Reflections of Instructional Leadership

EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: The Technology Link
WEEK FIVE: REFLEXIVE PAPER
CHARLES BUTLER

When registering for this class I was expecting to learn techniques for facilitating classroom instruction with leadership in presentation, documentation and effective communication. I was totally surprised by the expectations of the weekly lessons and the depth of the use of technology. WOW! Being a digital immigrant I have not taken advantage of the opportunities technology can afford. I just used technology for the needed classroom procedures. Although my original outcome expectations were not meet as I expected, it goes without saying that I feel empowered by what I have done over the last five weeks and therefore exceeding my perception of this course. I am not ready to teach others but certainly prepared to advance my use of current technological trends. You might say a more willingness to give it a try.
Although some teachers feel they are being forced to update their skills they also feel renewed as they learn these new tech skills and apply them in their classrooms. As teachers utilize technology it becomes more and more clear how relevant it is for the 21st Century student. Once we make connections with our students on their play ground they get involved with their own learning at levels that may not have been seen recently in the classroom. We must lead our young students into the future and stop pushing them into the way it was in the past. Technology is clearly the future and it is here to stay. I would hope to be able to tell the stakeholders of my community that the students in our district are being properly prepared for now and the future where they will become the leaders of tomorrow. When it applies to you now, then it becomes relevant to learning. As life-long learners we must lead the way into the future with our actions.
I can’t say I did not achieve the outcomes I expected only that they did not appear as I thought they would. For example the blog was a very interesting and current trend that students are using today. Blogging is a relevant tool for achieving my expected outcomes by allowing teachers and students to collaboratively present instruction and have interactive communication with documented results. This open forum allows for expansion of ideas and in-depth learning through dialogue. There is still so much that I don’t understand about blogs and I would have liked more interaction with my colleagues through our blogs. I received no feedback to help with the depth of learning. Most of the links that I tried did not work. I feel we all could have used some more interaction on our blogs. Although the discussion board was bloggish and helpful, I would like to have more information on how blogs are being used in schools if at all at this time.
Because I am a visual learner, I found this course to be the most challenging so far. It did help to have others to talk with although the timeliness of responses seems to prevent most of us, from what I seen, from asking each other questions. A model would have been nice but I, as I think we all, just gave it our best thought and went on. This learning technique is definitely not what is suggested on my campus. We are strongly encouraged to provide models of expectations even on daily assignments. Although, probably more is learned by allowing students to make decisions that affect their own understanding of the content. As a campus leader you must know the motivation of your audience to ensure the proper level of professional development to be effective in the classroom.
I am definitely old school when it comes to methods of teaching. My favorite saying was “if my students are getting excellent results on the TAKS, why do I need to change what works.” But this year has been a real challenge and I am starting to realize the change in student attention, motivation and need for relevance in their life immediately not later on. As I have failed to see the need for technology in the classroom my students are failing to see the relevance of the content in their lives. Why would they want to keep up with pen and paper when they have it at their fingertip? As I began to learn how to use technology in this class it has awaken my desire to learn more. As a leader I must be encouraging rather than demanding of digital immigrant migration into the 21st Century. With adequate training and opportunities to utilize and develop the new skills acquired, with support, teachers will be able to make gains on the digital environment where they work. Also, technology development teams among teachers may facilitate the rate of progress on this challenge.
When students miss class for whatever reason teachers are left with the challenge of catching them up without them missing what is going on at present. Therefore, students must attend tutorials to get the instruction time needed to be successful. Now available time for tutorials becomes a problem for the students more so than the teacher. We make ourselves available before and after school but for some reason they can’t seem to work us in their busy schedules until report card time or progress reports if eligibility is a factor. In math the concept they missed has affected their performance on the present work and so grades start to slip creating a bigger gap and stronger need for tutorials. Teachers could blog daily lecture and notes for students to reference when they are absent or need extra assistants. This would also provide a place for collaborative feedback between classmates and teacher, acting as an online tutorial for everyone. Teachers can see readily where students are having difficulties that might need to be addressed before moving deeper into the concept. Students can feel empowered for not just having help available but actually helping others as they start to understand. This is a powerful tool to give students a since of being in control of their learning while relieving the stress of feeling lost and alone. If assignments could be submitted electronically, most students would do them.
A problem with blogging is having the technology available for everyone to use. We can not provide a fair and equitable education for all students without this availability component being fulfilled. So, once again it draws a line between the haves and have not’s. This disparity is what the education system is trying to avoid between schools, hence the Robin Hood plan. But schools fear a much bigger problem with this free response environment, maintaining safety amongst the users and avoiding liability issues. With this uncontrolled environment there are opportunities for going beyond classroom sites where cyber predators and bullying take place. Is there a viable and affordable method for doing this? Technology directors should be investigating and pursuing this information to facilitate the procedure of moving school districts into the 21st Century with technology.
Like anything else, people naturally fear the unknown. School districts could create blogs for collaborative communication with all stakeholders. This would provide a forum for discussion on education as it pertains to the community as a whole. Everyone could have the floor so to speak and bring their concerns and acknowledgments to the table for consideration, like an electronic suggestion box. Blogging may become a valuable resource for new ideas presented by any stakeholder from the student to the school board. This would also allow administration to get a better perception of proposed changes before decisions are finalized. Stakeholders could raise concerns and receive feedback from other stakeholders as well as teachers, students and administration. All stakeholders could have a voice in the decision making process. As this opportunity for stakeholders to use blogs catches on it will open doors for using technology more effectively in the classroom.

Technology Action Plan

LEDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: The Technology Link
Technology Action Plan
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Charles Butler




TECHNOLOGY PLAN SUMMARY

This Technology Plan has been created to articulate a common vision for technology on the high school campus to identify strategies that will help Granbury High School use advanced technology to improve academic achievement, including technology literacy, of all students. The purpose of that plan was to establish technology as an integral part of the educational setting. The plan called for the proliferation of hardware and software to meet increasing demands for access to technology.
Granbury ISD has also developed a staff development and maintenance component to a complete technology plan and set in motion procedures to ensure its success. The use of technology has become an indispensable component in the classroom. This plan will build on prior technological achievements, enhance the role of technology in curriculum design and delivery, provide a higher level of staff development, and maintain to provide access to community entities throughout Hood County. The plan will build on the strengths of Granbury High School in a way that facilitates today’s students for tomorrow’s technology.
Granbury teachers and students will participate in a technology survey created by Survey Monkey in order to collect and analyze data. Additional opportunities for data collection from students will be by paper surveys in mathematics classes. Teachers will have opportunity to complete survey at the end of the prior school year to gather data to determine necessary training. The Texas STaR Chart report will also provide additional needed information.




TECHNOLOGY ACTION PLAN


ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

NAME - POSITION - RESPONSIBILITY

Ron Mayfield - Superintendent of Schools - Provide leadership in all areas of the school district.
Amy Wood - Director of Technology - Provide and manage all technology resources for all schools, departments, and personnel in the school district as a whole.
Diana Sudman - Instructional Technology Coordinator - Coordinate all technology resources and training with district educational and professional staff.
Administrators, Staff, Parents, Students, and Community Members Site Based Decision-Making Committee Gather information and make decisions on proposed school business by collaborating with all educational stakeholders.
Donna Jefferies - Principal - Provide leadership, schedule training, and make available opportunities for campus educational and professional staff.
Staff and Administrators Technology Committee Gather information and make decisions on proposed technology business.
Tammy Burns - HS Librarian & Campus Technology Scheduler - Coordinate and manage schedule for computer labs and technology tools for the campus.

The principal must make sure that communication between all of the above parties is open and constant by including them in the collaboration of technology issues that arise. The principal needs to be in connection with the technology director for budgeting issues and the instructional coordinator for training opportunities. The principal is an appointed member of the Site-Based Decision-Making Team and the Technology Committee. The principal will initiate all communication to the Director and Superintendant, if necessary.


ACTION PLAN

GOALS/ PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE/ TARGET DATE/ EVALUATION

Provide technology training for educators in order to support technology implementation into daily lesson plans. /Director of Technology, Instructional Technology Coordinator, and Principal /Planned Staff Development Days, Individual Development Days, and/or Workshops /STaR Chart Report, Staff Evaluations, Staff Surveys

Teachers will collaborate with colleagues throughout district, area, and state by using online blogging and/or podcasts. /Director of Technology, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Principal, Teacher /Immediate implementation after training /STaR Chart Technology Use Report

Teachers will incorporate technology in their daily lesson plans. /Teachers /Immediate implementation /PDAS Report, STaR Chart Report, Lesson Plans

Students will have access to computer labs. /Teachers, Librarian /1st Day of School /Sign-In Logs, Lesson Plans

Students will master technology proficiency through the implementation and teaching of the Technology Applications of the TEKS. /Principal, Teachers /School year 2010-11 /TAKS Results, AEIS Report, Common Assessment Results


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

I. Goal: Provide technology training for educators in order to support technology implementation into daily lesson plans.

Strategy: Teachers will attend technology training during summer workshops, summer conferences, and summer development days. These days will give teachers needed training in all aspects of Microsoft Office, especially Power-Point and Publisher.

Responsible Parties: Instructional Technology Coordinator, Principal, Instructional Specialists

Evaluation Plan: Teachers will complete an evaluation following the training as well as monthly meetings to check for continued support and updates. The results from the Texas STaR chart will provide feedback when compared to prior years.

II. Goal: Teachers will collaborate with colleagues throughout district, area, and state by using online blogging and/or podcasts.

Strategy: Teachers, after getting training in blogging and/or podcasting, will participate in an online communication community in order to widen the scope of instruction. Teachers can blog lessons and reflections of lessons to receive comments and critiques.

Responsible Parties: Technology Director, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Principal, and Teacher

Evaluation Plan: Teachers will show participation in the online community by providing a link to their blog site and/or podcasts location. Teachers will also include this in their PDAS Summative Report.

III. Goal: Teachers will incorporate technology in their daily lesson plans.
Strategy: Teachers will write their daily and weekly lesson plans with a detail of what area of technology, online or classroom tool, which they are using. Teachers, who have already received this training, will lead by assisting others of what is expected and its connection to the TEKS.

Responsible Parties: Teachers

Evaluation Plan: Submitted lesson plans and PDAS summary.

IV. Goal: Students will have access to computer labs
Strategy: The school will open its computer lab before and after school to allow students the opportunity to use the computers, especially if the student does not have that technology at home.

Responsible Parties: Principal and Librarian

Evaluation Plan: Students will sign-in to the library to reserve a station as well as sign-in to the districts network. Those sign-in documents will log student usage and provide data for necessity and/or improvement.

V. Goal: Students will master technology proficiency through the implementation and teaching of the Technology Applications TEKS.

Strategy: Students will show their mastery of the technology TEKS by their performance on the TAKS tests in the spring. The TAKS report will provide data of the mastery of the technology applications.

Responsible Parties: Principal and Teachers

Evaluation Plan: Teachers will submit lesson plans that will demonstrate implementation of technology into their teaching. Those plans will show the connection to the applications of the TEKS via technology. Specific lessons will be drawn up to address the particular weaknesses as defined by the previous TAKS report.