Week 12 Step 9 - Critique the Existing Technology
Plan
Rachael Pawlik
1.
How did the plan meet the existing needs in
technology, funding, and management issues?
Moorhead JH does not have a technology plan in
place. There has been very little growth
in the area of Technology. I have a new
technology Specialist this year that I have worked on a technology plan. There are a few things that I have changed
since this beginning of this semester.
Moorhead JH is so far behind; it will take a lot of work to get caught
up. There has not been anyone interested
in helping the teachers learn how to implement technology in the
classroom. The only technology that has
been completed is the teachers did get new machines but for the year I have had
the machine, there has not been any maintenance.
I have created a technology plan and then revised the
technology plan the more I learn what needs to be done. I have implemented a few things in the plan
and it seems to be working. There are
parts of the technology plan that will be worked on in the summer to implement
this next school year.
Next year I will start a program to teach the teachers
what they need to know to start implementing more technology and use technology
we have. I will keep record of all
software and anything on the machines as well as what is done to each
machine. We have created a management
plan to help with the use of the WOW carts, computer labs and keeping records
the different technology software and machines.
Form a team, one teacher from each department, which
will learn to troubleshoot simple errors that may come up within the
department. Find partnership outside of
Moorhead to help with the cost of implementing technology within the school. Use the grant writers for the school district
to help with getting grants.
2.
How did the goals provide the measurable
outcomes for future improvement?
Having the teachers learn about implementing
technology in the classroom will bring a since of confidence in the
teachers. They will be more willing to
use technology. The teachers will also
need to learn about the Standards which will help them understand what is
required of them when implementing technology in their lesson plans.
We only have one technology specialist on campus
that also has to teach so teaching a team to learn to trouble shoot simple technology
errors will help with getting these errors fixed at a faster rate.
Implementing a management plan will keep things
more organized and give exact knowledge of what Moorhead has on campus. I will know what we have to work with and
what we need to continue growth. This
plan has also built respect in the mind of the students in how to handle
technology.
Searching for a partnership and that will join with
Moorhead will help our growth be obtained at a faster pace along with obtaining
grants. This will help the students
obtain more experience with technology for their future.
3.
How did the strategies defined to meet the
proposed objectives?
Teaching
our teachers the technology standards and implementing technology in the
classroom is an investment according to the Southern Regional Board of
Education. They state there is rapid
increase in the availability of computers and other technology in schools
represents a significant investment, and state leaders are concerned about
results. To what extent does technology use result in improved student
learning? Research has found that teacher skill in using technology is a major
factor in improving student learning with technology. Teachers must know not
only how to use technology but also when and why to use it.
The
strategies I have placed meet the objectives I have stated in my technology
plan. I have proposed a plan of action
to accomplish these goals. This will
take time to complete and may change a little as time goes on.
Southern
Regional Education Board. (1999-2012). Technology Standards for Teachers. Retrieved
from http://www.sreb.org/page
/1380/98t11_technology_standards_for_teachers.html
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteA suggestion also for your team of teachers besides troubleshooting is using them as a small committee to share topics when they are in their planning meetings of technology tools that they can use to support instruction. This way they will have small doses of professional development that gives them opportunities to implement them.
Deborah
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI am interested if you feel that the students of your school are getting a solid foundation for computer skills in their tech apps classes. Do you feel that the classic model of education is better suited for the climate of standardized testing that we are working in? Some days I personally feel that taking notes from a power point is the comfort zone of the students and because they have had so much success with this, who am I to argue. I never experienced an undergrad or high school course where the teacher created learning experiences for us--merely theory.
Also, even in schools like mine where technology abounds, teachers are not using it effectively and students balk at being made to do "projects."
Does your school leadership think technology in schools is an educational fad? If they wait it out the research will change? Or is it more a budgetary issue? Lack of leadership?
I would love to hear at our reunion what you have done to change this! Here, a P.E. and speech teacher who "liked computers" is now the head of the Technology staff. You go!