Wisdom/Instruction ~ Picciano
Chapter 5
Hardware and software are very important components of the data infrastructure. The most important is the fact that data can be shared from anywhere in the school district. Information can also be shared easily. Data driven decision-making can be applied to almost any school related activities. It is important for schools to evaluate decision processes in a school district.
Chapter 6
All school districts have made an investment in technology. However each school district has a varying level of technology integration. Investments in technology will continue to increase. It is important for schools to teach students the importance of technology and what they can do with it. Instructional technology can be difficult to perform correctly. It is important for teacher to have the proper training and knowledge in order for students to be taught correctly. Instructional applications are being created everyday, so it is requiring teacher to constantly be learning new applications.
Teaching and Learning ~ Hall
Chapter 4
Technology is changing the face of education. Technology should be used to support classroom instruction. Classroom Management is important for teachers using technology. Teaching with technology means the teacher needs to change their teaching strategies. Technology allows multiple learning strategies to be used at the same time. Technology when used/works correctly allows for students to learn more efficiently and effectively. Technology is the future of the education platform.
Hall, D. (2008). The technology director's guide to leadership the power of great questions. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education.
Picciano, A. G. (2011).Educational leadership and planning for technology (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
Sharing information has become a much easier task, and its hard to imagine life without the technology we have now.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has definitely made things easier and more efficient.
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers need to have proper training for new technologies. My former districts tended to offer initial training; some of them even continued to support teachers after the initial training.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have found lacking is districts allowing teachers enough time to work with the new technology and develop lessons to implement the technology. Districts tend to expect teachers to spend personal time to develop the lessons. While I may be willing to invest personal time to accomplish this, colleagues are often unwilling or unable to invest their personal time to develop lessons integrating technology.
This seems to be a problem in other countries, as well. Shenton and Pagett (2007) noted one of the barriers to implementation of Smartboards in English classrooms is the amount of time needed to create effective lessons. When the economy was stronger, districts often provided stipends for teachers to have release time during the school year for these undertakings or paid teachers for working on projects during the summer. With limited budgets, there doesn't seem to be any easy solution. One suggestion is for teachers to utilize lesson sharing sites such as Promethean Planet.
Thanks for sharing!
Shenton, A., & Pagett, L. (2007). From ‘bored’ to screen: the use of the interactive whiteboard for literacy in six primary classrooms in England. Literacy, 41(3), 129-136.
Hi Jordan:
ReplyDeleteTechnology is changing everything around us from how we communicate, how we learn, and the rate in which we recieve information which is instantly. Technoloy and education will be hand in hand meaning you will not be able to have or do one without relying on the other. When school districts begin to adopt technology and make it mandatory as part of teacher intruction, we will begin to see more academic success. Technology I believe can have a positive effect on school attendance also. Students like interactive learning, computer driven lessons and experimental projects all would increase a students interest in learning. Like the text states school districts are spending billions in technology and we should be creating a billion ways to use technology.
I think Kim had a very valid point in that although some of the technology may be out there, teachers are not given the time to master it.
ReplyDeleteIt may go against some people, but my thoughts on technology is that it should be taught at the home so that the students already have a general idea of how computers/technology work. SMART board technology is fairly easy to master in a short amount of time, but the focus should be on what can you learn from using it, not learning how to use it.
Some things come in and go out so fast with technology. Look how fast Mircosoft replaced Vista with Windows 7 for example.
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteI agree that time is a huge issues. At the school I am currently student teaching the teachers don't even have a planning period. The time that is set aside for planing is usually filled with school meetings. Everything has to be done during their own personal time. Promethean Planet can be a useful tool, when all of the technology works correctly.
Lea,
Technology can help when it comes to instruction. One problem I have with the promethean board is that it works bests when the lights are turned off. It would be nice it the display was able to be as clear with the lights on.
Matt,
Teachers do need to be given the time to master it. I agree that technology and applications are changing all the time.