EDLD 5397 Week 5 Web Conference

I was unable to attend the web conference, and was disappointed that the web conference was not recorded.  But I was able to read the chat log and get all my questions answered.  The assignment this week was pretty much straight forward.  I only had some questions about the Professional Growth Plan, but reading over the chat log, I guess others had the similar questions.  So what I got from the log was that the Professional Growth Plan is a draft and we have to pick 2 or 3 goals or objectives that we want to accomplish in this program.  In writing our Professional Growth Plan we must follow the guidelines from written in our Leadership book.

EDLD 5397 Web Conference Week 3

I usually look forward to the web conferences because I feel at ease once some of the parts of the assignment are explained.   This week Professor Borel broke it down to us separately for those in the Principals Program and for those in the Technology Program.  She suggested that we (Technology) look through the 33 ISTE Standards and match activities we have already completed then fill in gaps.  Then match those activities to the 38 Principal Competencies, “double dip” as she says.  Then continue to fill gaps.  It’s comforting to know that she understands that most of us are busy with work and family and wants to make it as easy as possible for us by giving us suggestions and words of advice.  Now that the research paper is the focus, now I’m starting to feel overwhelmed, but I will get through this.   

EDLD 5363 Conference Reflection Week 5

I wasn't able to joing this weeks web conference but being able to listen to the recording and read the outline makes it convenient for those of use that couldn't make it to the web conference.  These conferences are useful in that if there is any question or clarifications we can get them answered quickly.  Such as the correction with 5.4 assignment, what our reflections should state, and what exactly needs to be turned in for the final week.  I was having trouble understanding 5.9 but got it cleared up when I heard the recording and Dr. Abernathy explaining what exactly had to be turned in for that part.  All in all I had a better understanding of this week and what is expected of me. 

EDLD 5363 Reflection (WK 2)

These week we had to create an audio or video podcast tutorial on a video editing software program.  I chose to use Windows Live Movie Maker.  I created a still shot video tutorial on how to edit a video.  I was trying to create a video  tutorial, but I was having trouble so still shots it was.  I enjoyed creating this video, because not only do I know how to use the software, I know how to teach someone how to use it.  It wasn't the best but it was good.  Just doing my research on this program, I learned some techniques that I can now use such as adding audio on top of each other, such as adding voice and music to the background.  I enjoyed this project very much.

EDLD 5363 Reflection/Web Conference (WK 1)

I can't believe how much I have learned from my courses.  I've learned how to use audio and editing software such as Movie Maker to create a photostory, podcasts, and videos in general.  Now that I know how to use these technology tools, now I have to incorporate them into my curriculum, which is the hard part.  Coming up with ways to use these tools in a math class has been harder than expected.  I will continue to look for ideas and try them with my students and get their feedbacks.  I can't wait.

I attended the first web conference, which was very informative.  Dr. Abernathy was able to answer everyone's questions and pass down information that was useful to our photostory project for week one.  I enjoy this conferences because if there is a question we can get it answered right then and there.  This course has seemed a little more confusing than other courses, so having these constant web conferences helps when one is stuck, like I have.  I'll continue to join these web conferences as they become available.

As I continue to conduct my research (Technology in the Classroom) I have created my class website.  It's still in the process of improvements, but so far it has been easy.  One of my colleagues recommended http://www.weebly.com/ to create my website.  This website creator has been easy to use and also fun to create. The best part is, it is free.  You may upgrade at a price for more features, but so far I have not needed any other feature.  Here is a link to my page, if you would like to see what I so far have created.

http://www.mrsag.weebly.com/. 

I'm hoping my students access it over their spring break.  With state testing around the corner, they received release questions to review and to help them out, I posted videos from khanacademy.com with solutions to help them along the way.  I'll keep you all posted on what my students thought about the website. 

Action Research Plan (Revision 1)

Beronica Alvarez EDLD 5301 ET 8044 Goal:  What are the effects of integrating technology into the math classroom on student performance and student motivation?
Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Request a class set of laptops	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012	API, Ben Webster	Receive approval
Survey students on their thoughts about math	Beronica Alvarez	June 2012	Students	Review data data post on blog
Survey students on their use of technology	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012 – December 2012	Survey Students (sample group)	Review data and post on my blog
Survey teachers on their use of technology in the classroom	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012 – December 2012	Survey Participating teachers	Review data and post on my blog
Meet with principal to discuss what technology is available for students	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012 – December 2012	Yvette Meneses, principal	Receive approval of technology for students
Create a series of videos for students to access for further tutorials	Beronica Alvarez Derrick Soohoo	August 2012 – May 2013	Videos Jing Promethean board	Reflect on outcome of videos and feedback from students
Create a class website for student and parent access	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012- December 2012	Blackboard Weebly.com	View web content and make sure its accessible to all students and parents
Create lessons that require the use of technology tools	Beronica Alvarez Derrick Soohoo	August 2012 – May 2013	Referrals	Review outcome of lesson, ask feedback from students
Compile a list of free or affordable technology resources and distribute to teachers as a reference guide	Beronica Alvarez Derrick Soohoo	August 2012 – May 2013	Hotlist (created by Derrick Soohoo) Internet	Request feedback from teachers
Compare student performance from previous years with no technology to current year with technology	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012 –May 2013	Previous years student scores on common assessments	Review data and post on blog

Beronica Alvarez EDLD 5301 ET 8044 Goal:  What are the effects of integrating technology into the math classroom on student performance and student motivation?
Action Steps	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Survey students on their use of technology	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012 – December 2012	Survey Students (sample group)
Survey teachers on their use of technology in the classroom	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012 – December 2012	Survey Participating teachers
Meet with principal to discuss what technology is available for students	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012 – December 2012	Yvette Meneses, principal
Create a series of videos for students to access for further tutorials	Beronica Alvarez Derrick Soohoo	August 2012 – May 2013	Videos Promethean board
Create a class website for student and parent access	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012- December 2012	Blackboard
Create lessons that require the use of technology tools	Beronica Alvarez Derrick Soohoo	August 2012 – May 2013	Referrals
Compile a list of free or affordable technology resources and distribute to teachers as a reference guide	Beronica Alvarez Derrick Soohoo	August 2012 – May 2013	Hotlist (created by Derrick Soohoo) Internet
Compare student performance from previous years with no technology to current year with technology	Beronica Alvarez	August 2012 –May 2013	Previous years student scores on common assessments	Data analysis

Importance of Action Research as a Teacher

To improve and develop teaching, research is absolutely needed.  As a teacher I need to know why students are not engaged or motivated in the classroom, what makes students interested in their learning, what can I do to bring them all in and what changes do I need to do to see positive change in my classroom.   Action research will help me generate findings that will be useful and specific to my classroom needs.  This method of research will force me to reflect on my personal and professional development which is a necessary component of my growth as an effective teacher.  Action research should not be something extra that we need to do, but should be seen as our responsibility as professionals to develop ourselves to better meet all our students needs. 

Educational Leaders and Blogs

A blog is a publication of personal thoughts and opinions created by an individual and posted on the web for others to read and comment.  Blogs can be an empowering learning tool.  Teachers can create assignments that incorporate the use of blogs in the classroom which can increase the interaction between peers.  In an age where students are more computer savvy than ever before, allowing students to use Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs can help motivate and engage a student in their academics.  Aside from teachers posting lessons and resources on a blog for student and parent access, teachers can use blogs for students to collaborate on projects and get feedback on their work and share schoolwork with others. There are endless ways to incorporate blogs into a classroom, however the teacher decides to embed it, it will benefit all those participating. 

ACTION RESEARCH

Utilizing Action Research in Education

According to Nancy Fichtman Dana, in her book “Leading with Passion and Knowledge,” action research is a research tradition referred to as “practitioner inquiry” which “focuses on the concerns of practitioners (not outside researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection, and interpretation of data around their question.” (2009, p.5)

Currently I sit on the Intervention Committee.  This committee was created to fix our current academic intervention program, which is embedded into our bell schedule.  To hone in on those students that need the extra help and attention, but do not take the time to ask for help after school, the district mandated that every school incorporate an intervention period into the bell schedule to reach every single student possible.  The bell schedule we currently have has a period of intervention that has not worked in the last 2 years.  It started as a pilot program, but at this point teachers and students are frustrated and want change.  

Using reflection and action, I think we can come up with a plan that will suit everyone.  As we speak, we are gathering data from the last 2 years, asking teachers what they think, creating lists of what has worked and not worked, and looking into other schools’ bell schedule with similar demographic schools that are using the same approach on intervention.  We have come up with a few solutions, but are still working on more.   As soon as we decide on some solutions, we are bringing it back to the teachers as a whole and gathering more data from their thoughts.  As the process roles, we will eventually implement the new schedule and evaluate the effectiveness as the year goes on and if changes need to be made, so be it, the action research will continue until we meet our schools need. 

Dana, Nancy Fichtman (2009).  Leading with Passion and Knowledge.  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin 

Course Reflection (EDLD 5306)

By the end of the course I envisioned myself knowing more about the use of technology in the classroom.  I expected to learn more about innovative ways to engage my students in their learning with the use of technology tools.  What I learned was a lot of what I expected, and more.  Not only did I gain the knowledge on the use of Web 2.0 tools (i.e. wikis, blogs, rss feeds), I also had the chance to put them to good practice in this course.  Aside from that I also learned about technology ethics, online safety, the future of technology in education, the purpose of the e-Rate program at schools, about myself and my learning style and my personality, sand I also had the chance to evaluate my schools technology plan.  I was able to gather an abundance of knowledge that pertains to technology in education as it relates to today’s digital native. 

The learning outcomes I achieved are very relevant to the work I do in school as a teacher.  As education moves towards technology in the classrooms, I am becoming more knowledgeable about the technology tools that are available to us, its uses, and its proper implementation.  Learning the safety and healthy ways of using technology allows me to model what I have learned to my students when I begin to use technology tools in the classroom.  I can, not only educate my students but also my departmental colleagues.  Having this type of knowledge will also help me in achieving what I’ve wanted to achieve, which is creating technology embedded lessons.  Given the opportunity to learn the background of what it takes to implement technology was very helpful.   Hopefully as I end the program, I will be resource person for my colleagues when it comes to technology implementation. 

The only outcome that I wish I would have achieved, was finding ways to implement technology tools into my math classes.  I find it difficult at times to incorporate technology tools effectively into a lesson, especially in math.  What prevented me from achieving this outcome was the time it takes to do the research on finding appropriate tools and activities that allow the use of technology.  With testing just around the corner we barely have time to cover all the standards the standards.  I’ve always envisioned using technology in my classroom, but have found it difficult to embed in my lessons.  I would have liked for one of our learning outcomes to incorporate the research and implementation of course specific technology.   I know by the end of the program, I will sooner or later achieve this outcome.   

Starting a new program was very overwhelming.  When I first read the Week 1 overview, I thought I was not going to be able to complete all the tasks.  As I went through each learning task, I learned to manage my time and get things done as expected.  After a while each week was a routine, read two articles, post a quote, comment on other postings, watch videos, post assignments on wiki, etc.  Yes, sometimes I felt I was not going to finish on time, but I got it done on a timely manner.   All though it seemed as if I had a long road ahead of me with each week’s assignment, I managed to get it done.  As a teacher we all know that our job doesn’t end at 3pm, so I would try to have my lesson plans complete first before doing my assignments just to get them out of the way, the rest of the nights and weekend were set aside for my weekly assignments.

After taking this course, I learned that although I thought I knew a few things about technology, I was wrong.  I knew almost nothing about technology.  I would consider myself a digital immigrant, although I know the basics of technology use, I still need a lot to learn.  In the first week’s assignment, I took the LoTi Survey and I was surprise at my findings.  Most of my scores were low meaning that my use of technology in the classroom was at an exploration level or not even present.  Using power point to deliver a lesson is not an effective way of using technology.  I have to thing outside of the box, I have to think as a digital native, what types of stimulation do today’s students need to engage them in their learning experience.  I have a lot to learn before I become a leader in technology, but by the end of the program I know I will be more comfortable showcasing my new skills. 

E-Rate and Technology Plan

E rate and technology plan

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Better Teaching, Learning and Collaboration (TLC) through Techonology

According to my district's technology plan, it is composed of strategies and activities that will guide the district for the next 3-5 years.  The district's plan is based on the philosophy that educational technology must be used to support instruction to prepare students for the 21st century.     

Goals

• To advance and support the educational goals of the District by providing a technology rich, integrated environment for all learners.
• To facilitate and support anywhere, anytime learning for all through personal access appliances, enhanced communication tools and integrated data systems.
• To improve and support communication among and between all community stakeholders including administrators, staff, teachers, students and parents. 
• To facilitate and support just-in-time data driven decisions processes through integrated information systems with meaningful intuitive and consistent tools. 

 The district provides opportunities for professional development during school, after school and summer time.  The focus of the trainings are to find ways to utilize technology in standards based lessons.   We have full time professional development personnel, Technology Teachers on Special Assignments (Tech TOSAs) who provide trainings on software, implementation, and integration of technology into the classroom.  HLP also participates with Cal Poly, Pomona and the East San Gabriel Valley Educational Consortium in a professional development program called the TEAMatrx.  This program helps teachers develop lessons that meet three requirements:

• Integrate technology
• Address state and district standards (content and technology)
• Use data to modify instruction

 HLPUSD participates in site based decision making, decisions are made by  a Leadership Team or School Site Council.  Schools are allotted money from the general fund to spend on the schools needs and focus areas.  Schools also have funds available from federal and state categorical funds which can be used for hardware, software and upgrade purchases.   

A variety of assessments are used to determine the level of technology used over a time period.  These tools include an annual online state technology survey, an online teacher proficiency assessment and technology use survey, a district created survey, and a district created teacher technology needs survey.  To measure students at the K-5 level, they will examine the percentage of students who have attained grade level content standards and the technology standards are reported on the standards based report card.  At the secondary level they will use the technology benchmark assessment results and the number of students passing the computer literacy graduation requirement.

National Education Technology Plan

The National Education Technology Plan (NETP) is designed to transform education with technology and was created to remain competitive in the global economy.  There are five learning components of the plan:  learning , assessments, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.

The learning component, asks us to create learning experiences that engage and motivate students.  To allow students to use technological tools used in professional jobs to research, analyze, problem solve and communicate to gain the skills needed later in life.   

The teaching component focuses on empowering teachers to become facilitators in their students' learning.  The teaching model that is encouraged is connected teaching, were teachers work as teams, are connected to technology resources to improve their instructional practices and workshops consisting of ongoing in person collaboration.

Technology based assessments will be used to make informed decisions.   This assessment model allows us to use the data to make decisions that are best for each and every student. 

Part of the professional development is to provide educators with learning experiences lead by technology to increase their technology literacy and help them create assignments for student learning, assessment and instructional practices.

Although this is a great plan to want to implement one of my concerns lies with the teacher.  How will we get teachers to buy into using this technology plan.  How can we have them move from the traditional way of teaching to using technology as a learning tool in the classroom.  Many teachers are set in their ways and may not be willing to try new things.  NETP is created in the best interest of every student and every teacher should also be in it for the student and if technology is the way to go, then so be it.   

U.S. Department of Education.  (2010)  Transforming American Education Learning

         Powered by Teaching.  Website:  http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010-

         execsumm.pdf.

Web Conference Experience (1/25/12)

This was my first web conference experience.  It was nice seeing some of my classmates face to face.   Although we didn't get to share much, we got to learn a lot about the program.   I felt a little overwhelmed with everything that is required of us from the program, but I guess I have to take it one step at a time. 

The web conference was very insightful, meeting Professor Boral was nice.  We had a few glitches with the microphones, and it took a while to figure out what was the problem, but eventually it was taken care of.  Unfortunately we didn't get a real opportunity to discuss much of the program as we probably would have liked. But that's technology for you, there's always going to be some kind of technical difficulty.  It's so interesting how computers work now a days.  With these technological advances, we can all be in different states but yet be in the same virtual classroom.  The professor had a PowerPoint with all the information, which was great because it made it easier to understand and catch everything that we needed to know.  All in all I had a very informative and wonderful experience.

Value of Assessment

In an age where we (teachers) are the digital immigrants and students are the digital natives, we need to broaden our horizon to all the technology out there and use what we can in the classroom to excite and motivate our students.  Whether we like it or not technology is becoming more prevalent in our education system.  The problem with this is that teachers lack the skills and knowledge needed to execute a technology plan in their classroom.  We have teachers at different levels of skills and knowledge of technology.  The technology assessment tool such as the Texas STaR Chart was created to measure and easily identify teacher and student levels and needs.  I do believe there is value assessing, because it helps define strengths and weaknesses, which can then set the foundation that may help reach any technological goals and 21st century learners.   

As stated in the Texas Teacher STaR Chart manual "Its purpose is to assist all classroom teachers in assessing needs and setting goals for the use of technology in the classroom to support student achievement." (Texas Education Agency)
 Data always helps in determining any type of decision, but with any assessment, there are pros and there are cons.  We may be able to use the results of this test to identify the schools technological levels and determine what are teacher and student technology needs, but at the same time who is to say the school was being truthful in answering all the questions. Even if they are truthful who is to say that the outcomes to these tests will be met and implemented.  With budget cuts on the rise, technology is always on the bottom of the list. 


Texas Campus STaR Chart Summary.  (2009, December).  Website:  http://starchart2.epsilen.com/campus
            searchlist.aspx?foryear=20092010&district=beaumont&campus.
Texas Campus STaR Chart Summary.  (2010, November).  Website:  http://starchart2.epsilen.com/campus
            searchlist.aspx?foryear=20102011&district=beaumont&campus.
Texas Campus STaR Chart Summary.  (2011, December).  Website:  http://starchart2.epsilen.com/campus
            searchlist.aspx?foryear=20112012&district=beaumont&campus.
Texas Education Ageny (2007-2011). Texas Teacher STaR Chart.  Website:  http://starchart.epsilen.com/
            docs/TxCSC.pdf