July 21 Web Conference

This week was I had the chance to participate in a web conference, which I have never done before. I thought it was interesting and good for me because I am a visual help me understand more. Although all the participants’ cameras and sound were not working, it was very easy to communicate through the written log on the side of the screen. The web conference answered many questions I had concerning the internship and what to expect over the next 18 months. I am not sure how the web conference could be used in my school unless a teacher held a tutorial session where students could log in to get extra help with lessons or information taught in the classroom. I look forward to participating in more web conferences and learning more in-depth ways to teach and use technology. 

E-Rate and HISD Presentation

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District Technology Plan

The Houston Independent School District Long Range Strategic Plan for Technology (LRSPT) is made up of 13 goals that fall under the four categories presented in the Texas Long Range Technology Plan 2006-2020. Each goal is listed and within that goal, the district shows different objectives and strategies and budget needed to make the goal a reality. Each goal, objective and strategies are listed in groups and it includes who would oversee the operations, the timeline given for each and evidence that support the strategy.

After looking over the LRSPT, the goals mentioned seem very general to me, as if they were produced to just the minimal to apply for E-Rate.  Although there are multiple objectives under each, which I am sure the district would like to make a reality, it’s just not quite there on how to actually get the whole district to these levels. The budget identified in the LRSPT is over a period of three years and it has allotted for E-Rate money, when the district isn’t sure if it will even get the money. Each school in HISD is trying to take this large document and break it down so it works for each school.

The evaluation process identified was made up of 50 focus groups that stakeholders made sure technology was the driving force behind instructional, business and operational duties. During the development of the plan it was determined there were over 200 items were needed.

I have listed the 13 goals below with the first objective. To see the full report please click on the following link. http://www.houstonisd.org/Technology/Home/Forms%20&%20Documents/2009-2012%20HISD%20TECH%20PLAN.pdf

Goal 1. HISD students will become technology literate and will acquire life-long knowledge and skills to be successful in the 21st century.

This goal is to help develop instruction for student learning by grade level.

There is not a budget allotted for this particular goal and there are six different strategies listed with an ongoing timeline.

Goal 2. Assure equity and access to technology-enhanced curriculum and resources district-wide.

To help integrate technology into everyday classroom practices... that support teaching and learning of technology applications.

Goal 3. Promote responsible and appropriate technology use.

This goal is to help to provide opportunities to orient in the proper use of technology applications.

Goal 4. Create a framework to provide anytime, anywhere, professional development opportunities for teachers, administrators, and support staff to facilitate a technology-enhanced learning environment.

This to help staff self assess set goals… measured by the Texas STaR Chart.

Goal 5. Increase the amount of training received by all educators on innovative and effective strategies for integrating technology into all areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in order to increase student achievement.

The objective is to increase teacher and administrator participation in instructional technology training through HISD professional development services.

Goal 6. Develop a comprehensive, ongoing, Long Range Technology Planning process that includes input from all stakeholders, meets all local, state, and federal requirements, and creates a positive district culture.

Increase district staff participation of technology planning.

Goal 7. Encourage community interaction in HISD’s educational programs in order to improve public support and confidence in schools.

Student and teacher accessibility by increasing parent involvement at all campuses …

Goal 8. Identify and implement instructional programs that extend instruction beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom setting through the increased use of technology to provide additional educational opportunities to all students.

Staff and students increase using online state aligned materials to provide courses to areas with limited access.

Goal 9. Provide technology tools to increase management efficiency and to support data-driven, sound, decision-making.

“Increase the use and mastery of technology tools by staff to support data-driven, sound, decision-making with an emphasis on the development and utilization of on-line performance management systems and the reported results of the STaR Chart data collection process to ensure that these process and accountability measures are effective in assisting all students in achieving technology literacy as an integral part of their overall academic achievement.”

Goal 10. Align the district’s enterprise level applications into a centralized, secure, integrated system that combines all data to provide a single, reliable, source for all departments.

“Integrate 100% of HISD’s individual enterprise-level business, operation, and academic databases into a real-time, centralized, data access and reporting system over the next three years to ensure that process and accountability measures are employed in order to evaluate the extent to which activities are effective in: (1) Integrating technology into curricula and instruction; (2) Increasing the ability of teachers to teach; and (3) Enabling students to reach challenging State academic content and student academic improvement standards, and (4) Improving the business efficiency of the district.”

Goal 11. Expand the reach and capacity of HISD’s network to provide a secure and robust infrastructure that supports teaching and learning with technology, as well as other district initiatives.

Available connection points throughout HISD increased to ensure all staff and students are meeting target STaR Chart areas.

Goal 12. Create a strategy to optimize network infrastructure and the operation and management thereof, making it more agile, efficient, and secure.

Over the next three years, consolidate campus-based serves to district network operations.

Goal 13. Reduce the environmental footprint of HISD’s technology infrastructure.

 District needs to make sure it is complying with environmental laws and policies.

National Educational Technology Plan

In the introduction of the National Education Technology Plan 2010, (NETP) states: “Our education system also should help learners set goals, stay in school despite obstacles, earn a high school diploma, and obtain the further education ... [for] the workplace, and their communities” (National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology 1).

In order to accomplish these statements, the plan suggests that schools should be more than a house of information and educators need to be more of collaborators along with students in learning new skills.

There are two main goals within the NETP

1.    Raising the percent of college graduates from 40 percent (now) to 60 percent so they hold a two or four year degree by 2020.

2.    To close the achievement gap so all students graduate high school prepared to college in college and further.

The plan goes ahead to say that these goals are aggressive and it may be a challenge to accomplish them. Due to cuts across states in education the plan proposes to find cost-effective strategies to improve learning outcomes.

For learning, the plan asks educators to focus on how and what they teach to match up with what is needed to know and how learning is taking place. It suggests students should be placed in non-traditional classrooms and require students to take control of their own learning.

Teaching becomes a team activity within the plan and classrooms are fully connected so teachers have 24/7 access to resources and information. Teachers become facilitators and collaborators in the student’s self-directed learning.  Professional development will become learning environments that work with colleges and other institutes.

The plan suggests we dive right into this information provided and allow making corrections as they go. The problem I see with this is although this plan is well laid out and detail oriented it still seems there is a lot of predicting what should happen. Rather than trying to start all “projects” at once, take it one step at a time and see how it works before moving on to the next step. 

Technology Assessments

Many educators are now trying to integrate technology into their classrooms and assignments. However, schools and districts across Texas are assessing these educators on the skills and knowledge of the availability and use of technology along with student’s skill levels. Assessing this information only works if it has a value such as the LoTi Digital-Age Survey Results, which “creates a personalized digital-age professional development profile aligned to the NETS for Teachers” (week 1 assignment). The survey also offers recommendations in five different areas. Still, there are pros and cons of this type of assessment.

For pros, administrators could use these reports to see how each teacher evaluate themselves to help understand where each is excelling or lacking to get information across to students and proper usage of technology. Administrators would be able to easily access this information to determine if all expectations were being met from all faculty members. Where as the STaR Chart could be used to understand areas that need improvement for the school as a whole and this information would be used during teacher professional development.

For cons, educators may not be realistically evaluating themselves, due to not wanting the administration to know what he or she really thinks of the needs for technology, hindering the data administrators use to assess. There are also other factors to focus on when assessing educators, such as classroom management, experience and the way the educator presents the information. However, it would be helpful if all teachers self assessed using the Keirsey Temperament Sorter and the Multiple Intelligence Inventory. 

What a year it's been!

So I am back, here, where I started a year ago stating I was embarking on a new life and going to try the blog thing, but obviously life happened and I didn't think it was important enough to document or maybe it's just I didn't have time. Where do I begin? The last post I was talking about my friend getting married in six months, the beautiful wedding has now come and gone  a little over four months now, oh how time flies the older you get. Speaking of getting older....

My awesome cake my boo Kim bought me

I had my dirty 30 in January  and it was one of the best nights ever, even if it wasn't a huge shindig, still I had about 25 people show up to celebrate my birthday! But let me back up to November, I remember talking to my dad one night about what we were planning for Thanksgiving dinner and what I wanted him and my mom to cook, it's my second favorite holiday, behind Christmas because you can eat and eat and it doesn't matter those couple of days! :) To be honest, at this point I can't even remember if Thanksgiving was good, or what we did that day. All I remember is my mom calling me in the middle of the night I believe a day or two after Thanksgiving and telling me she was behind a ambulance rushing my dad to the hospital. Now, for those who know my dad, he's a little on the hypochondriac side of life, so my  mom told me not to worry. The next morning when I spoke with her, she told me the Dr. said my dad needed emergency surgery! WHAT? I held the phone, I didn't know what to say... Surgery? Emergency? the words just kept running through my brain, I don't think I heard another word she said for two or three minutes. It sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher... Whant whant... when I began understanding English again, there was nothing I could do and I like to be in control of things, this is where my faith runs in and sweeps me off my feet, right? When my mom finally had news, she told me my dad had to have 20" of his small intestines removed and that he had a hernia and it had ruptured inside his intestines. When I got to the hospital, after surgery and in ICU he didn't look good at all I didn't know if he was going to make it the next 24 hrs; so I prayed and prayed. 

This past eight months has not only shown me how to better myself and place my faith in God and know He will take care of whatever is in His plan, but it has also taught me I am not in control and with that it's help strength my walk with God.  
We spent Christmas in the hospital and Santa even found us to fill our stockings! My dad had some complications with his wound and he continued to stay in the hospital until April when he got to go home... this all sounds good, but I think it was more trouble than anything after being home for about a month and a half, the Dr. ordered him back into the hospital and he's been there since. He is still waiting for another surgery, but his levels aren't right and they don't feel comfortable doing surgery until these certain levels go up. 
My dad just celebrated his 60th birthday and by the Grace of God he was able to retire and now although he can't enjoy his retirement right now, he is getting the benefits and doesn't have to worry about being "let go!" 
I am sure much more has happened in the last year of my life, but this seems to always be in the front part of my brain, always wondering when my dad will get to go home, or when my mom will get a break, or when my brother will get it together.. notice none of that had anything to with me? I try to take care of me, I just keep myself busy, it's easy to do that, especially now that I am working on my master's for the next 18 months.. with work and everything else I should be just about right... run ragged! 
So I guess I begin again and try to make this year different, you know like I say every year, but I think this year I actually mean it! There are many things I want to accomplish and talking about them is not getting me anywhere, jump in head first! And another year begins to take shape!