Educator Preparation And Development

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Educator Preparation And Development

View more presentations from Charles Butler.

Educator Preparation And Development

View more presentations from Charles Butler.

Educator Preparation

This area of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology is divided into six categories to monitor: 1) how teachers are progressing with their technological skills and the implementation of those skills in the classroom, 2) how well the campus/district is providing and making accessible adequate professional development, and 3) are teachers being trained for online learning. When looking at the Campus Statewide Summary for the last several years the Developing Tech level of progress percentages are steadily growing but by larger numbers than the Early Tech level is shrinking. The reason is clear when you observe the Advanced level. The Advanced Tech level percentages are lowering almost point for point with the rise in Developing Tech levels. This raises concerns with the validity of the STaR Chart and if it can accurately be used to determine and fund professional development for teachers. Are we losing advanced level teachers and replacing them with developing level or is the technology moving beyond the level of training. I wish to believe the later and this is an indication that professional development in technology training is not keeping pace with the 21st Century learner needs. Unfortunately, this is the trend on my campus. In three years we have gone from advanced with a total of 16 to developing for the last two years with totals of 14 and 12 respectively. With our total dropping two points each year something needs to change in our professional development process even though we somewhat mimic the Statewide Summary. Two components that have remained the same over the last three years are: Levels of understanding and patterns of use, and Professional development for online learning. The lack of increase in these components of Educator Preparation and Development indicate that we are not moving forward in establishing learner-centered environments for our students. As the administrator on my campus this would clearly imply the need for change in our professional development approach. A systematic method of documenting individual teacher progress and providing opportunities to meet individual goals for each teacher. This would at least ensure that we keep progressing and moving forward as a campus.

Texas STaR Chart Review

Pre-K Technology Applications

The Pre-K TEKS require young students to become familiar with the terminology associated with modern technology and the variety of input devices used in the operations of a computer. This lays the foundation for student performance that will spiral through the K-12 TEKS as they advance in their education. The scaffolding will allow word recognition to become understanding of definition and then application. The use of these devices will become second nature allowing for the development of advanced skills. These techniques are found in the Foundation and Information acquisition strands even in high school. These are the building blocks that will be used in each level of education all the way through college and into the workforce.

Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020

As an administrator it is important to know where a campus is in regard to technology. Without this knowledge it will be difficult to move forward in the developmental process. The needs of each campus or school system is different and to properly budget for continual improvement these needs must be prioritized. Therefore, job-embedded professional development will be an immediate and relevant method to encourage the use of technology in the classroom. Listening to the teachers and meeting their request for training will show support for life-long learning and encourage their efforts to develop new technological skills. The Long-Range Plan is important to establish the stability, value and neccesity of this movement toward developing 21st Century skills for all learners.

Technology Assessments Review

The Technology Applications Inventory was very depressing for me. It clearly explained the difficulty I have in maneuvering around on the computer. My lack of terminology along is incredible. Although I have been making progress, I have always known my skills were inadequate. After taking the inventory I had to take a walk and reflect on whether I am doing the right thing, becoming an administrator. I quickly realized why I struggle to understand applications and functions available today. It is clear why the quick, here is what you can do type of training we so often get seems so impossible for me. When I am shown how and allowed to actually practice I usually can repeat it later with maybe a little tutorial. With an opportunity to apply new learning, proficiency comes. At this time I do not consider myself a proficient technology leader of any sort but a leader in willingness to learn and get training when possible to improve my technological skills. It is hard to use technology in my classroom until this year it has never been available. The little training I
received has been without the equipment to apply the training. The SETDA Teacher Survey along with my personal Technology Applications Inventory indicated the need for our school to implement an ongoing "best practices with technology" professional development program. This would speed up the recovery of skills needed and advance those with skills to higher levels making the whole campus more proficient. Technology-supported learning experiences for students will increase with teacher comfort level to implement. Also, we need to have data that will indicate students' 21st Century technology skills. Unfortunately I must agree with the assessments and the need to bring technology skills for both students and teachers into the 21st Cenury. This is the only way we as a country or going to keep pace with the job market of tommorrow and ensure student readiness for the future.