BISD, Lori Dudley

Discussion STEP 7:

1.       How do your proposed strategies (Week 8 Step 6) meet the required standards as your Week 6
           Step 4 stated?
        
          As the strategies were broken down into the following sections: Technology, Funding, and
          Management, each noted the needs assessment, with evidence to prove the need has been
          met. The use of assessment under management is most efficient due to PEIMS and observation
          along with self-assessments. However, the use of technology will vary per teacher per campus
          along with the ability. Funding is still the largest issue within BISD although the strategies are
          stated the money may or may not be available to implement the required outcome. The Long-Term
          Plan allows for schools to section out the funding meeting the need if and when available. When
          funding or equipment is not available the first year the goal will be moved down to another year.
          The alignment in comparison of the two blogs display a gap due to question wording that will need
          to be addressed during the final draft to align the strategies vs standards. Within my blog the
          formation of the objectives need to further include the strategies as research suggested in
          Week 8, Step 6.  PEIMS is a vital tool along with DMAC, RSCCC
          as far as management is concerned. E-Rate depicts the funding and technology distribution,
          which is a factor unavailable in the creation of this plan – only the research can be used as
          a directional tool.

      
          The required readings highlighted several aspects of a school that as I teacher I did not even
          know existed.By attending the technology committee meeting at BISD I became aware of the
          needs and budget issues. Technology is the way of the future and BISD is continuously working
          to meet the needs of both teacher and student. By creating a goal, strategies are needed to
          implement and carry out the desired out come. As I stated in the previous weeks the goals,
          objectives, and strategies needed outline the formation of my district
          technology plan, piece by piece connecting the total need assessment.

          Goals state the need
          Strategies state the process of meeting the need
          Objectives break down the steps to meeting each need on an individual basis
          Standards outline the requirements.

          As a small rural school the strategies and standards are within reaching distance with time and
          funding.Teachers are willing as the district moves to education the future generation.
        

                       (Utecht, J., n.d)

        

2.      Review the reading materials in Technology domain to propose using other standards which are not

         adopted by your studied school. Explain why those new standards should be considered for your

         studied school.

         Several aspects of technology are not utilized by BISD that would be beneficial to improving
         student performance and knowledge district wide. After review several of the Technology based
         reading assignment I found the follow standards that are not part of our technology plan but
         should be:

         “Digital authoring tools for creating multimedia projects and online communities for sharing them

          with the world offer students outlets for social and emotional connections with educators, peers,

         communities, and the world at large” (ED.Gov, n.d)

v  Expand opportunities for educators to have access to technology-based content, resources, and tools where and when they need them.

BISD is limited on the use of technology but the equipment that is available will enable teachers to inspire a change
in their teaching abilities to engage and promote effective rigorous learning opportunities for all students. Along
with this opportunity continuous training must occur throughout the year Also BISD must

                rethink the use of technology and expand the resources and tools available to teachers.

v  Leverage social networking technologies and platforms to create communities of practice that provide career-long personal learning opportunities for educators within and across schools, pre-service preparation and in-service educational institutions, and professional organizations.

Currently social networking is strictly prohibited at BISD for teachers and students. As a growing district
social networking could provide teachers will an addition learning tool in their own professional development.
The Online communities that are available can allow teachers to take online courses and share experiences with
other teachers and colleagues.

v  Use technology to provide all learners with online access to effective teaching and better learning opportunities and options in places where they are not otherwise available and in blended (online and offline) learning environments.

“Many education institutions, particularly those serving the most vulnerable students and those in rural areas, lack educators with competencies in reaching students with special needs and educators with content knowledge and expertise in specialized areas, including STEM” (ED. Gov, n.d). When student have access to subject content lessons online after school hours they have the ability to review and reflect on their learning experience. Through my website I have tutorial sites available, skill builders, content based games and worksheet that allow students to strengthen their understanding, however there are not many teachers in our district that provide their students this opportunity.

v  Provide pre-service and in-service educators with professional learning experiences powered by technology to increase their digital literacy and enable them to create compelling assignments for students that improve learning, assessment, and instructional practices.

“Just as technology helps us engage and motivate students to learn, technology should be used in the preparation and ongoing learning of educators to engage and motivate them in what and how they teach. This will require synthesizing core principles and adopting best practices for the use of technology in preparing educators. Technology also should be an integral component of teaching methods courses,
and field experiences rather than treated as a discrete skill distinct from pedagogical application”
 (ED. Gov, n.d).

Reference:

              Ed.Gov. (n.d) Teaching: prepare and connect. U.S department of education. Retrieved (2012, March 29)

              from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010/teaching-prepare-and-connect
               
             

              Utecht, J. (n.d) Planning for the 21^st century technologies in schools. Creative commons

              attribution-non commercial-share alike 3.0 license. Retrieved (2012, March 30) from  

              http://www.thethinkingstick.com/files/planning-for-21st-century-technologies.pdf