Week 4

Week 4 Assignment, Part 1:
Superintendent-To promote the district’s vision for technology to administration staff, teachers, community stakeholders, and students
Curriculum & Instruction Director-To help in the choosing of appropriate technology professional development, and the identification of weaknesses in the technology instruction given to teachers and students
Technology Director-To direct the overall installation, use, and evaluation of technology in the campus schools
Technology Specialist-To oversee the operations of the technology used in the campuses – troubleshooting, maintaining
Instructional Technology Specialist-To provide quality professional development to teachers that will allow more hands-on and relevant instruction to students
Campus Principals-To understand the weaknesses in technology instruction on campus, to relate to the district administration the professional development needs, ensure that all faculty members understand technology policies and guidelines for themselves and their students.
Campus Technology Aide-To provide the campus with technology support and to lead the campus in technology products such as newsletters, etc., to troubleshoot on campus with hardware and software problems.
Campus Teachers -To teach cyber ethics to students, to provide hands-on collaborative and creative ways to incorporate technology into the classroom, to ensure that students receive instruction in all technology TEKS


Week 4 Assignment, Part 2:
Ranking lowest in the area of Educator Preparation and Development on the STaR Chart for the last three years has prompted the district to take a more active approach at offering professional development that is useful, meaningful, and on-going. I gave my principal the web address for the SETDA survey and she has used it to gather data from teachers that will prioritize which technology issues need to be targeted first. Our campus has installed document scanners, projectors, Mimio Smartboards, and other useful instructional technology tools. However, the teachers of our campus have not been proficient in using said equipment based on the minimum amount of training that has been offered. So, in the attempt to provide on-going and productive professional development, every Monday the district Instructional Technology Specialists use one of the computer labs to conduct staff training during each conference period. Each week, a different technology topic is introduced, taught, and reviewed. Topics range from creating newsletters and web pages to using our new software that records books, etc. that can be played on an MP3 player. Teachers use a survey at the end of each Monday professional development session to include how the information given will be used in the classroom, how beneficial the professional development was, and ideas for upcoming Monday professional development sessions. Also, as with many campuses, there are staff members who are fluent in the implementation of new technology. Our new Mimio Smartboards are proving to be a challenge for some of the campus teachers, so I propose a designated time when a teaches can pair up with someone that is more familiar with this new technology and have a “share” time, so that the teachers who are unsure how to use the Smartboards can see how other teachers are using them. Perhaps an online discussion board would also be a great way for teachers to share ideas about how they are using the Smartboards in their classrooms.


Week 4 Assignment, Part 3:
Our campus will use the yearly STaR Chart data to assess key areas of technology use. Other data reports, including AEIS, AYP, and surveys such as SETDA, will show areas of strength and weakness so we can gauge improvement yearly. Classroom monitoring visits by the principal will be used to assess whether technology is being used to meet instructional needs. Teachers, through e-mail, will be sent surveys periodically to gather opinions about professional development needs. These findings will be gathered and delivered to the Site-Based Decision Making Committee in order to make decisions for the upcoming year regarding new technology and professional development.