EDU+5306

__**Assignments**__











** Self Assessment 5306 ** Many times in education, rules are handed down and implemented without educators fully knowing the background for the decisions. During this course, background information for NCLB, Texas Star Chart and the Texas Long Range Plan were researched and discussed. The Star chart was a result of implementing the Texas Long Range Plan. No Child Left Behind focuses on student achievement of fundamental skills. During this course I learned the roles of each part of the Texas Long Range Plan. In the past educating students used a stand and deliver method of presentation. With the development of new “tools” for technology the methods of presentation and evaluating student progress greatly changed. Integrating more technology applications becomes necessary. As students increase their personal use of technology, I as an educator must adjust my teaching style to fit the students’ learning style.

“Today’s teachers must learn to communicate in the language and style of their students” (Prensky, 2001). Communication is the key to success. If there is no positive interaction between teacher and student, maximum learning will not occur. Every year our campus technology person would nag us to complete the STaR chart. Everyone would complain about having to take time from teaching or grading to complete the chart. Taking this course has shown me why it is so important to complete that chart. The StaR Chart is used to gauge the progress of how well schools are integrating technology into their curricula and the alignment with national and state standards “Evaluation must become an integral part of staff development” (Guskey, 1998). I learned that without a means of evaluating the implementation of technology and the ability level of the user, seeing if progress toward the NCLB requirements could not be made.

During this course there were quite a few items that were new to me. Prior to enrolling in this class I never thought of using a wiki or a blog to help me reach all students. I always thought that wikis and blogs were just another way for kids to communicate with their friends and had no educational value at all. I knew bits and pieces about NCLB and had heard about the Long Range Plan for Technology. I wondered why we had to always complete the STaR Chart and why was it so important. Creating the wiki opened my eyes to all types of possible applications I could adapt different learning situations to. I could use a wiki to get ideas from my department about math courses, or testing situations or share lessons developed. Creating the wiki was not a problem for me. The problem arose when I needed my peers to participate and help plan collaboratively on the computer. A few were comfortable with going on line and contributing, but others were not. One of the issues was they were not comfortable using the computer and working on the internet. I will definitely use wikis in the future with my students and with my peers. It allows group collaboration without actually having to sit down in a formal group setting. It is an excellent way to get participation from group members at a time when it is convenient for them to add their ideas. Modifications can be made and viewed by all group members without having to email everyone. Wow, what a way to bring a plan together.

I have always reviewed the test data of my students to determine their areas of strengths and weaknesses. I mainly concentrated on what areas they did poorly in, but did not compare their performance to other subgroups. I chose to use only the information that directly affected them. “As we become increasingly overwhelmed by information, we must work hard to decide which information we are going to ignore” (Warlick, 2007). As an educator I have access to all types of information about testing. I must decide what information is needed to insure all students reach their maximum potential. Armstrong and Warlick stated “It is crucial that when teaching literacy to our students, we emphasize skills that reflect the information environment of the present, not the past” (Armstrong & Warlick, 2004). I realized during my studies that using technology was a way to reach all students at their varying skill levels. “Taking a differentiated approach to instruction means accommodating these differences by tailoring teaching to students; strengths and knowledge” (Wahl & Duffield, 2005). Implementing technology made it possible for me to address the needs of the learner who needed skill reinforcement and repetition, but also allowed me to address the needs of the learner who was at the total opposite end of the spectrum. Assignments 1 and 2 formally introduced me to the Long Range Technology Plan and its purpose. Studying the Long Range Plan helped me understand the need of completing the STaR Chart. Analyzing the STaR Chart responses from my campus identified areas of strength and weakness held by my campus staff members. As a future technology lead teacher, the information gained from the STaR Chart shows the areas that I would address to improve the implementation of technology on my campus. On topic I would definitely address is: “Why do we have to complete this survey anyway?” This assignment demonstrated that everyone is not on the same page with technology integration or just simple usage.

Duffield, J., & Wahl, L., (2005). Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners: What Teachers Can Do

Warlick, D. (2007). Literacy in the information landscape. Library Media Connection 26(1), 20-21.

Armstrong, S., & Warlick, D. (2004). The new literacy: The 3RS evolve into the 4Es. Teaching and Learning, 25(2), 20-28

Guskey, Thomas R. (1998). The age of our accountability. Journal of Staff Development, 19(4), 36-44.

Prensky, M. (2005/2006). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership 63(4), 8-13.