Reading 1 - "E-COMMUNICATIONS 101," by Gwen Solomon My favorite quote is, "To be effective, today's documents should have half the word count of conventional writing." Reflection - I believe this is a true axiom, because the sheer volume of the information available now is overwhelming. In order to communicate an idea effectively, written information should be pared to the smallest possible wordage in order to get the idea across without overwhelming the reader. It is difficult for a writer to get a point across if he is causing the reader to have to wade through excess elaboration in order to connect with the information.
I am in a position to be caught in an area between the teacher survey, and the campus level survey. In my position as an Educational Diagnostician, I am responsible to meet and contribute to campus level goals in the sense that it is my responsibility to assess students in a timely manner, which is an area where the diagnostician can be a detriment to a campus by submitting initial evaluations and three year reevaluations outside of state prescribed timelines. I report, however, to the district Special Education director, which is where my responsibility for the functioning of my job lies. So, in terms of a survey for my classes, or for teacher responsibility as it relates to technology on the campus level, I’m a little at a loss as to where to respond. I last had classroom responsibilities five years ago, and my responses to technology questions and to how they relate to my class at that time, would show a low level of participation compared to today’s standards. My response to the assignment must then address what I observe on a cursory basis on my primary campus. I am assigned to a middle school, as my primary assignment, and to the district alternative campus. Foundations – Technology is very much evidenced on my campus, a middle school, by cross-curricular and horizontal applications. Technology applications such as basic knowledge of WORD, Excel, Power Point, and publishing applications are evidenced by student products which are discussed and displayed on campus. Students are instructed in all core courses in the use of technology for reports, utilizing all software for research and reports, and basic functions of computers to produce applications for their courses. Information Acquisition – Use of search engines and citation of work are incorporated into student work, as well as creation and application of videos, files, and documents. Each student has a login specific to his or her account, and is able to save work to their home drive, where it can be accessed later and manipulated for use in other projects during the course of the year. Solving Problems with Technology Tools – Word processing skills are actively taught, and utilized for student work. Areas such as setting margins, editing and formulating spreadsheets are taught, adding to the student’s skillset, in order to integrate technology into daily work products. The use of charts and graphics are also taught as part of lessons. Communication – Students use communication tools to email projects to teachers, establish work portfolios, and maintain a database of their work projects to turn in for grading.
• On the screen provided, compose a 250-word opinion piece on one of the four areas of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; or Infrastructure for Technology. You may discuss the area as it relates to your campus or the area in general. Include: 1) a description of the area. 2) progress in the area (include local, state and national progress). 3) trends in the area (include local, state and national progress). 4) your recommendations for improvement in the area.
Administration and Instructional Support is the area that I chose for discussion. Involvement in this area is already a critical component of my position as an Educational Diagnostician. Providing teachers with the tools to develop curriculum and strategies as they relate to classroom performance and accommodations for special needs students. Strategies that are successful with special needs students are transferrable to all students in the classroom. The diagnostician’s role in this process is to be able to refer to the TEKS standards for all levels and core subjects on her representative campus, and to be able to provide suggestions on strategies which address these standards with teaching strategies which assist students to be successful. To achieve this goal, I am responsible for providing staff development, and support on an ongoing basis for teachers, in order to address a student-by-student plan for success on the instructional areas included in the curriculum goals for each subject and grade level by the use of district provided technology. Our school is classified as Advanced Tech in the area of information delivery in the area of Administration and Instructional Support. Trending in this area on our campus level, district level, and state level standards is toward Target Tech in this area, although as new technology emerges, the “target” will continue to advance as well. I look for my role to advance in this process as well. Information requirements, as they relate to advanced delivery of online access of curriculum ideas will continue to represent new challenges.
Utilizing data from the Garland ISD Technology Plan: 2007-2010, updated 03/28/2008, the following needs were identified as critical to bringing cutting edge technology delivery to every aspect of the district: 1. Continuation of on-line electronic data access to district resources. The district maintains real-time records of student information, such as grades and attendance to parties who have need of access to this information. GISD has an online gradebook which is available to teachers on campus, and from home, in order to maintain updating capabilities. Parents and students have access to student grades and classroom achievement information at all times. 2. Enhancements to the network are always in the works, and planned increase in bandwidth, connection speeds, printing capabilities, and broadcasting capabilities are always being updated. 3. The district is implementing the installation of data and video projectors for all classrooms in the district. 4. GISD is constantly adding more computers to classrooms, labs, and libraries, so that students have increased access to technology. 5. Improvement to communications such as telephones in all classrooms, in order to facilitate teacher/parent communication, and enhance security. 6. Plans are in the works to increase video streaming technology, and provide a separate video channel for each school in the district. These identified needs are obviously to be implemented on the district level. However, on the campus level, so that stakeholders will have input into the utilization of these identified areas, the following Action Plan will be put in place, so that the district, campuses, teachers, and students/parents will benefit by the increased provision of technology: A. Implement the use of Survey Monkey in order to define technology training needs for teachers and students. B. Implement training on the correct usage of technology systems in order to assure that all systems are applied to their fullest, highest use. C. Principals at campuses will assure that teachers are using data from online and district provided resources in order to customize instruction for all students. D. Technology Teams will be formed on each campus, in order to coordinate the staff development for all technology systems in place, and to monitor the usage of all systems on an ongoing basis. E. Data monitoring plans will be part of the SBDM teams, with data provided to be correlated to actual student performance, to assure that curriculum addresses specific competencies currently in place for student success.
Reading 1 - "E-COMMUNICATIONS 101," by Gwen Solomon
ReplyDeleteMy favorite quote is, "To be effective, today's documents should have half the word count of conventional writing."
Reflection - I believe this is a true axiom, because the sheer volume of the information available now is overwhelming. In order to communicate an idea effectively, written information should be pared to the smallest possible wordage in order to get the idea across without overwhelming the reader. It is difficult for a writer to get a point across if he is causing the reader to have to wade through excess elaboration in order to connect with the information.
I am in a position to be caught in an area between the teacher survey, and the campus level survey. In my position as an Educational Diagnostician, I am responsible to meet and contribute to campus level goals in the sense that it is my responsibility to assess students in a timely manner, which is an area where the diagnostician can be a detriment to a campus by submitting initial evaluations and three year reevaluations outside of state prescribed timelines. I report, however, to the district Special Education director, which is where my responsibility for the functioning of my job lies. So, in terms of a survey for my classes, or for teacher responsibility as it relates to technology on the campus level, I’m a little at a loss as to where to respond. I last had classroom responsibilities five years ago, and my responses to technology questions and to how they relate to my class at that time, would show a low level of participation compared to today’s standards. My response to the assignment must then address what I observe on a cursory basis on my primary campus. I am assigned to a middle school, as my primary assignment, and to the district alternative campus.
ReplyDeleteFoundations – Technology is very much evidenced on my campus, a middle school, by cross-curricular and horizontal applications. Technology applications such as basic knowledge of WORD, Excel, Power Point, and publishing applications are evidenced by student products which are discussed and displayed on campus. Students are instructed in all core courses in the use of technology for reports, utilizing all software for research and reports, and basic functions of computers to produce applications for their courses.
Information Acquisition – Use of search engines and citation of work are incorporated into student work, as well as creation and application of videos, files, and documents. Each student has a login specific to his or her account, and is able to save work to their home drive, where it can be accessed later and manipulated for use in other projects during the course of the year.
Solving Problems with Technology Tools – Word processing skills are actively taught, and utilized for student work. Areas such as setting margins, editing and formulating spreadsheets are taught, adding to the student’s skillset, in order to integrate technology into daily work products. The use of charts and graphics are also taught as part of lessons.
Communication – Students use communication tools to email projects to teachers, establish work portfolios, and maintain a database of their work projects to turn in for grading.
• On the screen provided, compose a 250-word opinion piece on one of the four areas of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; or Infrastructure for Technology. You may discuss the area as it relates to your campus or the area in general. Include:
ReplyDelete1) a description of the area.
2) progress in the area (include local, state and national progress).
3) trends in the area (include local, state and national progress).
4) your recommendations for improvement in the area.
Administration and Instructional Support is the area that I chose for discussion. Involvement in this area is already a critical component of my position as an Educational Diagnostician. Providing teachers with the tools to develop curriculum and strategies as they relate to classroom performance and accommodations for special needs students. Strategies that are successful with special needs students are transferrable to all students in the classroom. The diagnostician’s role in this process is to be able to refer to the TEKS standards for all levels and core subjects on her representative campus, and to be able to provide suggestions on strategies which address these standards with teaching strategies which assist students to be successful. To achieve this goal, I am responsible for providing staff development, and support on an ongoing basis for teachers, in order to address a student-by-student plan for success on the instructional areas included in the curriculum goals for each subject and grade level by the use of district provided technology.
ReplyDeleteOur school is classified as Advanced Tech in the area of information delivery in the area of Administration and Instructional Support. Trending in this area on our campus level, district level, and state level standards is toward Target Tech in this area, although as new technology emerges, the “target” will continue to advance as well. I look for my role to advance in this process as well. Information requirements, as they relate to advanced delivery of online access of curriculum ideas will continue to represent new challenges.
I just noticed that my presentation didn't upload. Here is is, hopefully this time it will work.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slideshare.net/secret/aRYs4yhGCOsGRP
ReplyDeleteWeek 4 Technology Action Plan
ReplyDeleteUtilizing data from the Garland ISD Technology Plan: 2007-2010, updated 03/28/2008, the following needs were identified as critical to bringing cutting edge technology delivery to every aspect of the district:
1. Continuation of on-line electronic data access to district resources. The district maintains real-time records of student information, such as grades and attendance to parties who have need of access to this information. GISD has an online gradebook which is available to teachers on campus, and from home, in order to maintain updating capabilities. Parents and students have access to student grades and classroom achievement information at all times.
2. Enhancements to the network are always in the works, and planned increase in bandwidth, connection speeds, printing capabilities, and broadcasting capabilities are always being updated.
3. The district is implementing the installation of data and video projectors for all classrooms in the district.
4. GISD is constantly adding more computers to classrooms, labs, and libraries, so that students have increased access to technology.
5. Improvement to communications such as telephones in all classrooms, in order to facilitate teacher/parent communication, and enhance security.
6. Plans are in the works to increase video streaming technology, and provide a separate video channel for each school in the district.
These identified needs are obviously to be implemented on the district level. However, on the campus level, so that stakeholders will have input into the utilization of these identified areas, the following Action Plan will be put in place, so that the district, campuses, teachers, and students/parents will benefit by the increased provision of technology:
A. Implement the use of Survey Monkey in order to define technology training needs for teachers and students.
B. Implement training on the correct usage of technology systems in order to assure that all systems are applied to their fullest, highest use.
C. Principals at campuses will assure that teachers are using data from online and district provided resources in order to customize instruction for all students.
D. Technology Teams will be formed on each campus, in order to coordinate the staff development for all technology systems in place, and to monitor the usage of all systems on an ongoing basis.
E. Data monitoring plans will be part of the SBDM teams, with data provided to be correlated to actual student performance, to assure that curriculum addresses specific competencies currently in place for student success.