charter, k-12

1.    How do your proposed strategies (Week 8 Step 6) meet the required standards as your Week 6 Step 4 stated?

In Step 4, I indicated that the teachers at my school were Early Tech on the STaR chart, by my best estimate. (TEA, 2006) Even though the STaR chart is required for ISDs and charter schools alike, my charter school has not used the STaR chart.

From the surveys, I believe that some of the teachers are more advanced than that, but they do not have adequate resources to let them use their technology skills and know how in the classroom.

To advance beyond "Early Tech," the district will need to provide the physical resources necessary (digital projectors, more computers, presentation software, etc.) At the moment, the teachers on my campus would not benefit from technology training because they would be waiting on equipment to use what they have learned. Once the district is able to buy more technology resources for the classrooms, or have a computer lab with more than 8 computers, teachers would benefit from technology training. Teachers will need to be trained on incorporating technology into the classroom in a beneficial way.

The proposed strategies from Step 6 will ensure that teachers have the resources to move beyond Early Tech.

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.

With the current resources, teachers are not able to meet the following ISTE NETS for Teachers indicators: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility.

1.    “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.

a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness

b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources

c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes

d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments

2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS·S.

a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress

c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources

d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching

3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations

b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation

c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats

d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning

Effective teachers model and apply the NETS·S as they design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students and improve learning; enrich professional practice; and provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community. All teachers should meet the following standards and performance indicators.

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.

a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources

b. Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources

c. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information

d. Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age communication and collaboration tools” (ISTE, 2008)

Teachers at my charter school do not have the resources needed to accomplish the ISTE NETS. This must change for the benefit of the students. In the past, my charter school has been very old-fashioned, and very paper-and-pencil oriented. In order to truly prepare our students for life beyond high school (whether that is college or the work place), we need to be educating them with technology, and educating them on how to use technology effectively.

References:

ISTE (2008). ISTE NETS for Teachers Retrieved March 31, 2012, from: http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-T_Standards.sflb.ashx

Texas Education Agency (2006). Texas Star Chart. Retrieved March 31, 2012 from: http://starchart.epsilen.com/docs/TxTSC.pdf