Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Field Experience
I am working on the Yearbook Committee again this year. Our yearbook is on-line. We looked at the different covers to choose one for our yearbook. I told them that I would work with them individually to help design their pages for the grade level. We only met for 15 minutes since this is my last week coaching for Cross Country. Yeah!!! I told them that we will get the yearbook done before January. They are very excited about getting involved.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Technology Plan
Reading all these technology plans is tiring when the plans are more than 100 pages long. I did find some good things about each plan that I have read. I have looked over the technology plan for my district as well as Cobb and Cherokee. With the plan from my district, it sounded like they just put together a plan and post it on the county website. I did ask a few teachers if they knew we had a district technology plan. No one knew we had a technology plan with the exception of the media specialist. I even asked one of the county technology instructor and he didn't know either but he was glad I informed him. With the other district plans, there were great differences. Cobb and Cherokee County has lots of results of data from what it looks like a variety of surveys. Cobb showed the percentage of technology being use by teachers and how often they are used. Cherokee showed the different software and websites they use. The only data we have is how much technology we have in the county. I wish we could show how it is being dispersed throughout the county by the number of teachers, administrators and other county personnel. Each plan did have goals as well as strategies, benchmarks, budget and projected dates. With the hopes of the district plan being renewed in 2012, hopefully they can add data from the technology usage the teachers are implementing in their classroom.
Comparing the technology plan with the state, was completely different. I was impressed by the results of Georgia's ranking with the usage of technology compared to other states. It is showing we are trying to move in a positive direction but we still have a ways to go to compare with the northern states as being well educated. Georgia's plan is showing that we are using other data gathered around the states to see if we can improve the way we use technology. Also they added questions that could help those reading it, to understand the direction that Georgia wants to go. One question that stands out is "Do we have sustained state funding sources to support the technology needs in our school?". This showed that there is funding there but we need more funding and are currently still searching for it to support technology in schools. This plan also showed the strengths and are weaknesses that we need to overcome to be successful.
The National Technology Plan was the longest or seemed like the longest. I'm glad it reviewed our past in education and how education is changing with the use of technology. We are trying to improve education in the U.S., but there are obstacles with budget, politics, and importance. Some minor obstacles on the education level is the income level, english lanuage learners, and students with disabilities. We are trying to make sure all students are being educated, but what the plan pointed out was the time limit to educate the students. Not all students can learn on the same level and in the same time frame. It proposed a more flexible classroom based on whole group, small group, hands-on activities, and drills for those who need extra skills and attention to master the standards. The technology that this incorporated into the classroom is being able to upload student data and utilizing it for to fine their strengths and weaknesses in a particular subject area. This plan does show some examples on using technology as an instructional tool and project tool for students to work with. I am glad that the plan had the potential of using cell phones in the classroom as a technology tool since majority of the high schools students have one. There is a lot of potential goals that we could meet with this plan as a nation if we get the states on the same technology level.
I am glad each plan has realistic goals and show where we need to step up through technology. They reflect data on which subgroups that have may technology access at home, how teachers are utilizing the technology in the classroom, and how we can communicate outside of school. I just wish my district could have more of a reflection of the state goals, and input more data on how we are utilizing technology. I am glad to see that the district is on the same page with having a flexible classroom grouping and hands-on activities of the National Technology Plan. I am also glad that the district wants the mastery of technology before the students reach 8th grade which coincides with the Georgia Technology Plan. My district needs to catch up a little more with the implementation of technology projects and have the technology reflect more on a timeframe to reach our goals.
Comparing the technology plan with the state, was completely different. I was impressed by the results of Georgia's ranking with the usage of technology compared to other states. It is showing we are trying to move in a positive direction but we still have a ways to go to compare with the northern states as being well educated. Georgia's plan is showing that we are using other data gathered around the states to see if we can improve the way we use technology. Also they added questions that could help those reading it, to understand the direction that Georgia wants to go. One question that stands out is "Do we have sustained state funding sources to support the technology needs in our school?". This showed that there is funding there but we need more funding and are currently still searching for it to support technology in schools. This plan also showed the strengths and are weaknesses that we need to overcome to be successful.
The National Technology Plan was the longest or seemed like the longest. I'm glad it reviewed our past in education and how education is changing with the use of technology. We are trying to improve education in the U.S., but there are obstacles with budget, politics, and importance. Some minor obstacles on the education level is the income level, english lanuage learners, and students with disabilities. We are trying to make sure all students are being educated, but what the plan pointed out was the time limit to educate the students. Not all students can learn on the same level and in the same time frame. It proposed a more flexible classroom based on whole group, small group, hands-on activities, and drills for those who need extra skills and attention to master the standards. The technology that this incorporated into the classroom is being able to upload student data and utilizing it for to fine their strengths and weaknesses in a particular subject area. This plan does show some examples on using technology as an instructional tool and project tool for students to work with. I am glad that the plan had the potential of using cell phones in the classroom as a technology tool since majority of the high schools students have one. There is a lot of potential goals that we could meet with this plan as a nation if we get the states on the same technology level.
I am glad each plan has realistic goals and show where we need to step up through technology. They reflect data on which subgroups that have may technology access at home, how teachers are utilizing the technology in the classroom, and how we can communicate outside of school. I just wish my district could have more of a reflection of the state goals, and input more data on how we are utilizing technology. I am glad to see that the district is on the same page with having a flexible classroom grouping and hands-on activities of the National Technology Plan. I am also glad that the district wants the mastery of technology before the students reach 8th grade which coincides with the Georgia Technology Plan. My district needs to catch up a little more with the implementation of technology projects and have the technology reflect more on a timeframe to reach our goals.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Found a helpful site for teachers
I was excited to find more interactive websites to gather for our school website. The one site I came across had a video on demonstrating how to subtract with regrouping. The second graders always have trouble with it. The video came from http://www.mathplayground.com/. I helped the EIP teacher set up the video from her computer so she can show her small group. I am hoping this helped the students understand how to subtract with regrouping. The site has more math videos for k-12. Check it out.
Chapter 5-10
Chapter 5-This chapter was relatable for me. My school has always been result driven. Just last school year we have failed one of our sub-groups and now we have to change to make sure we are assisting all of our sub-groups. When I think of change, I think of the book my school read "Who Moved My Cheese?" It actually is a good book if want to get motivation for any change in your life. Not too many teachers have made changes especially when it comes to technology. We never have many Staff Development on using technology during school hours or during our faculty meetings. I wish we could, so we can master using some of the software program and interwrite programs with our classes. Our principal is the one who is suppose to set up these Staff Development, but she does has so many other things to focus on to make sure our school stays on the right track through the directions of the School District. If we could have one person to set up the Staff Development for technology, this could help the teachers to allow themselves to be more comfortable with the technology tools we have.
Chapter 6-This chapter represents my fears on becoming a technology leader. Resisters and Saboteurs. I am afraid that someone at my school would be a saboteur. There are already some resisters and don't want to make any changes whether it comes from the county or the administration team. As a leader, I would have to make the changes subtle so it does not seem overwhelming for them. I may need to show them how to incorporate technology into their lesson plans so they can plan to set up the software or programs needed for the lesson. As for the saboteurs, I would have to make sure that they can express their concerns and make sure there is a Plan B.
Chapter 7-When it comes to evaluating technology, we need to step up. We need to look beyond the basic computer drills and have students use the computers as another resource to retrieve information about different subjects. We need to make sure that the schools are focusing on Categoris A and B in the NCREL learning and technology framework. Students need to become explorers with the help of teachers as their facilitator and guides to come up with engaging and authentic projects. This could help keep their interest and build their confidence to learn more technology base projects.
Chapter 8- Managing technology or leading technology can be confusing when you don't know which one to flip on. We can start by leading the technology programs in our school by coming up with the mission and vision, as well as the goal(s). Once we started leading the new ideas and programs, we need to manage the technology programs we started. This can be a challenge when we must maintain our path to reach our goal(s). We must stay up-to-date on the latest technology whether it is a program, software, or a useful website that allows students to interact with class sites or teacher sites.
Chapter 9-To make sure we are effective leaders, we must beware of our saboteurs and/ or resisters. We need to make sure we set up Staff Development for teachers when new techniques or software can benefit the students. We should be flexible when it comes to constant change especially through technology. Technology is constantly changing with new software and techniques for the classroom. We can support the teachers by getting them away from a full 15-20 minutes of daily computer drills and have the students use the computers as extended learning tools for web based projects.
Chapter 10- Our dream as educators is to be able to reach out to the students and show them the choices they have for the future. If we had wishes, we would reduce the drop out rate, close the gap for all sub-groups, help the ELLs to comprehend in English faster, and have students go to college. Technology could help to push our wishes into reality if we use it more for authentic projects instead of drills. This could help the students to become familiar with basic computer skills they will need for high school and college.
Chapter 6-This chapter represents my fears on becoming a technology leader. Resisters and Saboteurs. I am afraid that someone at my school would be a saboteur. There are already some resisters and don't want to make any changes whether it comes from the county or the administration team. As a leader, I would have to make the changes subtle so it does not seem overwhelming for them. I may need to show them how to incorporate technology into their lesson plans so they can plan to set up the software or programs needed for the lesson. As for the saboteurs, I would have to make sure that they can express their concerns and make sure there is a Plan B.
Chapter 7-When it comes to evaluating technology, we need to step up. We need to look beyond the basic computer drills and have students use the computers as another resource to retrieve information about different subjects. We need to make sure that the schools are focusing on Categoris A and B in the NCREL learning and technology framework. Students need to become explorers with the help of teachers as their facilitator and guides to come up with engaging and authentic projects. This could help keep their interest and build their confidence to learn more technology base projects.
Chapter 8- Managing technology or leading technology can be confusing when you don't know which one to flip on. We can start by leading the technology programs in our school by coming up with the mission and vision, as well as the goal(s). Once we started leading the new ideas and programs, we need to manage the technology programs we started. This can be a challenge when we must maintain our path to reach our goal(s). We must stay up-to-date on the latest technology whether it is a program, software, or a useful website that allows students to interact with class sites or teacher sites.
Chapter 9-To make sure we are effective leaders, we must beware of our saboteurs and/ or resisters. We need to make sure we set up Staff Development for teachers when new techniques or software can benefit the students. We should be flexible when it comes to constant change especially through technology. Technology is constantly changing with new software and techniques for the classroom. We can support the teachers by getting them away from a full 15-20 minutes of daily computer drills and have the students use the computers as extended learning tools for web based projects.
Chapter 10- Our dream as educators is to be able to reach out to the students and show them the choices they have for the future. If we had wishes, we would reduce the drop out rate, close the gap for all sub-groups, help the ELLs to comprehend in English faster, and have students go to college. Technology could help to push our wishes into reality if we use it more for authentic projects instead of drills. This could help the students to become familiar with basic computer skills they will need for high school and college.
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