S Ta R Chart Tijerina
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Web Conference
I think the web conference was a great example of how technology can be implemented for communication for educational purposes. I was a little anxious about it because I could not access it the first time. In this occasion, the connection to the online classroom was fast. Once I connected, voice and image were issues all the time. At some point of the session, I realized that this kind of communication between teachers and students was one of the 21st Century tools that I have been reading about lately. I also realized that the success of some of these new technologies are dependent on the technical knowledge of students and hardware and software features like bandwidth, memory in the computer that is being used for the session, and operating system. Students with the proper technology tools can have the advantage to attend a class that may not be available in the area.
The National Educational Technology Program
The federal government recognizes that the key for America’s future is education and creates a plan to address the new challenges that schools, educators and students will encounter in the 21st century. The National Educational Program or NETP is created in 2010 and has two main goals:
Increase the number of college graduates from 39% to 60% of our population.
Close the achievement gap.
NETP calls for the incorporation of new technologies in all aspects of education. The plan states that new technologies will provide numerous options to engage in learning participate in new staff development activities, collaborate with the learning community.
Every aspect of education such as teaching, learning and assessment must utilize the full potential of electronic tools currently used by businesses.
NETP provides a plan provides a plan to address current needs in technology, staff development, assessment, infrastructure and teaching methodologies.
NETP also calls for more cooperation between K-12 schools and higher education institutions to improve graduation opportunities for all students.
Teaching is described in this plan as collaboration among educators. Connected teaching will enable the participation of teachers, students, librarians and after school programs to participate in the teaching and learning process. Staff development for teachers must support the use of technology to improve learning. The plan gives a comprehensive list of recommendations on how the different aspects of education need technology to improve and shares a new vision for Education.
One of my concerns about the plan is the support for elimination of restrictions to share and access more detailed information about students protected under The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The information does not contain personal identifiable information about students, but it raises the same concern as medical records. Would employers be able to access this information?
I would also like to comment on the support given in the document to online education. I strongly believe that the need of highly skilled teachers in online instruction will increase in the future. In addition, online education is highlighted as an area of importance to offer instruction to more students regardless of schedule or geographical location.
I can also identify a similarity in some areas such as Teaching and Learning and infrastructure between the LRPT and NETP. However, in my personal opinion, NETP focuses on higher education.
Increase the number of college graduates from 39% to 60% of our population.
Close the achievement gap.
NETP calls for the incorporation of new technologies in all aspects of education. The plan states that new technologies will provide numerous options to engage in learning participate in new staff development activities, collaborate with the learning community.
Every aspect of education such as teaching, learning and assessment must utilize the full potential of electronic tools currently used by businesses.
NETP provides a plan provides a plan to address current needs in technology, staff development, assessment, infrastructure and teaching methodologies.
NETP also calls for more cooperation between K-12 schools and higher education institutions to improve graduation opportunities for all students.
Teaching is described in this plan as collaboration among educators. Connected teaching will enable the participation of teachers, students, librarians and after school programs to participate in the teaching and learning process. Staff development for teachers must support the use of technology to improve learning. The plan gives a comprehensive list of recommendations on how the different aspects of education need technology to improve and shares a new vision for Education.
One of my concerns about the plan is the support for elimination of restrictions to share and access more detailed information about students protected under The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The information does not contain personal identifiable information about students, but it raises the same concern as medical records. Would employers be able to access this information?
I would also like to comment on the support given in the document to online education. I strongly believe that the need of highly skilled teachers in online instruction will increase in the future. In addition, online education is highlighted as an area of importance to offer instruction to more students regardless of schedule or geographical location.
I can also identify a similarity in some areas such as Teaching and Learning and infrastructure between the LRPT and NETP. However, in my personal opinion, NETP focuses on higher education.
Progress Report of LRPT
After I read the 2008 report of the LRPT, I have gained a deeper understanding of how children learn with technology and the way how day use it on a daily basis. As they progress, students use a great variety of tools and technologies available for learning and entertainment. They embrace enthusiastically the rapid changes in technology in and outside the school. As they mature and gain a better understanding of how technology can support learning and their personal goals, students relay more and more on technology to finish projects, conduct online research and communicate effectively through web 2.0 tools. It is important to mention that the main obstacle perceived by students is the implementation of a school filter or firewall to block websites that they nee to access at school.
I observed that the majority of schools have moved from the DT area to the AT area. Less than 5% remain in the ET level. Also, less than 5% of schools moved to the TT. The current trend indicates that schools will continue to grow in the four areas of implementation of the LRPT in the following years to come.
Another important part of the report of the LRPT is the analysis of two pilot programs implemented in some schools in the state of Texas.
The Texas Virtual School Network offers an opportunity to access online education. Online classes are offered through online education to provide an unparallel access to instruction. Student in remote areas where high qualified teachers and advanced placement classes are not available are benefited by this flexible means of instruction. Students can access course 24/7 at their own pace without limitation of schedules or geographical location.
The Technology Immersion Program allows teachers and students to use technology in aspects of the teaching and learning process. The objective of this program is to explore the relationship of between students’ performance and educational technology. Students obtain a wireless computer to support learning and extend it beyond school walls. The report provides a comparative list of traits in High Immersion Schools and Low Immersion Schools. Some of the differences that I found intriguing are:
· Experiences that changed teacher practices were promoted in HIS.
· Educators in HIS believed laptops improved students learning.
· Educators in LIS believed that laptops are useful for free time.
This program will continue to provide useful data until 2011 when parties involved will have to make a decision about TIP.
It is going to be very interesting to know the final results of this program and the data analyzed. I would like to know if this program will be implemented in more schools in Texas, especially with limitations in the budget of the majority of the school districts in Texas. Another area of concern would be the personnel needed to maintain the infrastructure. Also, more technology related training will be needed. In addition, teachers will have to be more knowledgeable about Technology Applications TAKS and the new communication and collaboration tools needed in the classroom.
I observed that the majority of schools have moved from the DT area to the AT area. Less than 5% remain in the ET level. Also, less than 5% of schools moved to the TT. The current trend indicates that schools will continue to grow in the four areas of implementation of the LRPT in the following years to come.
Another important part of the report of the LRPT is the analysis of two pilot programs implemented in some schools in the state of Texas.
The Texas Virtual School Network offers an opportunity to access online education. Online classes are offered through online education to provide an unparallel access to instruction. Student in remote areas where high qualified teachers and advanced placement classes are not available are benefited by this flexible means of instruction. Students can access course 24/7 at their own pace without limitation of schedules or geographical location.
The Technology Immersion Program allows teachers and students to use technology in aspects of the teaching and learning process. The objective of this program is to explore the relationship of between students’ performance and educational technology. Students obtain a wireless computer to support learning and extend it beyond school walls. The report provides a comparative list of traits in High Immersion Schools and Low Immersion Schools. Some of the differences that I found intriguing are:
· Experiences that changed teacher practices were promoted in HIS.
· Educators in HIS believed laptops improved students learning.
· Educators in LIS believed that laptops are useful for free time.
This program will continue to provide useful data until 2011 when parties involved will have to make a decision about TIP.
It is going to be very interesting to know the final results of this program and the data analyzed. I would like to know if this program will be implemented in more schools in Texas, especially with limitations in the budget of the majority of the school districts in Texas. Another area of concern would be the personnel needed to maintain the infrastructure. Also, more technology related training will be needed. In addition, teachers will have to be more knowledgeable about Technology Applications TAKS and the new communication and collaboration tools needed in the classroom.
Friday, April 23, 2010
LRPT/Teaching and Learning
In a world where vast amount of information is created and shared every second, future citizens will have to develop new skills to communicate and collaborate in a new way never seen before. Aware of the challenge ahead, The State of Texas implements the LRPT 2006-2020. This plan provides a detailed course of action to implement technology in education. One of four areas contained in the LRPT is Teaching and Learning.
Teaching and learning, from the perspective of the LRPT, must be focused on a student-centered instruction based on the use of new technologies to collaborate and communicate effectively in a new way.
Teachers must posses a new set of skills to promote learning through critical thinking and the solution of real problems. For this reason, 21st Century teachers must use researched-based teaching strategies that incorporate technology in the content areas.
By analyzing the Campus STaR Chart and the Campus Statewide Survey, the two reports show that the majority of schools have achieved the level of DT. In the 2007-2008 school year, the statewide report shows 69.7 % of all schools in the area of DT. Less than
5% are found in the ET level and the TT area. The same trend can be observed in my campus which is placed in the DT area. I think that in the future, this trend will continue in the same direction. Locally and nationally, schools will slowly move forward to the next level with the implementation of new training opportunities and the confidence gained by educators over the years.
One of the obstacles to incorporate technology in the classroom is the lack of staff development training aligned with the goals of the LRPT. On campus, training offered is mainly focused on drill software and software for administrative tasks. A good solution is to have a technology specialist to work directly with teachers on new teaching methodologies based on Technology application standards and aligned with the LRPT goals.
Teaching and learning, from the perspective of the LRPT, must be focused on a student-centered instruction based on the use of new technologies to collaborate and communicate effectively in a new way.
Teachers must posses a new set of skills to promote learning through critical thinking and the solution of real problems. For this reason, 21st Century teachers must use researched-based teaching strategies that incorporate technology in the content areas.
By analyzing the Campus STaR Chart and the Campus Statewide Survey, the two reports show that the majority of schools have achieved the level of DT. In the 2007-2008 school year, the statewide report shows 69.7 % of all schools in the area of DT. Less than
5% are found in the ET level and the TT area. The same trend can be observed in my campus which is placed in the DT area. I think that in the future, this trend will continue in the same direction. Locally and nationally, schools will slowly move forward to the next level with the implementation of new training opportunities and the confidence gained by educators over the years.
One of the obstacles to incorporate technology in the classroom is the lack of staff development training aligned with the goals of the LRPT. On campus, training offered is mainly focused on drill software and software for administrative tasks. A good solution is to have a technology specialist to work directly with teachers on new teaching methodologies based on Technology application standards and aligned with the LRPT goals.
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