5306+Reflection

When the program began in October of 2009, I was familiar with blogs. I even had a couple of blogs that I had started earlier that year. I was fairly clueless regarding wikis. It really did not make sense that multiple people could edit documents and websites together for communication. As this program has progressed I am beginning to understand how effective these can be. In the future, I am sure that every teacher will have a blog set up for communication and assignment posting. In "Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools", the authors point out that schools need a shared vision (Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J., 2010). I think that vision must include technology. Administration, teachers, students, parents, & all other members of the learning community need to see this vision to ensure that technology is at the forefront of technology. I believe that technology will continue improving and expanding and our students must be prepared to work with technology as they finish school and enter the work force.

To continue, I believe that every teacher will be required to post assignments online through some sort of wiki. Students and parents will able to access assignments at home at any time, day or night. How many students lose their homework or forget their assignments and handouts? Using an online format such as a wiki removes all of those problems from the equation. Students will face a much higher amount of accountability and will therefore experience a higher rate of academic success. EDLD 5306 introduced me to what education will look like in the future. I also realized that facilitators are supposed to: "Provide assistance to teachers in identifying technology systems, resources, and services to meet specific learning needs" (Williamson, J. & Redish, T., 2009). As a technology leader, I must able to help our teachers communicate and plan out uses for these applications.

Through reviewing Star Chart data and creating a presentation for the staff, I learned what is expected of schools regarding technology, as well as the standards that must be met regarding technology. State standards do not end with the TEKS, but must also include the standards put forth in the STaR chart. I actually just completed my STaR chart for 2010-2011 this week. It is amazing how much more the from makes sense now that I have made it through all of my Technology Leadership coursework. I had many more "Target" ratings as I was filling out the survey (TEA, 2009). I could not help thinking that all of my colleagues could benefit from the courses I took. Most of the teachers at my school chose to get their Master's in educational administration, but I think many would benefit from the courses that focus specifically on technology integration.

During this class we also uploaded a slide presentation that focused on our campus and then used free software to post the presentation online. As I have learned about all the free tools that are available online, the challenge of getting other teachers on board with technology does not seem so bad. It is encouraging to know that many tasks that used to be only the work of specialists, can now be done by educators like me who know where to look for these tools and this information will help me as I contribute for the shared vision of my campus (Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J., 2010).

References:

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.

Texas Education Agency, (2006). Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from, []

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //ISTE’s technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.