Texas STaR Chart Presentations - Preferred Version

Texas STaR Chart Presentation

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Texas STaR Chart

Week 2 Part 2: Texas STaR Chart

The Texas Campus School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart is broken down into four main areas. Educator Preparation and Development is the most important area, in my opinion, yet it is also the weakest area for my school district.

Educator Preparation and Development is broken down into 6 sections from content and access to professional development to capabilities and understanding of technology from the teacher prospective.

State trends in Educator Preparation and Development are moving from a rating of Early Tech to Developing Tech. Advanced Tech responses are increasing each year as well. A few 'Target Tech' teachers do exist in Texas. For the local district, Educator Preparation and Development, improvement is slow. Some teachers are switching over to video projectors from overheads. Email is formally the main communication media for the first time this year. Equipment and funds are available for technology, lack of basic technology knowledge or knowledge of how to implement technology into their lessons keeps the campus on the developing tech level.

To start positive progress in this struggling area, technology staff development with meaningful classroom applications would be required of each teacher during the summer, as well as, during the year. Policy could add that technology be integrated into a classroom curriculum at least once during the year in projects or daily activities. Pending progress, higher levels of technology uses will be added to the curriculum.

Web Conference

Howdy,
I have gone to two sessions today from other sections of EDLD5352. They were pretty cool. No major technical issues to resolve. You better practice up on your typing skills! Dr. Abernathy is a capable web conference host, frequently asking if there are more questions and promptly answering questions.

Smaller groups are a must for a web conference. Headphones help. What can happen is that if you talk while another person is talking, then you will get feedback through desktop speakers or you will have multiple people talking at once. Cameras are not required but personalize the conversations which is the main purpose of a web conference. It is good to put a face with a forum thread.

Developing a social network is a weak link with online courses. When you are a principal and have an issues, odds are that one of your classmates (collegues) has had a similar situation. The better you know a person, the more apt you are to develop lasting relationships.

Having direct access to the professors has its apparent benefits. Having a live Q & A session helps clarify and ask extension questions.

Web conferences have their place, but I'm not sure how they will fit into my mathematics classroom, yet. Two years ago, a good friend of mine worked at NASA's JPL in California. Steve and a MARS engineer visited with my technology class for 45 minutes via webconference. That was way cool.

More technology needs to fit into today's ever advancing learning environments, and web conferences can be one of them.

Week 1, Part 4: Technology Applications TEKS

Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS lay the foundation for future successful technology integration for students. A pre-kindergarten student is expected to know what a keyboard and mouse do along with other input devices, and the student needs to know the proper names for those devices. They should be able to follow age-appropriate programs while also knowing how to start and exit a program. These programs should develop vocabulary and language awareness.

Having a basic knowledge of how a computer works enables students to progress onto more advance usages of a computer.

Students are introduced to saving a file in the K-2 Technology Applications (TA) skills. The 3-5 TA Skills require a student to save and delete files as a foundation. This skill builds as a student progresses through school. Learning a back up files to multiple resources when working on a research project in high school uses advance techniques of a basic computer skill.

An acceptable use policy or agreement is essentially the same for any school level, but ethics need to be developed and expanded as students progress through more advanced internet and other uses.

The use of fonts spans the TA skills from basic fonts to more appropriate professional fonts.

Students have multiple opportunities to practice and master many TA skills. Each activity, class, project, or educational level has a unique use for an individual technology concept.

Week 1, Part 3: Vision 2020

I have been exposed to the Vision 2020 and what it is created to accomplish. What I learned new from reading the selections is the Phases and their breakdown, and the detail in the recommendations sections.

The recommendations can serve as a guide to align technology implementation for the district and campus. Requirements from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that are documented make transitions at local levels easier to obtain, whether it be funding, support, or a change in vision.

Staff development seems to be the front line of a major transition. Getting appropriate levels of training to the people who need it is critical in implementing technology and ensuring that schools are in line with the technology applications skills.

As an administrator, the use of data to support decisions is imperative. The Long-Term Plan uses this as the basis for successful models.

Week 1, Parts 1&2: Technology Applications Inventory

Welcome to my EDLD Week 1 Assignment Part 1 and 2 blog:

I accessed the Technology Applications Inventory from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/techapp/assess/teksurv.pdf and completed the Domain table:

Domain	Total # of Questions	# of Yes Responses	# of No Responses
Foundations	18	16	2
Information Acquisition	10	9	1
Solving Problems	18	16	2
Communication	12	9	3
Totals	58	50	8

I have always utilized technology in my personal and professional areas. I have a wide variety of software and hardware knowledge. For two years, I taught a Technology Systems Class/Lab with $250,000 worth of toys from robots, a lathe, a mill, and a wind tunnel to advanced design programs (Maya and AutoCAD/CAM), webdesign software, a classroom server, and audio programs.

My weak areas are utilizing digital keyboarding standards, being current on the Fair Use Guidelines for Multimedia, appropriately using vector graphic files, using interactive virtual environments, using groupware or other collaborative software, maintaining a database, and implementing procedures to track trends and evaluate products.

The State Educational Technology Directors Association Teacher Survey was lengthy and more difficult to apply to situations than the Technology Applications Inventory Survey. I utilize a Promethean Board along with the advanced software that comes with it in the classroom, everyday. My excuse for integrating more technology into my mathematics classroom is my lack of imagination and knowledge.

I have taught for 13 years. The levels I teach are 9th - 12th grades. Through discussions with our curriculum director, I have learned that our district is up on having written technology policy but is weak on having through put. Our magnet campus utilized many on-line resources with advance and college level classes. Our mainstream students, who are in math lab classes, use the ALEKS program 2-3 times a week at 30-45 minute interval to help with math concepts. We are starting in the right direction.

Questions T22, T23, and T24 are specific areas where I would like to analyze to see if I could incorporate more technology into my math classroom.

Blog Test

Howdy,
This is my blog test. With the exceptions of forums, this is my first blog.

James