saralowry

When I started this program, I thought it would be just like the undergraduate classes that I had previously taken online, but I am glad to say that it was not the same at all. I have been exposed to a vast amount of knowledge that is directly applicable to my current job and the goals that I have for my future in education. I don’t think that I had any exact expectations envisioned for this specific course because it was hard for me to try to set a goal before I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. After getting started in the class, I decided that I wanted to get an A in the course and stay ahead on my readings and assignments. I really like how the class is set up with weekly readings and assignments; it helps keep things organized and on track. It was beneficial to be able to work ahead on some of the assignments in order to stay caught up. I did not expect the amount of reading that was involved, but once I got started on the articles, I found that I really enjoyed them and even discussed many of them with colleagues. They definitely brought an interesting insight to my job.

The relevancy of this course actually surprised me. Most of the courses I’ve taken ended up being a lot of theory and not so much practicality. This course brought both. Reading the articles that were assigned made me look at my classes, as well as my campus and district, in a new way. Mason and Dodd’s article about the digital divide was specifically profound for me because of the demographics of the school where I teach. The students I have in class range from those who don’t know how to turn on the computer and log in to those who can build and program a computer from scratch. Being able to teach to such diverse levels is challenging. I also found the information regarding the state and national standards of particular interest because I feel that my campus is definitely lacking in some areas. Everywhere I turn around now, I am looking for ways to make educating our students more relevant to the 21st Century world they live in.

This course surpassed any expectations I had going into the class. The assignments were relevant and appropriately challenging. I love the hands-on approach to teaching about the digital tools like Animoto and Wordle. The reflections about these digital tools gave me an opportunity to brainstorm methods for incorporating them in my classroom. The only thing that I wish I had done more was be involved in the web conferences. I only got to participate in two of the five. I did not have a webcam for the first one, and the other two I missed were on nights when I was coaching, so I was unavailable at the specified time. I really like that the web conferences were recorded so that I could review the ones that I missed, though. The information about the state and national technology plans, the E-rate program, and all of the self-assessment tools really gave me the opportunity to evaluate where my campus stands.

I found the assignments in this course to be quite engaging. They way that they are structured makes them easy to follow and easy to implement. I particularly enjoyed the Animoto assignment, creating the wiki, and the Wordle. I did not run into any problems completing any of the required assignments, although some definitely required more thought and research than others. I have already had the opportunity to implement the use of Animoto in my classroom and had great results. I had a student come to me after the assignment and tell me how much he enjoyed it, and he was excited about being able to use it to create a trailer for an upcoming school play. The assignments are designed not only to assess your knowledge, but they show you firsthand how to use and implement the tools available. That makes the assignments so much more worthwhile.

I learned an incredible amount of information regarding the national technology plan and the state technology plan. Honestly, before the class, I didn’t even know they existed. I am much more familiar with the ISTE Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards, although, I feel like I still have a lot to learn about those. I am very self-motivated and I am not afraid to implement and test technology tools in my classroom. My technology skills are strong, as they should be since I teach technology courses. My leadership skills are not as strong. Being able to give the teachers on my campus information about the tools they have at their disposal is a necessity. I need to set a positive example and be a resource for my colleagues. Learning, growing, and sharing is what education is about. Teachers and administrators must be willing to step outside their comfort zone in order to make our educational system more efficient and productive.

Mason, C. Y., & Dodds, R. (2005). Bridge the digital divide for educational equity. The Education Digest, 70(9), 25-27.

I got to meet a couple of new faces on the web conference tonight, and the feed was so much smoother than the last one. We discussed the assignments for Week 4 (which is supposed to be the “easy” week), and we spent the majority of the time discussing the Internship plan that is the Week 5 assignment. There are 8 standards which encompass 32 performance indicators that we have to document. We discussed which appendices to use for the different requirements of the Internship process. And while, I do feel more informed, I’m still a little overwhelmed. We were encouraged to stay caught up on the course reflections, which I definitely plan on doing.

Education is the key to being able to compete into today’s increasingly technology-driven society. The NETP calls for a dramatic change to the American education system. There are five basic components that must be addressed: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. The NETP has specified goals for each area. First, learners will have engaging and empowering experiences both in and out of school that will prepare them for interacting in a vastly networked society. In order to meet this goal, NETP recommends that states continue to improve and apply standards and objectives incorporating technology in all content areas. Technology should be implemented in a way that makes use of its flexibility and power to optimize learning. Second, the educational system will utilize technology to evaluate needs and use that data for ongoing improvements. Strategies outlined to meet this goal include designing and implementing assessment techniques that give students, teachers, and stakeholders timely and actionable feedback, using technology to improve assessment techniques, conducting research and development that investigates how new methods of assessment can be used, and revising policies and procedures to make sure that parents and students have adequate access to assessment results. Third, teachers will have individual and team technology support that will encourage more effective teaching. NETP recommendations include creating more web-based opportunities for teachers and students, and using networking tools as collaborative learning environments to promote 21st Century learning skills. Fourth, students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure. This will be accomplished by ensuring adequate Internet access and wireless connectivity, by having at least one digital tool available to each student and teacher that can access the Internet, by encouraging the use of open-source resources to support new and innovative learning, and by utilizing interoperability standards for student-learning data and financial data. Fifth, the education system will use technology to overhaul current procedures to increase student achievement and create a more efficient use of resources. The goal requires redefining productivity in terms of 21st Century teaching and learning, and rethinking our current standards and organizational practices.
In regards to teaching and learning, the NETP calls for differentiated and individualized instruction. Learning should be student-centered and offer an engaging environment utilizing technology resources. Competencies should stretch beyond the core curriculum to incorporate 21st Century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and multimedia communication. Using different platforms for communicating and learning allows for more diverse learning opportunities. Teachers are encouraged to practice connected teaching, which involves teachers staying connected to their students, online resources, and other professionals and systems that allows them to create more efficient learning experiences. Professional development opportunities should mirror what is expected of teachers in classrooms. Technology-rich, ongoing, job-embedded professional development activities are necessary for transformation of teaching methods.
Infrastructure is a major component for this plan, but how is more technology supposed to be integrated with the state budget in its current condition? The plan also calls for every teacher and every student to have an Internet access device for use 24/7 in for learning to take place in and out of the classroom. Another major issue that could arise is the idea of personalizing learning to each individual students. It makes complete sense for a student who can demonstrate mastery of an Algebra 2 class to move on to the next subject, rather than wasting more time sitting in class for his classmates to catch up, but what kind of logistical structure would be required to organize such an individualized atmosphere? Do we just throw semesters, trimesters, and quarters out the window and just go with a self-paced high school curriculum? The NETP has set forth a very idealistic plan, with an implementation process that will require a major overhaul of the education system as we know it.

Denton ISD has a Technology Plan in place that was developed to “set measurable goals and deadlines for the district’s continuing growth, to provide the resources necessary for our teachers and students and provide the necessary support to the learning process” (Braswell, 2010, 4). The first goal in the plan is that the administration, teachers, and students will integrate technology into the curriculum to create a technology-rich environment that will increase student achievement, improve instructional accountability, and be provided the resources necessary to meet the needs of a fast-growing district. Strategies include increasing technology staff on the campus level, having teachers incorporate technology through lesson resources in the online curriculum, and developing and implementing a Curriculum Technology Integration Team to align the Technology TEKS with curriculum. The second goal is for teachers and staff to attain and possess the necessary skills, through professional development, to integrate technology, to help motivate students and prepare them to enter a competitive society. Integrating more technology into the district level staff development process that can be documented through teacher evaluations is one approach to meeting this goal. Third, Denton ISD will provide appropriate access to information and resources for parents and other stakeholders to promote an environment of open communication. Strategies to meet this goal include providing parents and the community a variety of information via the Internet and increasing cooperation and communication between city, university, and Denton ISD libraries. The fourth goal states that we will provide adequate technology infrastructure to meet the needs of our students, teachers, and administration. This will be accomplished by providing sufficient equipment to meet state and district standards based on staff and student populations and providing the necessary building space and support structure to maintain and expand the Denton ISD infrastructure.
The five elements that are necessary to meet the requirements set forth by the “E-Rate” program are addressed. The goals, as discussed above, are realistic, and the strategies to implement them are appropriate. Ongoing professional development opportunities are available throughout the year on campuses throughout the district. Use of the Workshop portion of the Eduphoria online software system allows teachers, staff, and administration to view, register, and survey the professional development activities provided. Using the goals outlined above, budgets are determined based on the current assets and future necessities. Assessment is an ongoing, comprehensive process involving online teacher surveys, interviews with department chairs, campus inventories, review of technology maintenance contract and services, review of curriculum TEKS aligned with Technology Application TEKS, as well as other methods.


Braswell, R. (2010). Denton ISD technology plan: 2010-2012 [PDF document]. 1-22.

It is hard to move forward and implement change if you do not know where you are starting. Assessment is a critical part of defining the current status. Both teacher assessment and student assessment are necessary to create the first steps in the improvement process. In the article Savvy Educators Reveal Secrets of Reform, Stansbury explains that “Gordon emphasized that data are imperative for student achievement, saying: ‘We need data to know where we need to make changes … Students achievement has many variables, from attendance to learning style, from special needs to personal health, and we need data to vary teaching methods – methods that include the use of technology to help these students’” (2007, 17). Assessment not only gives us a starting point, but it allows for implementation to be monitored on a continual basis. This allows for restructuring and modifying the strategies necessary to reach the defined goals. It also serves as means for accountability. If our assessments don’t show improvement, then something is not working, and strategies must be reevaluated.
One issue that arises with the use of assessments is the availability of resources to conduct the assessment. Time also plays a factor. Most teachers and students value their time and find it time-consuming to complete the questionnaires and surveys used to monitor their technology skills. The accuracy of these methods also can be of concern. How many teachers fill out the assessments inaccurately because of the fact that they just don’t understand the questions or because they are unfamiliar with the resources?
Overall, I think the technology assessments used to gather information about teacher and student skills are extremely valuable. Even with the concerns that the assessments bring, they still provide vital information regarding progress that must be headed in the right direction.

Stansbury, M. (2007). Savvy educators reveal secrets of reform. eSchool News, 10(9), 17.

This was my very first video conference, and I think it went fairly well. There were some connection issues, but overall it seemed smooth. I logged on early because I was worried about figuring out how to use my new webcam, but it was remarkably simple. I really like having the ability to put faces with the names on the discussion board. It makes everything seem so much more personal. All of the information concerning the internship seems a little overwhelming, but I’m hoping that it will go smoothly since we are starting to piece it together now. I am intrigued about the opportunity to get the Principal Certification. I wasn’t aware that was an option, and I’m not sure that I will choose that route, but I like that I have the opportunity. I have 2 colleagues on campus that have completed this Master’s degree in the past couple of years, and they both rave about the program. I am excited to get started!