Hoffman Middle School S Ta R Chart Results
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November 29, 2009
November 28, 2009
Texas STaR Chart-Educator Preparation and Development
After viewing my campus' Texas STaR Chart, I determined that the section of Educator Preparation and Development needed the most attention. This section involves providing opportunities for staff development, promoting various learning activities and processes, mentoring others in developing new strategies for new learning environments, and customizing online content in the area of technology. The technology application standards determined by the SBEC are demonstrated.
On my campus, the ratings earned were at the developing stages. Most teachers had professional development in technology according to the content area, but they have not collaborated with experts, peers, parents, business partners, industry, or higher education. The campus provided large group professional development on increasing technology integration, but there wasn't any on-going sessions using multiple models or individually guided activities, inquiry/action research, or involvement in developmental/improvement processes. The teachers on the campus only demonstrated three of the SBEC Technology Applications Standards. Only 9 to 18 hours of staff development were focused on technology. Teachers are only able to adapt technology knowledge gained.
Unfortunately, my campus has only improved by one point in the last three years. In the area of educator capabilities, my campus improved from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009. This sad and very disturbing fact shows that my campus has only been able to demonstrate one more SBEC Technology Applications standard in the previous three years. All other categories remained stagnant. We are falling further and further behind the district, the region, the state, and the nation in terms of average technology integration. If this "trend" continues, my building and the students who attend will lose in the job markets, drop-out rates will increase, and student achievement will drop.
I recommend that we begin immediately training our teachers to use the technology of today. As a building leader, I need to mentor other teachers, model technology integration and use, and invest in trainers to show the teachers how the latest technologies can benefit the students and staff. By doing these things, we can at least begin moving forward a little bit. Without adequate funding, the budget that is already stretched thin will roadblock any progress towards making our campus technologically ready for the future.
On my campus, the ratings earned were at the developing stages. Most teachers had professional development in technology according to the content area, but they have not collaborated with experts, peers, parents, business partners, industry, or higher education. The campus provided large group professional development on increasing technology integration, but there wasn't any on-going sessions using multiple models or individually guided activities, inquiry/action research, or involvement in developmental/improvement processes. The teachers on the campus only demonstrated three of the SBEC Technology Applications Standards. Only 9 to 18 hours of staff development were focused on technology. Teachers are only able to adapt technology knowledge gained.
Unfortunately, my campus has only improved by one point in the last three years. In the area of educator capabilities, my campus improved from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009. This sad and very disturbing fact shows that my campus has only been able to demonstrate one more SBEC Technology Applications standard in the previous three years. All other categories remained stagnant. We are falling further and further behind the district, the region, the state, and the nation in terms of average technology integration. If this "trend" continues, my building and the students who attend will lose in the job markets, drop-out rates will increase, and student achievement will drop.
I recommend that we begin immediately training our teachers to use the technology of today. As a building leader, I need to mentor other teachers, model technology integration and use, and invest in trainers to show the teachers how the latest technologies can benefit the students and staff. By doing these things, we can at least begin moving forward a little bit. Without adequate funding, the budget that is already stretched thin will roadblock any progress towards making our campus technologically ready for the future.
Texas Pre-Kindergarten Technology Applications TEKS
The Texas Pre-Kindergarten Technology Applications TEKS has been divided into five domains: Social and Emotional Development, Language and Communication, Emergent Literacy: Reading, Emergent Literacy: Writing, and Mathematics. The first domain, Social and Emotional Development, uses skill outcomes such as self concept, self control, social competence, and social awareness. The second domain, language and communication, has outcomes of listening comprehension, speaking skills, speech production, vocabulary skills, and sentence and structure skills. The third domain, Emergent Literacy: Reading, shows how motivation to read, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and comprehension of text read aloud are necessary skills for young children. Emergent Literacy: Writing, the fourth domain, outlines skills that involve motivation to write, independently conveying meaning, forming letters skills, and concepts about print skills. The final domain, Mathematics, demonstrates counting skills, adding to/taking away, geometry and spatial sense, measurement skills, and classification and pattern skills that are outcomes for pre-kindergarten classrooms using technology. The TEKS are guidelines that foster cross-curricular, multifaceted and engaging lessons that integrate technology to meet multiple skills simultaneously.
By following the guidelines, the students will gain better insight as to the future grade levels material. Students are further advanced, more familiar with applications, and foundation-ally secure.
A spiral or scaffold curriculum is one in which the skills taught are built upon lesson by lesson, theme by theme, year by year. It's reteaching, building in new concepts, and reviewing old concepts. Students need repeated review because, as most good educators are aware, showing them something once does not mean they got it and will remember it. A particular series of TEKS that scaffolds instruction well would be that of vocabulary development. When introducing a new word to elementary students, it is common to use student friendly definitions. As students move forward into middle school and high school with new vocabulary, more technical terms can be used. Expanding students' vocabulary gives more leverage towards comprehension, mathematics, and development of many other skills. By beginning basic, using synonyms that students are familiar with and use regularly, teachers can expand and build students' knowledge.
By following the guidelines, the students will gain better insight as to the future grade levels material. Students are further advanced, more familiar with applications, and foundation-ally secure.
A spiral or scaffold curriculum is one in which the skills taught are built upon lesson by lesson, theme by theme, year by year. It's reteaching, building in new concepts, and reviewing old concepts. Students need repeated review because, as most good educators are aware, showing them something once does not mean they got it and will remember it. A particular series of TEKS that scaffolds instruction well would be that of vocabulary development. When introducing a new word to elementary students, it is common to use student friendly definitions. As students move forward into middle school and high school with new vocabulary, more technical terms can be used. Expanding students' vocabulary gives more leverage towards comprehension, mathematics, and development of many other skills. By beginning basic, using synonyms that students are familiar with and use regularly, teachers can expand and build students' knowledge.
November 27, 2009
Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology
The high expectations that are required for students of today place a demand for greater educational practices. The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology outlines how the Texas education system can improve, provide, and foster the technology needs for our students. The vision for the plan is to bring students, employees, parents, community members, and school board members into the 21st century when it comes to communication, efficiency, participation, tools and resources, and knowledge. The plan intends for technology skills and education to reflect a more global and information age era. It also accounts for the professional development needs for a variety of experienced versus inexperienced teachers. The needs for change are driven by global economics, a state of urgency among nations, and societal change. The economy of today requires skills such as agility, self-reliance, self-motivation, problem-solving, collaboration, and life-long learning.The sense of urgency comes in that two countries who are leading the world are producing college graduates who are empowered to live and learn in a continuously changing world. The societal change shows that longer life spans coupled with an increase in immigrants has caused a diverse population and an increased reliance upon technology for day to day tasks.
The students of today are heavily reliant upon technology, and have very strong opinions about its use. The learner of today needs to be taught to his/her unique learning style, while also utilizing a variety of resources. Basic skills which were once reading, writing, and arithmetic have now evolved. Analytical skills, problem-solving skills, reasoning skills, and critical thinkers are a must for the communicators of the future.
Teachers are already using a variety of technology, and they see it as being an important impact on student performance. E-mails, search engines, news websites, and specific websites are the reported uses for technology by teachers. Lack of time during the school day, lack of computers at both home and in school, and not enough planning time were the primary concerns teachers faced.
The students of the 21st Century are no longer held back by inability to be mobile. Technology can bring the world to the student, differentiate learning styles, allow collaboration around the world, and meets the No Child Left Behind requirement for full infusion of technology into the classroom curriculum. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) should provide support and encouragement of technology professional development, school programs, resources and access to studies and practices.The State Board of Education, local education agencies, regional education service centers, higher education centers, and parents, communities and private sectors are also pushed to support, collaborate, and encourage the 21st Century technology curriculum.
Today’s educators have higher standards to meet when it comes to technology in the classrooms. Teachers are required to graduate from a program that models technology in educational practices. The educators must use technology efficiently and routinely. It is also required of students to collaborate and interact with others while diversifying instruction to meet each learner’s needs. Each institution (TEA, higher education, regional and local service centers, parents, communities, schools, and private sectors) are encouraged to collaborate, support, encourage, and provide a technology rich curriculum for the students of today.
Administrators are key components to the implementation, support, modeling, and changing the way technology plays a role in the classrooms. On both the district and school level, administrators are seen as the ones who push for change. A shared vision, funding, and an assessment of current technology need to be an intricate part of the technology plan. Preparing students for college and the future will be part of the technology plan. Without it, students will not be successful. By forming a committee, understanding the requirements of both federal and state laws regarding technology, and requiring business continuity plans to recover technology, leaders can successfully implement the technology change necessary for student success. It is not just an idea, it is a school reform that will require flexible environments, innovation, time allocation, and visionaries.
The infrastructure for technology is one that supports data-driven decision making, allows for the data capacity to support the vast amounts of software necessary to teach and learn, technology specialists to support assistance in a timely manner, equal access by all students and staff, and funding to continue meeting the technology needs as they grow and change. Distance learning will need to be part of the technology curriculum. High-speed connectivity is necessary to deliver the data in both quantity, time, and security. Keeping the data and students secure is also a mandatory component to the infrastructure.
The most important need is for a solid and ongoing partnership between the state, local education agencies, regional centers, and universities. Those relationships will foster the growth of funding, leadership and support, qualified professionals, measures of student progress and teacher progress, continual telecommunication discounts, and software standards.
As a new leader, it will definitely be a daunting task to renovate our current educational system. I know that by having support from federal, state, and local agencies, I can be more successful. By forming the right committee, providing research to support my stance on technology in education, and keeping the students' needs first, I am confident that I can succeed.
The students of today are heavily reliant upon technology, and have very strong opinions about its use. The learner of today needs to be taught to his/her unique learning style, while also utilizing a variety of resources. Basic skills which were once reading, writing, and arithmetic have now evolved. Analytical skills, problem-solving skills, reasoning skills, and critical thinkers are a must for the communicators of the future.
Teachers are already using a variety of technology, and they see it as being an important impact on student performance. E-mails, search engines, news websites, and specific websites are the reported uses for technology by teachers. Lack of time during the school day, lack of computers at both home and in school, and not enough planning time were the primary concerns teachers faced.
The students of the 21st Century are no longer held back by inability to be mobile. Technology can bring the world to the student, differentiate learning styles, allow collaboration around the world, and meets the No Child Left Behind requirement for full infusion of technology into the classroom curriculum. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) should provide support and encouragement of technology professional development, school programs, resources and access to studies and practices.The State Board of Education, local education agencies, regional education service centers, higher education centers, and parents, communities and private sectors are also pushed to support, collaborate, and encourage the 21st Century technology curriculum.
Today’s educators have higher standards to meet when it comes to technology in the classrooms. Teachers are required to graduate from a program that models technology in educational practices. The educators must use technology efficiently and routinely. It is also required of students to collaborate and interact with others while diversifying instruction to meet each learner’s needs. Each institution (TEA, higher education, regional and local service centers, parents, communities, schools, and private sectors) are encouraged to collaborate, support, encourage, and provide a technology rich curriculum for the students of today.
Administrators are key components to the implementation, support, modeling, and changing the way technology plays a role in the classrooms. On both the district and school level, administrators are seen as the ones who push for change. A shared vision, funding, and an assessment of current technology need to be an intricate part of the technology plan. Preparing students for college and the future will be part of the technology plan. Without it, students will not be successful. By forming a committee, understanding the requirements of both federal and state laws regarding technology, and requiring business continuity plans to recover technology, leaders can successfully implement the technology change necessary for student success. It is not just an idea, it is a school reform that will require flexible environments, innovation, time allocation, and visionaries.
The infrastructure for technology is one that supports data-driven decision making, allows for the data capacity to support the vast amounts of software necessary to teach and learn, technology specialists to support assistance in a timely manner, equal access by all students and staff, and funding to continue meeting the technology needs as they grow and change. Distance learning will need to be part of the technology curriculum. High-speed connectivity is necessary to deliver the data in both quantity, time, and security. Keeping the data and students secure is also a mandatory component to the infrastructure.
The most important need is for a solid and ongoing partnership between the state, local education agencies, regional centers, and universities. Those relationships will foster the growth of funding, leadership and support, qualified professionals, measures of student progress and teacher progress, continual telecommunication discounts, and software standards.
As a new leader, it will definitely be a daunting task to renovate our current educational system. I know that by having support from federal, state, and local agencies, I can be more successful. By forming the right committee, providing research to support my stance on technology in education, and keeping the students' needs first, I am confident that I can succeed.
Week 1 Part 1
Just when you think you know something about technology, it all changes! I used to consider myself somewhat knowledgeable when it came to technology, but now I am somewhat reconsidering. I recently took the Technology Applications Inventory, where I felt pretty good about what I knew. I answered yes to most of the questions, which I now realize is due to the vagueness of the questions. The areas where no was my answer were due to lack of clarity on the depth of knowledge or simply because I had not worked with a program enough. Then I took the SETDA Building Survey. What a new realization! Personally I have worked with several of the programs, but since I am no longer in the classroom, I decided to do the building survey. It was a wakeup call to me on how much I the students in my school suffer from lack of technology. Unless students choose to enroll in the technology applications classes offered at my building, they do not receive any technology instruction. The assessment also brought to my attention that my building has an unforeseen expectation that technology will be used in the classrooms, but it rarely is used in regular instruction.
As an administrator, I think that modeling the technology expectations through staff developments, communications among staff, and even in presentations to students. The SETDA survey also helped me realize that my principal is working to make an impact on students and technology. She has begun utilizing the calling system to notify parents of upcoming events, testing, and other important information. This has helped teachers realize they need to be on the top of their game. For future staff developments, I would love to see more on the newest programs available to assist teachers in the classroom, as well as programs that will motivate our students to achieve at our high expectations. The assessment definitely helped me realize too that my building is still evolving towards moving into the 21st century of learning.
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