Texas STaR Chart
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Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Texas STaR Chart
The Texas STaR Chart mirrors The Long-Range Plan for Technology. Four key areas provide a framework for students, educators, leaders, and infrastructure to help us measure how well we’re progressing with our technology goals.
I believe that all four areas are essential to improving student learning, but today I’d like to explore just one area, Teaching and Learning. The key area of Teaching and Learning is directly related to how students use technology in the classroom. Research, problem-solving, and communication are the skills to promote. All students need access to tools and resources for individualized learning. Traditional teaching methods need to be replaced with learner-centered, authentic experiences where students collaborate and analyze data to solve real-world problems. Web-based lessons align and integrate technology TEKS into content area TEKS.
A teacher can make a big impact on student motivation and achievement by integrating technology into content-area lessons. With most teachers already using the web, email, and word processing for personal use, it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to apply it to lessons. The best way to improve this area is to provide teachers with sample lessons and model implementation. By examining how they use technology in their lives, teachers will begin to envision some real-world projects for their students to experience.
I believe that all four areas are essential to improving student learning, but today I’d like to explore just one area, Teaching and Learning. The key area of Teaching and Learning is directly related to how students use technology in the classroom. Research, problem-solving, and communication are the skills to promote. All students need access to tools and resources for individualized learning. Traditional teaching methods need to be replaced with learner-centered, authentic experiences where students collaborate and analyze data to solve real-world problems. Web-based lessons align and integrate technology TEKS into content area TEKS.
A teacher can make a big impact on student motivation and achievement by integrating technology into content-area lessons. With most teachers already using the web, email, and word processing for personal use, it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to apply it to lessons. The best way to improve this area is to provide teachers with sample lessons and model implementation. By examining how they use technology in their lives, teachers will begin to envision some real-world projects for their students to experience.
Technology Application TEKS
Preschool students are expected to open and use software programs, use input devices such as a mouse, keyboard, and CD-ROM, and operate recorders and touch screens. They can use software applications to express their own ideas, and they understand that technology offers them access to information from others.
The Pre-K TEKS are the very beginning of a dynamic, spiraling technology curriculum. The Pre-K TEKS lay the foundation for successful technology performance in the future by providing experiences where students become comfortable with basic technology equipment and terminology. Their early technology application experience builds their confidence so that they are ready to tackle more complex projects as they move through each grade level. A spiraling curriculum builds on basic skills by touching on what the student knows and adding to it. For example, Pre-K students learn how to use the keyboard to create a simple word-processing document. In third grade, students expand on this by changing fonts and inserting charts. In middle school, their document becomes more sophisticated by learning how to use page set-up and publishing multi-column newsletters. In high school, they take it even further by publishing it on the internet. A spiraling curriculum is very different from a traditional curriculum. Traditionally, we master a set of objectives and move on to the next that are usually disconnected from the previous knowledge. A spiraling curriculum keeps elaborating on what we already know. Our foundation skills provide a springboard to the next level, but we continue to use these basic skills within the context of more sophisticated application.
The Pre-K TEKS are the very beginning of a dynamic, spiraling technology curriculum. The Pre-K TEKS lay the foundation for successful technology performance in the future by providing experiences where students become comfortable with basic technology equipment and terminology. Their early technology application experience builds their confidence so that they are ready to tackle more complex projects as they move through each grade level. A spiraling curriculum builds on basic skills by touching on what the student knows and adding to it. For example, Pre-K students learn how to use the keyboard to create a simple word-processing document. In third grade, students expand on this by changing fonts and inserting charts. In middle school, their document becomes more sophisticated by learning how to use page set-up and publishing multi-column newsletters. In high school, they take it even further by publishing it on the internet. A spiraling curriculum is very different from a traditional curriculum. Traditionally, we master a set of objectives and move on to the next that are usually disconnected from the previous knowledge. A spiraling curriculum keeps elaborating on what we already know. Our foundation skills provide a springboard to the next level, but we continue to use these basic skills within the context of more sophisticated application.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Long-Range Technology Plan
The Long-Range Plan for Technology offers Texas schools a vision and plan to provide leaders, teachers, and students technology application proficiency and instructional integration. From 2006 to 2020, the plan will be refined and updated based on actual progress and new technology as it becomes available.
The first domain applies to students. Research, problem-solving, and communication are the skills to promote. All students need access to tools and resources for individualized learning. Traditional teaching methods need to be replaced with learner-centered, authentic experiences. No Child Left Behind requires all students to achieve technology literacy by eighth grade. In order to accomplish this, technology will need to be aligned and integrated into core content areas.
The second domain applies to educators. New educators will enter the profession with proficiency in current technology applications. Ongoing professional development will ensure all teachers become and remain proficient. Offering online learning will provide abundant opportunities and make professional development more convenient. Interactive learning communities will provide support and structure to help teachers integrate technology into instruction.
The third domain applies to leaders. Leaders need to model professional use of technology. Offering staff development, including distance education, will help teachers increase their understanding and use of technology for daily tasks and instruction. Leaders, with the help of a technology committee, need to implement and update campus goals through collaborative planning and budgeting. District leaders need to look for ways to expand classes, including online and distance learning, for students.
The fourth domain applies to an infrastructure system. Essential to achieving this vision is the strong framework to provide support. The planned infrastructure makes sure that the district has reliable funding, data software, high-speed connectivity, easy and constant access, and instant technical assistance. The students and teachers in Texas need state-wide, equitable access that connects homes to schools to businesses to libraries which will create a collaborative learning community for all.
As an instructional leader, it’s important to understand and implement this long-range plan. With district support and a collaborative technology committee, a principal can lead the campus to improved technology use and lesson integration. Technology goals can be integrated with objectives in the Campus Improvement Plan.
The first domain applies to students. Research, problem-solving, and communication are the skills to promote. All students need access to tools and resources for individualized learning. Traditional teaching methods need to be replaced with learner-centered, authentic experiences. No Child Left Behind requires all students to achieve technology literacy by eighth grade. In order to accomplish this, technology will need to be aligned and integrated into core content areas.
The second domain applies to educators. New educators will enter the profession with proficiency in current technology applications. Ongoing professional development will ensure all teachers become and remain proficient. Offering online learning will provide abundant opportunities and make professional development more convenient. Interactive learning communities will provide support and structure to help teachers integrate technology into instruction.
The third domain applies to leaders. Leaders need to model professional use of technology. Offering staff development, including distance education, will help teachers increase their understanding and use of technology for daily tasks and instruction. Leaders, with the help of a technology committee, need to implement and update campus goals through collaborative planning and budgeting. District leaders need to look for ways to expand classes, including online and distance learning, for students.
The fourth domain applies to an infrastructure system. Essential to achieving this vision is the strong framework to provide support. The planned infrastructure makes sure that the district has reliable funding, data software, high-speed connectivity, easy and constant access, and instant technical assistance. The students and teachers in Texas need state-wide, equitable access that connects homes to schools to businesses to libraries which will create a collaborative learning community for all.
As an instructional leader, it’s important to understand and implement this long-range plan. With district support and a collaborative technology committee, a principal can lead the campus to improved technology use and lesson integration. Technology goals can be integrated with objectives in the Campus Improvement Plan.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
What do I know about instructional technology?
Not enough. During the first week of this graduate course, we were assigned two assessments.
The Technology Applications Inventory sorts technology knowledge and skills into four categories: foundations, information acquisition, solving problems, and communication.
Foundations skills include basic knowledge related to operating systems, hardware, software, and files. Of the 18 foundation skills assessed, I was able to dust off enough cobwebs and reach back about ten years to find a connection to all but one. I can’t say that I use all of the vocabulary presented on a daily basis and probably can’t give you a perfect definition of each, but I can give you an example of how I currently use the concept at home or at school. I don’t have any experience using cross platform files.
For the information acquisition category, I scored knowledgably on seven out of ten skills. I am a research fanatic and completely obsessed with data. However, I’ve never heard of Boolean search strategies, vector or bitmapped graphic files, and I’m just not sure if I’ve ever used a variety of text files. Maybe I’ll find out that I have and I just don’t know it!
Most of the skills involved in the category of solving problems with technology tools are related to software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, multi-media projects, and telecommunications. Scoring 12 of 18, I feel my knowledge is comparable to my teenagers. Have I ever used interactive virtual environments? Not sure. The other items I checked as unknown were related to integrating core subjects with technology. Because I teach only reading, my technology use is limited to one subject.
The last category, communication, refers to projects used in group presentations, newsletters, and management tools. Scoring ten of twelve, I feel competent in most of these skills. I’ve created newsletters, brochures, charts, graphs, and multimedia presentations. I’ve never used a database manager or project manager tools.
The State Educational Technology Directors Association Teacher Survey, at 26 pages, was unreasonably long and mostly irrelevant to my position. I’m not going to add up how many times I checked don’t know or not applicable. Maybe by the end of this graduate course I’ll understand their questions.
The Technology Applications Inventory sorts technology knowledge and skills into four categories: foundations, information acquisition, solving problems, and communication.
Foundations skills include basic knowledge related to operating systems, hardware, software, and files. Of the 18 foundation skills assessed, I was able to dust off enough cobwebs and reach back about ten years to find a connection to all but one. I can’t say that I use all of the vocabulary presented on a daily basis and probably can’t give you a perfect definition of each, but I can give you an example of how I currently use the concept at home or at school. I don’t have any experience using cross platform files.
For the information acquisition category, I scored knowledgably on seven out of ten skills. I am a research fanatic and completely obsessed with data. However, I’ve never heard of Boolean search strategies, vector or bitmapped graphic files, and I’m just not sure if I’ve ever used a variety of text files. Maybe I’ll find out that I have and I just don’t know it!
Most of the skills involved in the category of solving problems with technology tools are related to software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, multi-media projects, and telecommunications. Scoring 12 of 18, I feel my knowledge is comparable to my teenagers. Have I ever used interactive virtual environments? Not sure. The other items I checked as unknown were related to integrating core subjects with technology. Because I teach only reading, my technology use is limited to one subject.
The last category, communication, refers to projects used in group presentations, newsletters, and management tools. Scoring ten of twelve, I feel competent in most of these skills. I’ve created newsletters, brochures, charts, graphs, and multimedia presentations. I’ve never used a database manager or project manager tools.
The State Educational Technology Directors Association Teacher Survey, at 26 pages, was unreasonably long and mostly irrelevant to my position. I’m not going to add up how many times I checked don’t know or not applicable. Maybe by the end of this graduate course I’ll understand their questions.
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