EDLD 5352 - Web Conference

On Sunday, February 19, I attended the 5:00 p.m. web conference for EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership.  As usual, the web conference provided me with some invaluable information regarding the Lamar Academic Partnerships program and this course.  Dr. Abernathy provided quite a bit of information, and several other students chimed in with information from their personal experiences.  Below are several of the key pieces of new information that I gathered:

·         To complete my masters degree, I need three face-to-face meetings with a field supervisor.  Dr. Abernathy provided us with the name of the contact that I need to email.  Apparently, I have slipped through the cracks.

·         Dr. Abernathy clarified that the Instructional Leadership Development (ILD) class was a state requirement, not a Lamar requirement.  She also stated that it would be helpful to take that course before taking the state principal’s certification exam.

·         Not related to the class or the master program, but important none the less, an mic left on my accident produces an echo.  We went almost halfway through the conference before the cause of the echo was identified.

This web conference showed how valuable a web 2.0 conference can be to set up a professional learning community.  I was able to listen and give feedback as I participated in a discussion type setting with members from all over the state of Texas.

Professional Development Action Plan

Professional Development Action Plan 2012 – 2013 (Hypothetical)
Aug. 20 Morning Campus & Departmental Meetings Afternoon Campus & Departmental Meetings	Aug. 21 Morning Campus & Departmental Meetings Afternoon Work in Classroom		Aug. 22 Morning Campus & Departmental Meetings Afternoon Work in Classroom		Aug. 23 Morning Campus & Departmental Meetings Afternoon Work in Classroom	Aug. 24 Morning District Meetings meeting Afternoon Teacher /  Principal Meetings		Sept. 28 Morning Campus & Departmental Meetings Afternoon AEIS Data Analysis	Feb. 18 Morning Campus & Departmental Meetings Afternoon Benchmark Data Analysis
Purpose:  Seamlessly integrate the efficient and effective use of technology in the classroom to improve the academic performance of all students.
Funding:  With the recent funding deficits, this professional development plan is designed to utilize online resources to enhance classroom instruction and stakeholder communication.
Activity		Location & Timeline		Description			Evaluation
Individual Digital Survey LoTi Digital-Age Survey		Online Summer 2012		Teachers and administrators will be asked to complete the LoTi Digital-Age Survey and save results for future self-improvement activities.			Survey will be discussed during the one-on-one meeting between teacher and supervising principal.  (Teachers must complete the survey before they can meet with their supervising principal regarding their Individual Professional Growth Plan.)
Independent Study		Online Summer 2012		Teachers will utilize the LoTi recommendations and online resources to identify ways to integrate technology more effectively and efficiently in their classroom.			Teachers will develop a weblog documenting their research, findings, thoughts and use of technology in the classroom.
Individual Professional Growth Plans		Campus Summer 2012		Teachers will meet with their supervising principal on a one-on-one basis to discuss their current methods of instruction, lesson design and communication.  Using the LoTi results, both parties will identify ways to increase the integration of technology to increase the academic performance of all students			Growth plan will be discussed during the one-on-one meeting between teacher and supervising principal.  (Teachers who meet with their principal over the summer will be able to go home after the district meetings on Friday, August 24.)
Peer Demonstration Effective Use of Technology in the Classroom		Campus August 2012		Teachers will demonstrate (in front of their peers) lessons or activities in which they display proficient level of technology integration.			As a group, teachers and administrators will observe, make comments or ask questions relating the demonstration.
Training Teacher Webpage Design and Function		Campus August 2012		Using the district website, teachers will design a personal webpage used to update parents and students about current and future lessons and activities.  A training session will be conducted to help teachers who need assistance.  Those who setup the webpage over the summer will have more time to work in their classroom.			Supervising principals will actively monitor teacher webpages.  Teachers must maintain a webpage with up-to-date content and information.
Webinar Classroom 2.0:  Step by Step- Building a Web2.0 Classroom (40 min.)		Online August 2012		During the morning meetings with their department, teachers will use an online webinar to as a resource for professional growth.  Teachers will then discuss amongst their peers in their department ways in which they can apply new information to their classroom.			Teachers will be asked to make reflections on their blog for their supervising principal to read.  At some point throughout the school year, teachers will make updates to their blog as to how they used the webinar to enhance the education of their students.
Webinar “Not Just for Kids:  Using Social Software to Create Community among Teachers and Provide Sustained Professional Development” (36 min.)		Online August 2012		During the morning meetings with their department, teachers will use an online webinar to as a resource for professional growth.  Teachers will then discuss amongst their peers in their department ways in which they can apply new information to their classroom.			Teachers will be asked to make reflections on their blog for their supervising principal to read.  At some point throughout the school year, teachers will make updates to their blog as to how they used the webinar to enhance the education of their students.
Webinar The Power of Projects (16 min.)		Online August 2012		During the morning meetings with their department, teachers will use an online webinar to as a resource for professional growth.  Teachers will then discuss amongst their peers in their department ways in which they can apply new information to their classroom.			Teachers will be asked to make reflections on their blog for their supervising principal to read.  At some point throughout the school year, teachers will make updates to their blog as to how they used the webinar to enhance the education of their students.
Article Review Integrating Technology with Student-Centered Learning		Online September 2012		Teachers will read the article and make comments as to how the information related to them and how it can be used to increase the academic achievement of their students. http://www.nmefdn.org/uploads/Integrating%20Tech%20with%20SCL.pdf			Reflections and comments will be made on the teacher blogs.  Principals will monitor updates.
Article Review Take a Giant Step:  A Blueprint for Teaching Young Children in a Digital Age		Online October 2012		Teachers will read the article and make comments as to how the information related to them and how it can be used to increase the academic achievement of their students. http://joanganzcooneycenter.org/upload_kits/jgcc_takeagiantstep.pdf			Reflections and comments will be made on the teacher blogs.  Principals will monitor updates.
Article Review Using the Technology of Today in the Classroom Today:  The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them		Online February 2013		Teachers will read the article and make comments as to how the information related to them and how it can be used to increase the academic achievement of their students. http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf			Reflections and comments will be made on the teacher blogs.  Principals will monitor updates.
Data Analysis		Campus		Teachers will disaggregate data using their current students’ TAKS or EOC data from the previous year.  Teachers will identify areas of strength and gap in learning for each student.			Teachers will develop a report identifying students projected to pass and students needing more individualized tutorials.  The report will be discussed among grade level and subject area teams to collaborate and identify effective ways of delivering pertinent instruction.
Peer Demonstration Effective Use of Technology in the Classroom		Campus		A different set of teachers will demonstrate (in front of their peers) lessons or activities in which they display knowledge and skills learned throughout the year.			As a group, teachers and administrators will observe, make comments or ask questions relating the demonstration.
Data Analysis		Campus		Teachers will disaggregate data using the benchmark tests of their current students’ to identify current areas of strength and gaps in learning for each student.			Teachers will develop a report identifying students projected to pass and students needing more individualized tutorials.  The report will be discussed among grade level and subject area teams to collaborate and identify effective ways of delivering pertinent instruction.
Independent Study		Online Spring 2013		Teachers will identify an area of classroom technology that interests them and conduct an independent study.			Teachers will document reflections and comments on their blogs.  Supervising principals will identify some of the most relevant findings for brief peer presentations during monthly faculty meetings.
Technology Conference		TBA Summer 2013		With a limited budget, teachers showing growth and the most interest in their professional development will attend a state technology conference.  Our district is currently sending 14 teachers to a C-Scope training this summer.			Teachers attending the conference will present their findings to the faculty and staff as part of the 2013-2014 campus professional growth plan.

Educator Preparation and Development

Of the critical areas on the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020:

• Teaching and Learning
• Educator Preparation and Development
• Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support
• Infrastructure for Technology

the most critical area of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is Educator Preparation and Development, in my opinion. In the article, Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom, Marck Prensky (2008) states that schools typically go through a four-step process when adopting technology.

1. Dabbling
2. Doing old things in old ways
3. Doing old things in new ways
4. Doing new things in new ways.

Without proper training, teachers who are digital immigrants (such as myself) will never advance to the last stage at a sufficient rate to engage and challenge their students. Technology develops and advances at such a fast pace that digital immigrants cannot keep up with the developments at a self-taught pace.

Besides learning how to use the technology, learning how to apply it and integrate it is even more complicated for digital immigrants. Thus, Educator Preparation and Development is the most critical area for accomplishing the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. Learning from an expert or through a collaboration with fellow teachers allows an educator to see how to apply technology from a different perspective. It allows the educator to learn new ways of doing new things.

The Texas Education Agency releases the results of the School Technology and Readiness Chart (STaR Chart). During the 2007-2008 school year, 74.2% of all teachers surveyed stated that Educator Preparation and Development was in the Developing Tech level of progress. That is nearly 5% more than the teachers that stated Teaching and Learning was still in the Developing Tech level of progress (69.7%). Over the next three years, the percentage of teachers that felt like Educator Preparation and development was in the Developing Tech level of progress shrunk 5.5% to 68.7%. However, those that felt like Teaching and Learning was in the Developing Tech level of progress shrunk 10.4% to 59.3. The STaR Chart shows that teachers feel like Educator Preparation and Development is a weak area when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom.

Contrary to the statewide results, on my campus, the results showed that teachers felt like we were in an Advanced Tech level of progress during the 2007-2008 school year with a score of 15. The next year (2008-2009), we dropped to a Developing Tech level with a score of 14, but our scores during the next three years were 18, 18 and 16, respectively. Although we regressed some during the last year, our faculty and staff has felt like we are in an Advanced Level of Tech in the Educator Preparation and Training area.

References
Texas Education Agency, STaR Chart. Retrieved from
http://starchart.epsilen.com/
Presnky, M. (2008). Adopt and adapt: Shaping tech for the classroom.
Edutopia: The George Lucas Educational Foundation.

Technology in the Classroom Expands Boundaries

STaR Chart Presentation

Here is a link to my STaR Chart Presentation

Week 4 Reflection

In my opinion, this week has been the most productive as far gaining a deeper understanding into the action research process is concerned.  I enjoyed reading other plans developed by my peers.  Although I believe my plan is more than adequate for my situation, I was able to see steps from plans that I will be able to apply when trying to improve future issues.

One of the advantages of action research is the opportunity to collaborate.  That is exactly what we did this week.  I enjoyed collaborating with my classmates to improve our plans.  I also learned three strategies (Force Field Analysis, Delphi Method and the Nominal Group Technique) that help reach a consensus in a group setting.  Each technique can help to identify future issues as well as sustain improvement.

Week 3 Reflection

As I started the process of practicing action research, I found myself getting frustrated with my lack of understanding.  I was not making the connections between the concepts in the book and the practical application.  At times, I was trying to digest information without relevance to a specific situation that I was experiencing.  However, as I began to design my own action research plan, I began to see the connection between the theory and the practice. 

Although I am no where near as efficeint at the inquiry process, I feel like I am a lot further along than I was at the beginning of the week.  Through reflection, I identified practices that were slowing me down while honing practices that sped me along.  Like I said, I have a long ways to go in becoming an effective researcher, but through reflection, I will become more efficeint which will allow me to make more informed decisions.