S Ta R Chart

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S Ta R Chart

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technology - are we prepared?

The Educator Preparation and Development section of the STaR Chart measures the amount and usefulness of professional development received in the previous year, the amount of targeted technology training received, the educators’ levels of understanding and capability in integrating technology, and the educators’ ability to provide web-based learning opportunities. The 2008-2009 STaR Chart survey results for my campus show that Educator Preparation and Development is the weakest area for my campus. The survey indicates that our campus is still at a developing level, although we have shown growth in each of the past three years. These results indicate that there is still a significant amount of teacher training that needs to be done in order for our faculty to feel comfortable with fully integrating technology into the classroom.

The state-wide STaR Chart survey results show that the majority of schools are still in the Developing category for this area. Only 20% of the schools that reported were Advanced. This suggests that my campus falls within the normal range of advancement for most of the schools in the state. However, complacency is not acceptable. Especially considering that my school district spent tens of thousands of dollars putting a laptop computer into the hands of every 5^th-8^th grade student in the district, we should be scoring at an advanced level at the very least.

These results highlight the technology breakdown in my district. The infrastructure was provided without the training and preparation needed to make it truly successful. Before laptops were ever distributed, the school district needed to invest in extensive professional development training for the teachers whose classrooms would benefit from such an amazing resource. The school district still needs to provide significant, effective, ongoing technology training. Teachers need to be trained not only on the different software applications available, but on creative ways to integrate laptop use into every day learning.

It is imperative that the education system find ways to be on the cutting edge of technology, otherwise, we will not be able to adequately prepare our students to operate in today’s digital world.

spiraling curriculum

It seems to me that most curriculum are spiraling or scaffolding. We cannot jump into 8th grade Language Arts teaching the literary elements without the students first knowing how to read and becoming familiar with types of literature. Each year is comprised of reviewing skills taught in the past and then expanding upon that prior knowledge to reach new learning. This is why it is so important to have vertical alignment across the district. As a middle school teacher, I will have a very difficult time effectively teaching compound-complex sentence structure or dependent clauses if the students do not already understand what a complete sentence is and cannot identify nouns and verbs.

pre-k technology application teks

The guidelines set forth for the Pre-Kindergarten Technology Applications certainly advance young students’ classroom exposure to technology as compared to past expectations. Through these guidelines children have the opportunity to learn basic functions of the computer. They learn how to operate a variety of input devices. They are exposed to technical terminology and begin developing a technical vocabulary. Several software programs are introduced that use audio, video, and graphics and which provide students with interactive learning opportunities. This foundation allows young students to have a jump start into the world of technology.

the long-range plan

There is an overwhelming amount of information in the Long-Range Plan. The task of implementing a plan to overhaul the Texas educational system to effectively integrate and teach technology is an essential, yet daunting, one. As an educator and administrator, I will need to do my part to ensure that our children are prepared for the twenty-first century workplace. I will need to create an educational cultural that values and utilizes the use of technology in the classroom and in professional growth. I will need to ensure that my faculty and I receive ongoing, effective, and relevant professional development opportunities in technology and its classroom implementation. I will also advocate for appropriating sufficient funding and up-to-date hardware and software to support the technological and educational goals of my campus.

technological acuity

Education is an interesting field when it comes to technology, I know teachers who are extremely computer savvy and I know teachers who are afraid to touch a computer. In my opinion, that is a shame, because in our field we should be on the cutting edge of all our subjects since we are the ones educating the future generations on those tools. I have to attribute our state of behindness (I know, I know... it's not really a word) to the way that public education is financed and the fact that we do not operate with bottomless financial resources. Can you imagine asking tax payers' to foot a bill large enough to provide every public school enough computers and technological support systems, adequately train every teacher, and maintain up-to-date hard- and software to keep up with the ever changing technological needs of our world?

In general I am one of the more 'tech savvy' teachers on my campus. The Technology Applications Inventory confirmed that I am proficient at using many different communication programs and services and I can usually figure out the basic instructions for most programs. I also scored well in using technology to solve problems. However, I am not well-versed in any kind of actual programming or advanced computer skills. As I said, this basic knowledge makes me a 'techie' on my campus, a fact that amuses my husband, an engineer, to no end. By his standards, I am a technological neophyte. This is the disparity between the education world and the business world. The SETDA survey highlighted how very little I utilized technology in my Language Arts classroom. I encourage the use of Powerpoint, Word, and some internet research; past that I have not incorporated much technology. Taking these surveys has renewed my interest in developing a curriculum that supports a more comprehensive inclusion of technology in our classrooms. While I am aware of just how much I still need to learn about technology, in general and especially as an administrator, at least I am very open to technology and excited about the different avenues it open up for learner-centered instruction.