Web Conference: Thursday November 17, 2011

Several topics where discussed during the web conference, the main one being the internship and all the requirements we must meet.

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National Educational Technology Plan

The National Educational Technology Plan presents a model of learning powered by technology, with goals and recommendations in five essential areas:

          1.     Learning

          2.     Assessment  

          3.     Teaching

          4.     Infrastructure

          5.     Productivity

Learning: Engage and Empower

Students today live in a world filled with technology that enables them to have access to information and resources at any time. They are able to pursue their passions, either it be creating multimedia content and uploading it to YouTube, or participating in online social networks to share ideas or collaborate…the opportunities are endless. Learning, described in this model calls for engaging and empowering learning experiences for all learners. The focus of this model is geared to what and how we teach to match what people need to know, how they learn, where and when they will learn, and who needs to learn. For students, using technology, not only outside the classroom, will prepare them to be successful members of a globally competitive workforce.

Assessment: Measure What Matters

Learning requires new and better ways to:

        ·       Measure what matters                               

        ·       Diagnose strengths and weaknesses in the course of learning

        ·       Involve multiple stakeholders in the process of designing, conducting, and using assessments

Technology-based assessments that measure how students think with multimedia, interactivity, and connectivity allow us to assess these types of skills. Currently the standards and assessments that measure 21^st century competencies are being developed. Technology-based assessments combined with learning systems can be used to detect and adjust the conditions of instructional and learning practices. It will also determine what students have learned for grading and accountability purposes. Student-learning data can be compiled and used to help improve learning outcomes and productivity.

Teaching: Prepare and Connect

Professional educators play a big part in transforming our education system. In order to shift to a model of connected teaching, the model of learning requires using technology to help build the capacity of educators. In a connected teaching model, educators have access to content, resources, and systems that enable them to create, manage, and access engaging and relevant learning experiences. More effective in-person courses, workshops, and online environments that offer resources and collaboration opportunities replace ineffective professional development for educators. Without connected teaching, our education system would not have access to effective teaching and learning resources.

Infrastructure: Access and Enable

In order to expand beyond the traditional classroom setting a comprehensive infrastructure is necessary. A comprehensive infrastructure would allow students and educators access to resources at any time. Students will be able to participate in online learning communities, capture and share knowledge based on multimedia, and break away from the rigid information transfer model. An infrastructure for learning enables a much more motivating intertwinement of learning.

Productivity: Redesign and Transform

To achieve our goal of transforming American education, we must apply technology to implement personalized learning. Due to the hard economic times we must leverage technology and provide decision makers with the financial performance of our education system at all levels. We must do this in order to meet our goals for educational attainment within the budget. The fundamental purpose of our education system has not changed, but the times we live in have, so we should change the roles and processes of schools, educators, and the system itself to reflect this.

Technology can enable transforming education, but only if we commit to the change. In order to accomplish this, schools must be incubators of exploration and invention, educators must be collaborators in learning, and students must be fully engaged in school. 

School or District Technology Plan

The Danbury ISD Long Range Technology Plan has been developed in order to formalize and document a set of guiding principles for development of technology instructional programs and teaching strategies, technology training of staff, students and community members, acquisitions of hardware and software, utilization of outside resources within the arena of educational technology for the next three years. The following aims were developed and used to formulate the goals, objectives, and benchmarks for this District Technology Plan: maximize the potential of technology to improve student achievement, enrich the curriculum with technology integrated lessons, prepare students for a changing technological society, empower teachers to utilize technology as an effective tool to transform teaching and learning. All staff members need to: increase their basic “hands on” operation associated with technology use, understand the “mechanics” of technology well enough to be adventurous, innovative, confident and experimental, collaborate with one another and students in learning the technology operations, improve effectiveness of instruction with the assistance of technology tools. In order to improve learning through the use of technology, ongoing staff training, curriculum development, additional software, and commitment from staff members, students, parents, and the community will be needed. As part of curriculum development, staff members need opportunities to discover and/or develop alternative, authentic performance tasks in all subject areas that include technology components and to work with teachers of other grade levels to improve articulation of technology skills across grade levels. In order to meet changing curricular requirements, the district will need relevant instructional software, including upgrades for current applications. To elicit the cooperation and commitment of staff members, students, parents, and the community to improve student learning through technology, periodic surveys will be administered to assess changing technology needs. A comprehensive needs assessment utilizing teacher/student surveys, interviews, inventories and StaR Chart will be conducted to analyze the current status of technology in the district and determine future needs. Items analyzed included: infrastructure, hardware, software, programs, courses, student and faculty achievement, technology resources, staff development, and technical support. Student achievement will be measured through TAKS scores, standard testing, benchmark testing, attendance, high school completion, percentage of students retained at grade level, and grade point averages. Surveys, interviews, and results from STaR charts will be used to measure teacher progress in integration of technology. Evaluation results will be used to revise the plan for the following year and adjust the timeline for implementation if necessary.

The plan stresses the importance of ongoing and sustained staff development in the integration of technology into the curriculum for teachers, principals, administrators, and school library media personnel to further the effective use of technology in the classroom or library media center. Curriculum and Instruction will continue to build the Information Management System that will provide stakeholders information on student performance and align the curriculum vertically and horizontally. It also is consistent with the recommendations for LEAs as defined by the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology in the areas of Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Administration and Support Services, and Infrastructure for Technology, as well as the e-rate applications guidelines, and other state standards, such as Technology Applications Standards for Beginning Teachers. The technology will be used to collect data and to analyze it to best serve each student’s individual needs.

Technology promotes creativity, provides opportunities for real world learning experiences, stimulates life-long learning and enhances the overall competencies necessary to meet like’s challenges. The teaching and learning environment of Danbury ISD is a setting, which has been created to pursue our educational objectives. The Technology Plan will encourage problem-solving, exploration and learning in the classroom; provide student-centered learning; provide access to technology for all students and staff; provide for both current and future needs; restructure the learning environment; encourage communication; complement current key teaching strategies; and implement a comprehensive information system.

Technology Assessment

Technology has not only affected every aspect of business, government, society, and life but the education system as well. The shift from an industrial, manufacturing era to an information-based economy has brought to our attention the inevitable. Technology has transformed the world into a global community. Texas educators must define the future challenges they may face as technology progresses. Educators are now faced with new challenges and goals, to provide every student with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in the 21^st Century.

There are several pros to technology assessments. One of them being the impact technology has on student performance. Technologies primary impact on student performance is, student engagement, student achievement, or collaboration and teamwork. In order for our students to succeed in the 21^st Century, teachers must transform their teaching and learning to successfully integrate technology into instruction. Technology assessments will hold teachers accountable for their own professional development. This is a pro because professional development is a key factor in helping teachers with this transition. Professional development will help to ensure that all educators understand the importance of educational technology and the many possibilities of its use.

Along with the pros, there are cons to technology assessments. Despite strong indications that technology can be beneficial, the potential remains unavailable to many teachers and students. Many teachers indicate that the lack of time during the school day affects the use of technology in their classroom. Not enough computers, no home access for students, and not enough time for planning are additional hurdles.

The pros of technology assessments outweigh the cons associated with it. Once we overcome the challenges that come along with the integration, students will be prepare to succeed in the 21^st Century.