Web Conferences EDLD 5363: Reflections

WC Date: July 16, 2012

This week’s conference helped a lot of students get familiar with knowledge of software for the podcast and making sure groups are being created for the main project. As Dr. A addressed, the podcast was supposed to be a quick start of something you can share with other teachers. I think digital media and the use of podcasts can really affect student learning if used more to its advantage. I used it for the first time on the last month of school, but truly wished I had become more familiar with it before then. Also, during the conference, a lot of students appreciated the side chat format so that it was easier to catch up with everyone’s thoughts and comments. 

WC Date: June 18, 2012

This blog definitely cleared up a few things in regards to creating our groups and how to interact with one another. Email and google documents are great ways to interact with your group members, but it is a lot easier to be able to all meet up together through a chat and webcam. The use of Google hangout was something I was not familiar with. I realized that it was very handy, especially when collaborating on ideas and to see where each of my members are in the project. Also, this web conference helped to establish if you could be with other classmates that were not in the same section as you. We had this difficulty at first figuring things out, but eventually we were able to solve the issue. This conference also addressed some ideas of lesson ideas for the video. It really does help to be informed of some examples before getting started with the project. This sums up the main points from this week’s conference.

WC Date: July 1, 2012

This blog assisted greatly in some of the confusion that was going on in week four. We had several assignments due and a lot of people were confused of how exactly things were supposed to be turned it. Some could be on the discussion board, the wiki and the actual assignment in epic. I’m glad that the assignment that dealt with technical aspects was mentioned because my group seemed to have a lot of concerns towards this assignment. Also, I truly believe week four was defined as a lot of making progress and documenting evidence. Our group, like Dilene N. mentioned corresponded a lot through email through week four. I think all of my group members realized how much of a struggle it can be meeting one on one at times. It definitely made me think of my own assignments that I gave as a teacher in reference to group projects and struggles they might have encountered.

Digital storytelling

This assignment allowed me to flourish in many different ways in my technology skills. I was able to work on my fluency with recordings. At times, I did get frustrated with the challenges of recording my voice because it ends up being alot easier said then done. I was also able to look back at old pictures and rethink of old memories with my family and friends. It was good to have partners to look over your work and get suggestions. You were able to feel closer to some of you peers with being able to look over their script and step inside of some of their interests and major events in their life. I'm looking forward to using his activity in my own classroom again soon.

Final Reflection

My final reflection over this course is that I first feel that is was very useful and informative. I feel that each assignment, reading or lecture was beneficial for my future endeavors.

First, the lectures helped me to be informed of information and have everything laid out. I felt it was just enough to not make me overwhelmed, but knowing I will be able to conquer every task that was needed for this course.

Next, the readings were a great way to see the big picture of information. Since I am a visual learner, I tend to grasp material a lot easier by seeing it then listening to the information. The readings also gave us examples of how to do go about developing our research project.

Next, the various electronic searches enabled me to review over topics and to learn more about how to go about the action research project. I was able to look into different strategies to use in the project and how to collect various forms of data. I also looked at examples of past research action plans to get an idea of what layout to use.

Also, I felt the assignments allowed me to get much needed experience over action research and helped me to further understand the idea behind it. It allowed me to think outside of the box during many occasions while I completed the assignments.

I thought the discussion board was beneficial in many ways. Writing is a great way to express your ideas and I feel that is exactly what we did each week. As we go through this program, feedback is always greatly appreciated. It is also great to get a glimpse of what others are doing and what action plans they are going to work towards. I have learned after this second class in the masters’ program, that we are becoming more of a community and really helping each other. I feel that we were able to email each other with concerns and get the feedback we needed.

Finally, like the discussion boards, the use of blogs is very similar with being able to express your ideas and get feedback. Since we created only a blueprint of our research plan, input from others can only help us grow tremendously in our learning. It is critical to go forth with some of the ideas that classmates give you. It is drastically affect your plan.

To conclude, this action research course was a good stepping stone into the program. I was able to learn about something completely new to me and grasp information as well as ideas that I would have never thought about. I also feel this course can help me to be a leader for my school.

Action Research Plan : FINAL DECISION

My agreed upon Action Research plan will be over the investigation of academic achievement in technology verses the standard textbook. I will collect data from a smaller community of junior high teachers. I feel this research plan will help to broaden the use of our technology resources, increase performance in technology mastery for students as well as help with budgeting for resources in the future. This investigation will also help to understand the outcomes of using the resources for today’s 21^st century learners and see how they affected academic performance compared to the standard textbook. I plan to still use the textbook as a resource as well as compare data from various junior high teachers of the outcomes they encountered. Any thoughts or ideas towards this research plan would be greatly appreciated.

Action Plan!

Action Planning Template
Goal: We, the school of St. Ambrose will utilize all technology resources and investigate academic achievement through these resources beyond the standard textbook.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Create an environment in all classrooms through using various technology resources throughout the year that go beyond the textbook	Laura Kopecky and St. Ambrose Faculty	March 2012-May 2013	Various technology resources will include USB connections, smartboard with brains, internet access and computer lab	Administrators will complete walk through and interview teachers and students.
Faculty will peruse various forms of professional development and gather new ideas and options over academic success over technology vs. the textbook	Laura Kopecky And St. Ambrose Faculty	March 2012-May 2013	Trainings will be available at Region 4, Houston ISD (Private schools)	Faculty will collaborate together their new ideas and see what successes various schools seem to have with technology and textbook usage.
Various assessments over material will be used to help understand test scores for the 1st quarter of school	Laura Kopecky and St. Ambrose Faculty	August 2012-October 2012	Computer lab access, scantrons, computerized test forms, hard copy test	Faculty will collaborate to discuss the outcome of tests and what changes need to happen in the next quarter.
Data will be collected after the first quarter over academic success from the use of primarily technology and students interest	Laura Kopecky and St. Ambrose Faculty	October 2012	Data Analysis, student interviews, survey monkey	Faculty will discuss outcomes of the use of technology over the standard textbook. We will also see what gains a student’s interest more.
Students will prepare for mid-terms and address any needed gaps	Laura Kopecky and St. Ambrose Faculty	November 2012-December 2012; April 2013-May 2013	Students will use Curriculum on wheels videos, Smartboard, Wordle and other internet sources	Faculty will then discuss what strengths and weaknesses have come about the use of technology over textbooks. We will also see if we have addressed the needed gaps of what students were struggling with.
Teachers in the junior high level will be surveyed over academic outcomes over mid-term grades through the use of technology and textbooks. We will also see what strategies have worked thus far	Laura Kopecky and St. Ambrose Jr. High Staff	January 2013	Survey monkey via email	Reflections will be done by junior high faculty and submitted to administration
Final Step: Collaboration with administration and faculty over technology usage and what budgets should be made for the upcoming year with technology and textbooks.	Laura Kopecky and St. Ambrose School	March 2013-July 2013	Faculty meetings, survey monkey via email	As a school, we will be able to see what academic achievements have been able to be fulfilled through test scores and students interest. We will also be able to participate in options for budgeting our finances in needed materials for the school year.

Week Two Reflection: Real Life Research Action Examples

I feel this week I was able to become a little more comfortable with the concept of action research. I feel that concerns that have crossed administrators or teachers minds can easily be turned into an inquiry. This week helped me gain new insight into real life examples and see how they are used by scholars. It allowed me to open a new array of thoughts and ideas for my own school. I feel that an action research plan can only be effective if you make sure your school has a sense of community. It is important for administrators, teachers, parents and students to all work together for results to occur. It is safe to say just like the title of the book read during this course, you must “Lead with passion and knowledge”.

Blogging for Educational Leaders

As educators living in a world of technology, blogging has truly become an important part to this profession. It allows educators to capture their thoughts and ideas as well as receive feedback from people all over. It lets you see the big picture and help you better understand your own practice. A lot of times, people need to see something in order to understand it. This even goes with blogging. It is critical to see your thoughts written out .I feel the use of blogging can really help you gain new insight and help you build confidence in this profession. 

What I learned about Action Research

Action Research

Action research has truly helped me put a new perspective into my profession. I was not very familiar with the concept until reading over the material. I feel that it has helped me gain new insight into teaching and becoming an administrator.

First, I feel that action research is something that doesn’t even compare to traditional research. I feel that in action research you go beyond the four walls of your classroom or office. A lot of times, growing as an educator means to step outside of the box and that can also mean to step outside of the normal environment that you interact with on daily basis.

I feel that I would be able to use action research in various ways. First, when it comes to a community or school, everyone will have different views and ideas. This allows for more than just a few people to make changes. It is important to hear different input from others and understand people’s views. I think regular faculty meetings can help that situation because they usually consist of various types of input. It is great to share ideas and to work together in the decision process. I also feel I experience a part of this when we hold level meetings with my grade. We discuss important topics and work together to come up with short term and long term goals for our school. I believe we can go further with this by attending professional development classes or staying in contact with various people.

Collaboration is definitely a key to a successful school, district or community. It is vital to be able to work as a team and to make changes together. If I decided to work on an action plan for my school in reference to the significance of academic achievement through the use of whiteboards, I would already be able to list a variety of things to do or people to speak to. I would need to interact with other faculty, have students complete surveys, email technology companies, meet with other teachers off campus as well as read up on important information in the news. Even though this plan might seem rather lengthy, I believe a lot of change can happen because of it.

In reference to the reflection period, it is always important to know that you will be a lifelong learner. It is critical to understand that in order for any change to come about at a school, you do need a lot of people on board. It is essential to examine the problems, find accurate data and reflect on what outcomes occurred because of it. Regardless of how long you have been teaching or in the field of education, it is always good to know that growing can truly help you achieve.

Course Reflections: EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology

1.)    I feel that I have learned a great deal of new information in my first graduate course. I envisioned at the very beginning that I would form a new outlook on technology and become familiar with more terminology in this field. I can truly say that I achieved positive outcomes with being able to create hands-on Web 2.0 examples as well as understand terms that I did not have any idea about at first.  I can recall from the very first self-evaluation in this course and not having much of a background in a lot of the terms that were used. One thing that stood out that I learned is how to copy a website and embed it to a document. I had always seen this done, but had no idea how that was actually done.  I feel a lot more comfortable with the new material I used and am looking forward to the courses to come.

 

2.)     I feel that everything that I was introduced for can easily be used in my classroom. For example, I had no idea what a Wordle was. Currently, my students are preparing for midterms. I had the students answer a set of questions as a review and then typed the answers into the Wordle. This gave the students a new way to visualize the important words or phrases over a particular topic. My students also brainstormed other ways they could use this program in the future. I also felt that as I learn new skills and become familiar with new terms, this gives me another gateway to be able to teach my students about technology. I also believe it opens doors to new ways for students to understand information.  Even though technology can provide both a positive and negative assessment to learning, I feel that it has brought nothing, but positive reinforcements to my classroom and school.

3.)    I truly believe that overall I was able to form positive outcomes from this course. I was able to get a new outlook on different tools used and become familiar with terms that I had never heard before. One outcome I hoped to achieve in this course was to be able to use other tools and not just read about them. I was already informed about blogs and wikis, but never created a podcast.  I would have enjoyed learning a little more about the tool as well as apply it to my classroom. Another outcome that I felt would be achieved is from the first week’s assignments. I would have really enjoyed getting a lot more out of the evaluations about our personalities and interests. Those topics always caught my attention when I was in school. I believe they can give you a true assessment of yourself and your future.

4.)    I believe I was able to carry out the course assignments successfully. After three years of teaching, I felt I was ready to get back in the swing of things with school. I think the most important priority in graduate classes is time management. I was able to make sure I looked over assignments the week before they were due. This allowed me to see what I needed to get done and set up a time frame for achieving the necessary assignments. It was important to be able to know what I needed to check off once I completed it. The first week was the biggest challenge since I had not been in a school for a few years and it seemed like such an overload of things to do. I believe  what has guided me through this first graduate course is knowing from the beginning that Mrs. Borel laid out the expectations at the very beginning as well as informed us how fast it will fly by.

5.)    Finally, this course allowed me to learn more than just technology, but a lot about myself. A technology facilitator is a role that I probably would have never thought I would aspire to be right now. I always felt that those skills could only be achieved through numerous years of teaching and not someone who was only twenty five years old. As this generation of students continues to use technology as a main component of their life, I believe my background can really help them. In the 90s, the main reason we used computers at my school was to type a paper or take a quiz on the Accelerated Reader. Eventually,  as I got older, I learned a lot more about basic applications and programs that went beyond Microsoft word or paint. I am looking forward to sharing new ideas with my students and other teachers as I go through this journey through Lamar University. I believe it will help me professionally to learn how to be leader in my future endeavors as well as bring a positive outlook of technology to my school.

E-Rate Presentation

Erate

View more presentations from lkopecky.

National Educational Technology Plan

Blog Posting: #3

In the National Educational Technology Plan many items were addressed. The main goals established in the plan are focused on making a major transformation in American education. Learning is something that should be engaging and empowering. The use of technology is critical in today’s youth and in order to prepare for their future, we must adapt to all various learners.

In respect to teaching, everything we teach must match up to what students need to know. They need to be able to have 24/7 access to technology. As educators, it is essential for us to learn new items regardless if that was the way we were taught when we were younger. I grew up in the ‘90s and 2000s where computers, cell phones, word processing and PowerPoint were a part of my daily life. Now, in 2011 I can’t even begin to say how drastically technology is changing and can be even more challenging. It is important that we make sure that we teach relevant information that can easily relate to a student’s daily life.    

Also, it is important for educators to teach students that they need to be lifelong learners. Learning should not stop after high school or college. It is important that we all work together, but do give students that ability to know how to control their own learning.

Finally, professional development should be an ongoing process. As our world changes, so does everything around us. It is essential to have the needed training to be able to implement skills for our students. Educators need to be able to have a good background in working with various types of technology beyond the basics.

To conclude, the national plan is very informative in how we need to engage, prepare and connect our students to a new means of learning with the use of technology.

School or District Technology Plan

Blog Posting #2:

The Galveston-Houston Archdiocese in which I work for has a technology plan updated until 2013 that contains all the five elements. That is their goals, professional development strategies, assessment of software, budget resources and ongoing evaluation process.

First, the Archdiocese’s main goals are to utilize all uses of technology that reflect the Catholic faith. Teachers and students must be current with technology as well as use it on a daily basis. The safety and responsibilities of all technology will be addressed to both faculty and students. I believe these goals are essential for providing the basics for a technology plan.

Next, the strategies that are to go with this plan is to continue funding for necessary material needed for schools. Administration is to continue to encourage their school to apply for E-rate funding in which they will be able to utilize the funds needed as long as it addresses curriculum effectively.

Professional development should also play a vital role in teaching educators the proper training needed in order to introduce new ideas to their students. Any extra funding that a school is given should be used as an integral part to technology as long as training is provided.

The technology committee for the plan is made up of representatives of various schools in the Archdiocese that continue to want to strive for ongoing implementation and assessment in the use of technology for all students. As long as schools can identify their reasons behind needing specific technology, the funding should be available. If not, donations will always be taken as long the material is up to code.

Finally, committee and administrators are to make sure progress is occurring from the original plan’s goals. They are to create follow-up evaluations and make sure technology is used to its advantage with positive results.

Technology Assessments

Blog Posting #1

First and foremost, I feel that assessing the knowledge and skills in technology for educators’ and students is critical to learning. It is the backbone of how to understand where you as well as your students are in their performance.

As educators, we need to make we are aware of our own capabilities in the classroom. If more than half of the faculty is not up to date with new technology, this would create a problem. The necessary training would need to be enforced before we are responsible for working with particular technology. My school last year bought interactive whiteboards from a company that unfortunately did not offer an on-site training. Only a handful of teachers including myself knew how to upload the software, calibrate the icons and complete all needed responsibilities before we were able to use them. Since majority of the faculty was not current with how to use the new material, it can be very challenging if you do not have the appropriate training. An assessment could have possibly changed the outcome to this situation.

As for students, they play a crucial role in what type of material should be purchased in a classroom. An exaggerated amount of money spent on items that students would have difficulty understanding would be meaningless especially if they do not have the advanced skills. Material needs to mold what can easily fit the students’ needs.

I feel that an assessment for educators and students can really give your insight to what someone already does or does not know about technology. The pro to an assessment is that it lets you see the big picture of how you need to go about preparing the future of your students. Like many high school level private schools in my district, lab tops are the main form of note-taking. It would important to make sure that the teacher knows their own great deal of technology in order to guide their students. As always, the disadvantage of doing a written assessment is that anyone can fill out answers and color in circles. Sometimes, you need to see hands-on what an educator or student knows.

As you can see, I feel that assessments are necessary and can show an accurate account of what background people have in technology. It can truly shape a school, but also can have a negative outcome if training and hands-on interaction is not used to its full advantage.

Week TWO Conference

I participated in week two conference on November 17th.  I think this conference was very informative. I really appreciated the time that was taken to discuss the internship. I know it can seem overwhelming, but it is important to be able to see a layout of everything during the next eighteen months.  I felt a lot of good questions were addressed by my peers in this cohort. I can tell that we are all interested in this program and the outcomes to benefit our own individual goals to further our career. I feel that getting this masters’ will truly open a lot of doors and will give you a lot of options down the road like Ms. Borel had said. It was interesting to know that our degree plan is equivalent for being able to take the test for a principal’s certification. Overall, I really benefited from this conference and I learned a lot of new information about the program as well.

First Web Conference Ever!

I participated in the first week option conference. First off, this was my very first experience doing any type of webcam use. I was actually a little worried that the technology would not work or I would find some part of it challenging to get to work. Nonetheless, everything turned out pretty good. I was able to easily see myself and hear others. It was definitely a unique way to be able to introduce yourself and feel like you are in a classroom setting.  Ms. Borel, the professor to administer the conferences made sure to let us know to take it easy this first conference so we can just get use to everything.  She also told us that theses 18 months will definitely go by fast. I’m looking forward to this new journey and the use of this technology a lot more.