Web Conference Reflection

Last night I experienced my first web conference for my EDLD5306 class. I have used video conferencing with family members overseas and have had pleasant experiences with the technology. My experience last night proved to be less enjoyable but not without merit.

In a college course that is entirely online without physical meeting rooms, it is nice to see the faces of students that are embarking on the same educational journey. I enjoyed the brief companionship that helped to allay my fears that I was alone in feeling a bit overwhelmed after week one.

The instructor was very patient while we fiddled with the technology and tried to learn the application. For some reason I was booted from the conference room twice and had to ask permission for admittance back in. It also took me a moment to realize that I had to hold down the talk button to talk. Initially I had simply pressed and released to no avail.

Many students were frustrated as they had choppy or no sound. I feel fortunate that this was not my case. Otherwise I would have felt the event to be a waste of time. All in all though, I did learn a bit.

E-Rate and Irving I.S.D.

E-Rate and Irving I.S.D.

A Look at The National Educational Technology Plan

The National Education Technology Plan outlines America’s current education goals and discusses technology’s role in achieving these goals.  One current predicament mentioned in the plan is that only 39% of the population are college graduates.  We should strive to change the number of people attending 2 or 4 year colleges to 60% of the population.  Technology can help foster growth towards goals like this by engaging more learners. 

The National Education Technology Plan encompasses the following goals:

1.  Learning- All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society.
2.  Assessment- Our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement
3.  Teaching- Professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all learners. 
4. Infrastructure- All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it. 
5. Productivity- Our education system at all levels will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff.

With regards to learning the technology plan strives to reach more learners through more engagement in the learning process with a greater utilization of technology.  Technology should be deployed in a way that all learners are able to be reached anytime and anywhere.  Teachers need to be prepared to facilitate the use of this technology.  Online communities can foster the development of teachers as they interact and share in their experiences.

The plan makes mention of training educators in online instruction.  This is part of the plan’s goal of providing learning opportunities anytime/anywhere to students.   I am curious to see how this would be implemented in low income areas.  The plan speaks of extended access for low income populations through longer school building hours, community centers and libraries.  I don’t think this goes far enough.  If we truly want equity in learning and equity in access we need to find a way to provide computers and broadband access for all.

Summary and Reflection on Irving I.S.D.’s Technology Plan

Irving I.S.D. has a comprehensive technology plan that is centered on learner success.  The technology plan is written with the following goals in place: 

• Infuse higher level thinking with technology and quality instruction to ensure engaging learning experiences for all teachers and students.
• Support assessment and planning through the use of technology.
• Educate all students and teachers in responsible technology use.
•  Ensure educator professional development is on‐going, high quality, based on the National Educational 
• Technology Standards (NETS), and increasing in rigor so that student learning and 21st century skills are increased.
• Ensure 100% administrative participation in appropriate, current and new software programs. 
• Provide leadership to leverage technology for the improvement of teaching and learning in every classroom daily.  
• Ensure a stable and robust infrastructure for technology use.

Effective implementation of the plan relies on the following four components: Integration of Technology into Teaching and Learning, Professional Development, Administrative and Support Services and Infrastructure for Technology.

Irving I.S.D. has a large technology budget equating to $1,346.02 per student.  The budget, which supports their long term goals, is written to support each of its goals.  The largest portion of the budget is proportioned towards the goal of achieving a 1:1 student to computer ration.

Goal success is to be measured by strictly defined evidence as identified in each objective.  This evidence coordinates to a timeframe to ensure that goals are being strived toward and met.  Some objectives are assessed at short intervals while others are assessed long-term.

Irving I.S.D.’s current technology plan was drafted utilizing a needs assessment from teacher/student surveys, a staff development needs assessment survey, interviews and STaR Chart analysis.   Regular assessment of the plan’s objectives is made by walkthroughs and metrics to determine future growth areas.  This includes hardware, software and infrastructure services.

Professional development is the responsibility of Content Coordinators, the Director of Staff Development, the Director of Instructional Technology and the Technology Coordinators.  Irving has been improving its access to professional development activities by utilizing a 24/7 online development program.  This allows staff to acquire new knowledge at their own convenience while offering a wide range of opportunities.

Assessing Technology Skills in Education

Assessment allows for students, leaders and teachers to understand more about their current abilities and needed growth areas.  As technological advancement continues and implementation in schools increases, assessment of technological skills becomes imperative to ensure that students and teachers are growing along with progress.

Teachers require assessment of their skills to focus current and future professional development to needed growth areas.  Teachers are at great risk of becoming comfortable in their current positions and need to be encouraged to increase their technology knowledge and skills base.  Targeted assessment of skills can foster greater implementation of technology across a schools’ curriculum.  The Texas STarR Chart is the only assessment used in my school district and provides limited personal feedback.  Other more beneficial assessments include the LoTi Digital-Age Survey and the The State Education Technology Directors Association’s (SETDA) PETI.  These surveys are comprehensive focusing on computer literacy, technology implementation and instructional practices.

As for students, the assessment process can detect whether or not the state technology curriculum is being implemented and learned.  With an ambitious goal of creating technology literacy in all students by the 8^th grade, we need markers to determine our success.  In my school district, technology assessment is embedded within the technology training program EasyTech.  As students advance through the course, they are assessed of their learning and new lessons are introduced.  This style of assessment secures short-term learning of technology skills but there remains a need to assess the long-term implementation and retention of this knowledge.

 Assessments do have some shortcomings however.  For one, they can be very time consuming.  Teachers often feel overworked and not inclined to spend extra time taking assessments.  This can skew data if the assessment is not taken seriously or is rushed.  Students are assessed at frequent intervals in all subject matters.  Adding more assessment time in the classroom can easily take away from instruction time.  Assessments are necessary tools but must be clear in their intention and focus to ensure their proper employment.