Step 7 - Hopper Middle School

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

My strategies meet the required standards in many ways. For example, the SBEC and STaR chart standards state:

Standard III. All teachers use task-appropriate tools to synthesize knowledge, create and modify solutions and evaluate results in a way that supports the work of individuals and groups in problem-solving situations.

Standard V. All teachers know how to plan, organize, deliver and evaluate instruction for all students that incorporates the effective use of current technology for teaching and integrating the Technology Applications Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) into the curriculum.

My strategy of increasing teacher technology training and continuing education helps meet both of these standards by increasing teacher knowledge of tools and effective strategies for incorporating technology and TEKS into their current curriculum.

To continue, No Child Left Behind Legislation states:

No Child Left Behind:

SEC. 2402. PURPOSES AND GOALS.

(a) PURPOSES- The purposes of this part are the following:
(1) To provide assistance to States and localities for the implementation and support of a comprehensive system that effectively uses technology in elementary schools and secondary schools to improve student academic achievement.

(4) To promote initiatives that provide school teachers, principals, and administrators with the capacity to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction that are aligned with challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards, through such means as high-quality professional development programs.

(5) To enhance the ongoing professional development of teachers, principals, and administrators by providing constant access to training and updated research in teaching and learning through electronic means. 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.

My goals meet these standards by increasing professional development and providing teachers with a new support through a technology liaison to help integrate technology effectively into the instructional day. The proposed newly hired technology liaison could also provide much needed professional development directly on campus and on an as needed basis, giving teachers immediate or near immediate access to information to improve their skills.

Lastly, the ISTE NETS for teachers state:

ISTE NETS for Teachers:

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

These standards are being met through the increased professional development, the support of a technology liaison, and the increased opportunities that can come from grants and new funding for the school. Many of these goals could be increasingly met through funding and access to new technologies that grants could provide to the school.

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.

Getting to know the Technology Facilitation Standards has helped me see how important it is for people working in technology to continue to grow and learn. Technology is such a fast paced field. Without a constant learning environment, one could easily be left behind with outdated technology ideas. People who are supporting teachers and students need to be up-to-date and have all the knowledge necessary in their minds and at their fingertips, ready to provide to student and teacher needs. These standards help ensure that people in these positions achieve this goal and continue to learn and grow as professionals.

References:

Learning Point Associates (2007). Quick key 3: understanding the no child left behind act - technology integration. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/qkey3.pdf.

Texas Education Agency. Texas StaR Chart. Retrieved Febrary 29, 2012 from http://starchart.epsilen.com/standards.html.

Texas STaR Chart (2003). A tool for planning and assessing. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.harlingen.isd.tenet.edu/forms/txstarfull.pdf.

U.S. Department of Education (2004). No Child Left Behind. Retrieved February 29, 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg34.html.

International Society for Technology in Education (2008). NETS for teachers. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx.