Course Reflection

This course has given me an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge in an area that I thought I was more familiar with. I did, however expand my current skills during this class. Before taking this course, I envisioned that it would only highlight some computer programs such as Power Point, Excel, Microsoft Word, and Outlook. The outcome was so much more. I never would have imagined the scope of this course and how in depth it actually went. Since I rarely use Power Point presentations at work, it was highly beneficial to me to be able to create a slide show presentation with our campus data.

Weeks 1 and 2 of the course were extremely vital to me. They laid the foundation of technology as an instructional leader. Those two weeks gave me many opportunities to be creative and insightful. I did a Technology Applications Inventory, which accessed my knowledge and skills in the four Strands: Foundation, Information, Acquisition, Solving problems, and Communications. I also reviewed and summarized the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, which gave me the chance to explore ideas for my campus as an instructional leader guiding technology implementation. Until this course, I was unfamiliar with the Texas Long Range Plan. Also, after reviewing the Technology Applications TEKS, I was familiarized with what our students should know about technology in different grade levels. I looked at three years of Campus STaR Chart data for my campus. I observed that the trend was virtually consistent in those years. I felt that as an instructional leader, we need to do more staff developments, workshops, or online trainings.

These assessments helped me realize that we are not being provided with enough opportunities to develop our technology skills, or to learn new concepts. I began looking at ways that we could prepare our staff to be 21st Century Teachers to fit our 21st Century Learners. This was confirmed in one of our faculty meetings. Our principal informed us that every room in every school in our district was going to be provided a smart board and speaker systems. However, with all of the technology updates, most teachers that work on our campus will not know how to utilize the new technology. This class has also made me look at cell phone usage in a different perspective. The information in regards to Internet safety and copyrights provided additional information that I thought I was knowledgeable in, but didn’t know how in-depth it really was. This has given me useful information that I am able to pass along to my students and colleagues.

Blogging was something virtually foreign to me. While I have read a blog, I had never created one. The round table discussion provided examples of how an instructional leader might utilize blogging, wikis, and podcast to communicate with faculty, students, parents, and stakeholders. Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can use with students whenever there is a curriculum need to develop writing, share ideas, and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom. Blogging also serves as a communication tool to connect us to other educators and ideas we may have never found. It helps us do our jobs better and deliver more valuable instruction to our students. Students are more engage in the learning process. The real value of blogs isn’t just in networking with our peers. Teachers, administrators and school board members already collaborate. But the most important benefit of utilizing a blog is being able to communicate and interact with those members of the community who we usually have a tougher time reaching. In our district that would be the parents, voters, and anyone in the community who is concerned about education. Stakeholders may subscribe to an RSS Feed, which is the more common technique. An RSS Feed directs them to a special place where they would be able to view the blog. This alleviates the use of crowded email inboxes. As an instructional leader I want to be visible and open for feedback. I want to also model effective use of technology for my faculty. There would be a limited numbers of difficulties utilizing a blog. I believe some staff would not be receptive to the idea because of fear of change. Also, as everyone is able to participate on a blog, biased and or inaccurate information may occur.

Overall, this course has truly been a learning experience. It was insightful and suggestive of new perspectives. I gained useful knowledge that I can pass along to my current students and colleagues. It has equipped me with the primary foundations of technology, so that I may become a succcessful instructional leader.