Web Conference Reflection

As I posted in my profile, I am currently pursuing my Masters in Educational Technology Leadership. As with many online Masters programs, web-conferencing is used as a tool to familiarize students with other students as well as faculty. Here are my reflections on my very first conference.

I didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the first optional web conference, but did attend the required conference the following week. I was a bit nervous even though I knew the purpose of the conference was purely informational. I plan to make the necessary accommodations in the next couple of weeks to attend the others. I find that I need to acclimate myself to communicating in such a fashion—as I sure it will be required in other courses and also because it is a fantastic tool to use when needing to inform or discuss topics when geographical or time constraints don’t allow for a physical meeting. The content provided for us was informative, as it outlined the requirements for our internship.

I look forward to when I become more acquainted with this format so that I can actually voice my concerns, ask my questions and benefit even more!

The Schools and Libraries Program

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National Educational Technology Plan

The National Educational Technology Plan: “Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology”, is an inspiring piece of legislature.  It provides a framework at the federal, state and local level for why and how schools should revise curriculum standards to include technology and encourage the end goal of preparing students for the world of tomorrow. 

The document is broken down into four key components- learning, teaching, productivity and infrastructure as areas that need to be addressed. 

Learning—Seeks curriculum that is engaging and empowering both inside and beyond the scope of the classroom

Teaching—Educators should be trained in innovative ways of teaching that serve the tech needs of students.

Productivity—Calls for the transformation of the American education system so that it is more efficient

Infrastructure—Seeks technology to be equitable and easily accessible to educators and students

While I find no fault with the plan itself, I can’t help but feel a bit discouraged at the daunting task.  Implementing a plan of this magnitude requires that communities, educators and stakeholders agree on strategies and methods.  It also requires us to overcome obstacles such as equitable distribution of resources, talent and skills.  Perhaps what most concerns me is the issue of time.  Transforming our education system is a process and one that will take a fair amount of time as not only do we have to get technology into the hands of students and educators but we also must concern ourselves with changing/challenging the ideals of the status quo.  How do we plan a technology rich curriculum (with the implication that it will take time) when technology itself is changing by the second? 


National Educational Technology Plan 2010. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010

How do we fare?

The Instructional Technology Department for Alvin ISD strives to increase student achievement. The district is greatly concerned with the academic success of its students and recognizes that changes must be made to ensure their success post high school.  Therefore they are committed to implementing technology that will allow this goal to pervade through the district and surrounding communities.   The district uses data-based decision making tools to determine technology needs.  For example, all campuses across the district identify needs through the Texas Teacher STaR Chart.  The STaR Chart focuses on four main areas: Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support, and lastly, Infrastructure for Technology.  Laura Perez, Director of Technology Services and the rest of the technology team, prioritize needs and how to receive funding to fulfill needs.  The networking staff determines technical needs as well as infrastructure needs based on the various instructional hardware and software that is being used by the district--Its latest achievement includes changing from Novell to Active Directory and from Groupwise email to Outlook. 

Results of previous years STaR Charts reveal continued effort and progress with respect to acquiring technology, however more training on effective integration as well as closer alignment of 8^th Grade technology TEKS is needed.  To remedy these issues, the district plans to create new technology benchmarks at the junior high level as well continue to assess the need for new technology themed courses.  Training on effective integration of Promethean Boards, document cameras, digital tablets, etc. continue to be remedied by on-going professional developments online, on campus and via teacher evaluations such as PDAS.

Comprehensive Needs Assessment And Campus Improvement Plan.  Alvin Independent School District.  Retrieved from www.alvinisd.net

Assessing Technology Needs

Among the greatest concern of educators, administrators and school stakeholders is improving academic achievement.  Research has shown that students would greatly benefit from the integration of technology into curriculum, which has caused us to change the way we need to approach teaching.
Where do we begin?

Most schools have developed technology plans to assist with funding and curriculum alignment. For example, in the state of Texas, if schools wish to receive funding for school technology initiatives, it mandates that teachers and schools complete the School, Technology and Readiness Chart or STaR Chart.  This type of assessment tool provides information that is crucial to developing a sound and effective technology plan.  In order to successfully implement school technology plans, we have to know what skills teachers possess, what skills need to be taught or sharpened, the technological needs of a physical classroom and also how to prioritize this data.  The same is true for assessing the technology readiness of our students.  We must know where they stand, what skills they possess, and what technology they have been exposed to in order to provide authentic teaching and bridge the gap of technological knowledge between student and teacher.

As a teacher in the state of Texas, I am familiar with the STaR Chart assessment of technology needs in schools.  Schools mandate that teachers complete the survey, but in my experience with little knowledge of the implications.  This along with the subjective nature of some of its inquiries lead me to question the accuracy of its results and whether there are more effective ways to gather a truly measurable set of data to improve Texas schools.

Access the full text of the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, at this website: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/lrpt/lrpt_lrpt.html.

Access the Texas Teacher STaR Chart and the Texas Campus STaR Chart at: http://starchart.esc12.net/.