Reflections

· What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

At the beginning of the course I envisioned different ways to incorporate technology into the content of the classroom. I also wanted to strengthen my own technology skills. I thought we make look at the principal’s role in improving technology for the staff and students. The course did met those expectations and exceeded them. The data, resources and excercises provided me with a well-rounded look at technology challenges we face in Texas. It gave me guidelines, laws, and procedures at a state, district, and campus level. I think these are things that a principal and administrator needs to have knowledge of and would value. It is not necessary for an administrator to know it all, but to be able to locate the answer and provide timely feedback. I believe this course has helped me with those skills. Overall, I feel I learned a lot about technology and using it for educational purposes.

· To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

I believe that the outcomes I achieved are very relevant to the work that I do in my current school assinment as a fourth grade teacher. Every year I have filled out a Texas STaR Chart, but I did not realize how important it was to our state and federal standards as well as funding. As an educator I am faced with many challenges on a daily basis, one of which is integrating technology into education and using it wisely. Not only do I have to prepare my students academically, I have to make sure they prosess the ability to tackle challenges they will face to reach the work force. Technology is what will set them apart. Our students are technology citizens and I know I need to make sure I am leading fellow teachers to move from technology immigrants to citizenship. Also, I have learned a great deal about how important an administrator is in the implementation of technology. I believe the goal for me now and as an administrator is to be a lifelong learner in technology and aspire others to do the same.

· What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

For me personally there just needs to be more time. Technology offers so much, it just seems that there is not enough time to look at all of it and absorb it. As educators we are expected to adopt new skill and integrate technology into our practices, yet we are not provided the time to fully welcome it. Technology comes easy to me yet I am still reluctant to implement the new technology we are learning this year on my campus because I do not have enough time to sit down and explore it. With technology there is always more to learn, include, and add to the classroom and it is frustrating at times not to be able to have the time to do the first thing we learned about. The only other thing that prevents me from achieving my goals is I often find myself being blocked at school from completing tasks that would be beneficial for the students. It would be helpful if my school and other schools changed their accepatable use policy. Blocking so many sites can be very frustrating when trying to integrate lessons into your content area. Finally, I would say that sometimes technology does not work. While I am a good trouble shooter this sometimes prevents me from trying a certain thing especially if I have had repeated issues with a particualar piece of technology.

· Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

One thing that was frustrating was the web conferencing. I was able to get on the first one but their where too many people on, it was heard to follow the discussion, and we were not given instructions prior to the conferencing. I feel like this would have been a useful tool to be able to actually meet with professors and have questions answered but it was extremely confusing getting conflicting information. I would like to see this implemented with smaller groups. However, I could see the benefit of using this in the classroom and possible with parents. I would just need to practice a lot more and become proficient so I could help parents troubleshoot issues. Also, the amount of articles we were suppose to respond to and discuss with fellow classmates was too much. I feel like we were not really able to utilize the last word protocal because there were too many articles and the discussion board was so busy it was hard to follow. I think to actually get more in depth discussion the number of articles should be limited. I feel I would have gotten more out of it that way.

· What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

During this course, I learned that I already know a lot about the types of technology that can be used in the classroom. I feel that my background knowledge of blogs and social networking helped me to better understand the course material. I try to incorporate technology into my classroom and I am not afraid to use technology. I feel I am a good trouble shooter in regards to technology. Many colleagues come to me and ask me to fix a problem. I am not afraid to go in and play with the program or computer to get the results I want. I love technology and find I use it relatively easy. The course offered some helpful suggestions and tools that I can use to help become a technology leader on my campus. I know when I become an administrator I will be able to lead my team of teachers in developing and shared vision and incorporating technology into the classroom.

· What is the educational value of blogs and blogging to the 21st century learner?

The 21st Century learner is well versed in technology. They are able to communicate and collaborate with others near and far. These students already utilize social networking sites such as My Space and Facebook. These are a form of blogging because they are posting information about themselves. Turning this loved habit into an educational lesson is taking what the student already does and integrating it into an educational setting and content they are learning. Blogs are a way for students to share information and collaborate on that information. This allows for students to learn much more than they could from one teacher. This also allows students to read and have to decide what is relevant to them. This is an important skill that must be developed in students and blogging is a wonderful place to start this development. This is also, a good place for students to get and receive feedback on their work. Student are able to get responses from their posts that require them to develop critical thinking skills. Sometimes requiring the student to evaluate their own response. This creates an ongoing lesson that could continue long after the teacher is finished teaching the content. Being able to work and collaborate with people across the world is also something that a blog enables. This will help students in the competitive job market in their future.


· What are the concerns of blogs and blogging in education?

I know that privacy is a concern with blogs and blogging in education. I run a classroom blog and I know this has been an issue for me. I have had to send home permission slips for the students so that the parents are aware of the blogging that is going on in the classroom. For example, we are able to post a student photo but not a student name that goes with that photo. If we share student work we are able to post first names but not the last names of the student. Some parents have also denied the option of student photos. I have to be very careful when working on my blog. Also, there can be concerns about who is following your blog and what comments are being made on it. Even if a school run site for blogs this could be a place for students to inappropriate with one another. Sadly, there most be monitor of the sites.

· How can you use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders?

One was is to keep stakeholders informed. For example, I use blogging to let my parents in on what we are doing in the classroom. I post my blog site in a paper newsletter that I send home with the students. I remind the parents to go and check out what we are doing in the classroom. This allows them to see into my classroom and be informed of little bits of things we are doing. Sadly, I have yet to have parents or even students set up a blog and start following mine. I would like to see that happen. It is also a good place to collect feedback on an idea or policy change. I know that my district’s superintendent has a blog where she offers advice to parents and parents are welcome to respond. She also illicits feedback on proposed policy changes that may be taking place. She responds to parents and teachers comments that are posted on the blog. This is a very nonthreatening way to get feedback from stakeholders. I believe by doing this she is able to get some buy in and support for policy changes of the district as well.