Week 4: Web Conference

I enjoyed the last conference for EDLD 3511 last week. There was lots of great information given to assist us as we continue to move through this program. I am looking forward to writing my internship plan. For me, it is exciting to begin with the end in mind.

Week 3: Web Conference

I enjoyed this weeks web conference. I did not get to attend the conference last week, so this week I was able to introduce myself to my colleagues. The overview for week 3 let me know that I was on the right track for this week. Being able to look ahead at weeks 4 & 5 gave me insight to what lies ahead for the last two weeks of this class. Also, being able to look at what is expected for our internship and principal competencies allowed me to go ahead and start making plans to accomplish these tasks. Each week, the web conferences offer a sense of calm after a hectic week of getting assignments completed. I look forward to next weeks web conference and learning how to write the principal competencies.

Week 2: Web Conference

I was unable to attend the web conference for EDLD 5311 on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. However, I did watch the video of the web conference on Thursday, March 8, 2012. I was glad to see some of the same people that I had talked to at the previous web conference.
I was excited to hearing details about the upcoming Educational Technology Leadership Internship. I am eager to get this section of the program underway as well. Lamar’s Accreditation and Standards was another key component that I was very interested to hear about. I enjoyed listening to the other members of Cohort 27, as they introduced themselves and I learned of the diversity of graduate students in this cohort. It has also much easier to connect to the conference this time. Last week, I had some issues with the microphone in the beginning. I am ready for the rest of the web conferences now that I have the first two under my belt.

Brett Murrey
EDLD 5311/ ET 8050

Week 2 Assignment, Part 4

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Week 2 Assignment, Part 3 Blog Posting #3

The National Educational Technology Plan has two specific goals.  The first goal is to raise the number of college graduates who hold either a two year or four year degree, and the second is to close our achievement gap so that all of our high school graduates are prepared for college and future careers. 

Five strategies have been identified to help reach these goals.  The first strategy is learning.  We must give our students the power and flexibility to take control of their own learning.  This means making a huge change from our traditional classroom and how we are used to instructing.   Instead, students should be given options and different opportunities for learning, such as allowing them to work in small groups, tailoring the work to their own unique learning style, and using each student's prior experience to engage them in the process. We also need to realize the impact our community can have as a learning resource and use them as a tool.

The second strategy is assessment.  We need to utilize technology based assessments that give us a true measure of student knowledge, and our assessments should involve higher level thinking skills.  The third strategy is teaching. Teaching should be a team activity, not individual.  Professional development should be a collaborative effort between teams, and also immediate and convenient. Online learning and 24/7 access will be used to provide learning opportunities for teachers.  Strategy number four is Infrastructure.  Every student and teacher should be provided with the resources they need, when and where they need them.  Infrastructure is vital in allowing us to leave the traditional model of teaching behind and move forward into the future.  The last strategy is productivity.  We need to ensure that our students are making progress, and group them according to ability and skill level. We need to change and adjust our classrooms to reflect the world that we live in today.

It will take work and dedication to make this plan work. Its success will depend on everyone working together. 

Reference:

U.S. Department of Education. (2010).  Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. March 9, 2012,  http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf

Brett Murrey

ELED 5311/ ET 8050

Week 2 Assignment, Part 3 Blog Posting #2

The Royse City ISD Technology Plan's primary focus is on integrating technology with our core curriculum and campus operations. Not only will this will allow us to utilize the highest level of staff and student performance, but it will also lead to increased productivity throughout our district. Our technology plan addresses several goals and components for a successful technology program.  These include the integration of technology, professional development for all employees, a high level of community involvement, incorporation of 21st Century Skills, trained and quality personnel, consistent technology access, and a management plan for the infrastructure. Growth challenges do exist for our school district, in the form of new buildings and expansions.  This is causing a large strain on our technology department and infrastructure, as they continue to try and keep up with the growth of our schools.
RCISD has formed a District Technology Improvement Committee, which consists of teachers, technology personnel and campus administration.  This committee is responsible for performing an assessment of the current condition of our district and schools, and to use that information to help prepare for our future and make or adjust goals as necessary. 
RCISD recognizes more opportunities for professional development in the area of technology are essential for technology success.  Our district has had several professional development opportunities for technology learning, utilizing technology experts within our own staff.  Technology integration is a priority on our campus and our classrooms.
Multiple assessments are used to ensure that learning is student centered and continues to improve.  Some of these assessments include:  Technology integration planning meetings, material and equipment inventories, STaR Chart data, online assessments, and formal technology skills testing.

 Reference:
ROYSE CITY ISD Technology Plan for E-Rate Year 14,  2011 - 2014 (2010),  March 11, 2012 
http://schoolsites.schoolworld.com/schools/RoyseCity/files/filesystem/ROYSE%20CITY%20ISD%20Technology%20Plan.pdf

Brett Murrey

EDLD 5311/ ET 8050

Week 2 Assignment, Part 3 Blog Posting #1

Technology is impacting our traditional educational philosophies, and has caused the knowledge needed to teach to surpass the knowledge and skills of many of our educators.  Our students of today are entering our classrooms so much more technologically savvy than students from years past generations.  It is crucial that educators find a way to make the connections with students in this technological environment.  Assessing how individuals use technology can be used to help find areas in which we need to focus on to make these connects a reality.  We can use technology assessments to drive student and teacher technology instruction.  Technology assessments can also be use to report on the success of the instruction for both teachers and students.  Assessing a student’s technological skills is used to create a base line to find the strengths and weaknesses of individual students.   By assess what they know; we can create a curriculum based on their strengths and weakness in technology.  With using the base line information, we can use the strength that the data showed to help learn in their areas of weakness.  Assessments could become difficult to create because we are not only assessing the student’s knowledge, but also the student’s ability to process the knowledge with in technological.  According to Malcolm Welch at Queen’s University, when we think of a capable student in technology education we envision one who is able to reflect while taking action and who can act on his or her reflections. As they demonstrate their capability, students will draw on a developing repertoire of skills and knowledge that includes designing skills, making skills and knowledge and understanding of materials and components, of structures, and of existing products. (Welch, 2012).  The time, money, and manpower it would take to implement this type of assessment could become the disadvantages of assessing in this manner.  The value from assessing a student’s technological knowledge can be collected and then used to measure and identifying the immediate needs so that a teacher can begin making changes in their classroom.  The data that is collected from teacher assessments can drive professional development opportunities.  Teacher assessments can help identify teachers that exhibit strengths in areas and assist colleges who require additional knowledge in those areas.  A disadvantage to this assessment would be the time used and the validity of the assessment.  In conclusion, we need to do our best to assess the knowledge and skills of our students and teachers.  Keeping in mind the cost associated with the initial assessments can be recouped in the end by focusing on the needs of individual learners, rather than spending unneeded time and resources to teach what learners already know. 

Reference: 

Welch, M.  (Jan. 2012)  Assessment in Technology Education: What, Why, and How?   

              Retrieved from:   www.project2061.org/events/meetings/technology/tech2/welch.htm

Brett Murrey

EDLD 5311/ ET 8050

Web Conference, Week 1

The first web conference was very helpful to me.  I really enjoyed getting to see others who had made the same decision that I had for their master's program.  I found Dr. Borel's words to be comforting and eye opening at the same time.  I found comfort in the fact that she said that she was here to help us be successful in this program.  She opened my eyes to the fact that I have entered uncharted waters for me, and that the stakes have been raised for expectations in this new venture.  The use of technology to communicate with others so far away was an awesome experience for me.  I am looking forward to continuing on this educational journey that I have embarked on.

Brett Murrey
ELED 5311/ ET 8050