
The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is composed of four parts: teaching and learning; educator preparation and development; leadership, administration, and instructional support; and infrastructure for technology. The report explains that today’s students are different because they have grown up with technology and are comfortable using it in their daily lives. The goals of the plan are to give students 24/7 access to digital tools and resources tailored to their own individual needs and learning styles. It wants give parents more direct participation in their children’s education and access to student information. The plan seeks to provide educators with: on demand student information to individualize instruction, 24/7 professional development opportunities, and increased communication and collaboration between school, homes, and the community.
The Long Range Plan wants to create a dynamic and diverse learning community presenting information in a variety of media formats from a wide range of sources. It seeks to create students who can excel in the global economies of the 21st century. This requires students to develop critical thinking and complex decision making skills.
The teaching and learning section recommends continued support for teaching and using technology. However, I did not see any specific technologies or strategies mentioned in the report. It was rather a broad and general overview. The educator preparation and development section focused on educator prep programs that modeled current technology, distance learning, on-line assessments, and electronic portfolios. It seems the Lamar Master’s program is in alignment with this goal.
Leadership, administration, and instructional support focused on embracing technology for daily tasks and budgeting for technology. One of the biggest areas of need mentioned later in the report dealt with a lack of realistic and dependable funding for the project and cited that additional funding is needed. This problem will only get worse in the current budget crisis. The infrastructure for technology section focused on broadband 24/7 connectivity for all users, secure and accurate data, and a 1:1 ratio of students to computers in schools. I do not think the 1:1 ratio will be achieved without additional funding for technology. On the whole the Long Range Plan for Technology sounds incredible, but the question is if the budget will be available to make it a reality.
Citation:
Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology. 2006-2020
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/EktronAttach/FinalCombinedLRPT2020.pdf
Sunday, February 27, 2011
5352 Blog Posting #1
EDLD 5352 Week 2 Blog Posting #1
I picked Infrastructure for Technology as my area of focus from the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. The Connected Texas Initiative was created to provide broadband coverage statewide. It provides grants for broadband access, hardware, and software purchases. The results of the 2010 update indicated that only 1% of schools rated as early tech which entails: 10+ students per computer, dial-up connectivity, and no web-based learning. Thirty percent of schools were in the developing tech category. This includes 5-9 students per computer, internet in 50% of classrooms and the library, WAN/LAN access in most classrooms, and one teacher computer per classroom. Sixty-one percent of schools rated as advanced tech with four or fewer students per computer, internet connection in 75% of classrooms and the library, and web-based learning availability. Only 7.6% of schools have reached target-tech level with on-demand access for every student, direct connectivity in all rooms, web-based resources in multiple rooms, and all rooms connected to a WAN.
My school has a teacher computer in every classroom that is connected to the internet and the WAN/LAN. However, we have too many students for too few computers. Therefore, we are in the developing tech area simply because of our high student to computer ratio. Within the next two years, the freshmen class will be moved to a ninth grade center. This will reduce the number of students per computer and should place our school in the advanced tech area.
It seems that broadband connectivity is improving in the state of Texas and across the nation as telephone, cellular phone, satellite, and cable television providers compete for market share to provide internet to every home possible. This will increase infrastructure outside of the schools to include potentially every home in the school district. My district is very fortunate to have so much access available. The local city government is even trying to increase its free wireless access to many areas in my school district. Some members of my school administration are worried about students having access to wireless internet connections over their phones when this service expands far enough to reach our school. I think that would be a blessing for our school. We have a very limited wireless network which cannot support all of the mobile computer labs we currently have. Having extra support from the city wireless would allow all of the laptops to work and would allow students to use their own smart phones to increase learning in the classroom. In my opinion, we need more advances in infrastructure to ensure that students are using technology to the maximum extent possible to support learning.
Citations:
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/EktronAttach/FinalCombinedLRPT2020.pdf
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082&menu_id=2147483665
I picked Infrastructure for Technology as my area of focus from the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. The Connected Texas Initiative was created to provide broadband coverage statewide. It provides grants for broadband access, hardware, and software purchases. The results of the 2010 update indicated that only 1% of schools rated as early tech which entails: 10+ students per computer, dial-up connectivity, and no web-based learning. Thirty percent of schools were in the developing tech category. This includes 5-9 students per computer, internet in 50% of classrooms and the library, WAN/LAN access in most classrooms, and one teacher computer per classroom. Sixty-one percent of schools rated as advanced tech with four or fewer students per computer, internet connection in 75% of classrooms and the library, and web-based learning availability. Only 7.6% of schools have reached target-tech level with on-demand access for every student, direct connectivity in all rooms, web-based resources in multiple rooms, and all rooms connected to a WAN.
My school has a teacher computer in every classroom that is connected to the internet and the WAN/LAN. However, we have too many students for too few computers. Therefore, we are in the developing tech area simply because of our high student to computer ratio. Within the next two years, the freshmen class will be moved to a ninth grade center. This will reduce the number of students per computer and should place our school in the advanced tech area.
It seems that broadband connectivity is improving in the state of Texas and across the nation as telephone, cellular phone, satellite, and cable television providers compete for market share to provide internet to every home possible. This will increase infrastructure outside of the schools to include potentially every home in the school district. My district is very fortunate to have so much access available. The local city government is even trying to increase its free wireless access to many areas in my school district. Some members of my school administration are worried about students having access to wireless internet connections over their phones when this service expands far enough to reach our school. I think that would be a blessing for our school. We have a very limited wireless network which cannot support all of the mobile computer labs we currently have. Having extra support from the city wireless would allow all of the laptops to work and would allow students to use their own smart phones to increase learning in the classroom. In my opinion, we need more advances in infrastructure to ensure that students are using technology to the maximum extent possible to support learning.
Citations:
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/technology/EktronAttach/FinalCombinedLRPT2020.pdf
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082&menu_id=2147483665
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