Action Plan

Title	Roles/Responsibilities related to technology	Principal’s Role in Implementation and Monitoring
Superintendent	Align the district improvement plan and the district budget to allow for the maximum amount of technology	Collaborate with Superintendent on ways to use budget for technology needs
Director of Instructional Technology and Staff Development	Ensure that campus administrators and teachers know of the technology available in our district and are properly trained on all technologies available. Use STaR chart to increase technology level in district.	Collaborate with director when campus has training needs relating to technology.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction	Seeks to find curriculum that already incorporates technology into student learning.	Collaborate with director to suggest curriculum materials that incorporate technology
Principal	Monitor and evaluate teachers to ensure that technology is being used in the classroom. Allow campus budget to ensure the maximum amount of technology available. Use STaR chart to increase technology level on campus.	Attend professional development and be up to date on the best practices for using technology in the classroom
Campus Instructional Technology Specialist	Provide teachers with model lessons and ideas on how to integrate technology into student learning.	Collaborate with ITS to ensure that teachers needs are being met
Campus Technician	Assist teachers with technology needs so that teachers are not apprehensive about using technology	Monitor technician to make sure that time is being spent assisting teachers with technology
Campus Team Leaders	Model using technology efficiently in the classroom. Ensure that grade level lesson plans are reflecting technology use.	Collaborate with team leaders on ways to incorporate technology into lesson plans. Monitor lesson plans to ensure technology is being used.
Classroom Teachers	Use student-centered technology in every lesson as often as possible	Monitor teachers through PDAS and H.E.A.T. walk throughs to ensure that technology is being used and is student centered

Technology Action Plan

Tiffany Johns

Title/Job Description	Professional Development Plan	Evaluation
Superintendent	Increase options for distance / virtual learning courses for students to continue learning opportunities around the clock.	Enrollment in distance learning courses. Development of virtual learning courses
Director of Instructional Technology and Staff Development	Provide differentiated 21st century training to accommodate and individualize all staff members’ technology levels. Provide increased opportunities for meaningful on demand online staff development	LoTi Digital Aged Survey, Individual Learning Plans, Intervention Strategies, Reflective Discussions
Director of Curriculum and Instruction	Find links within curriculum that support the used of blogs, wikis, etc.	Scope and Sequence with evidence of technology use
Principal	Attend training (PDAs, LoTi Observer) to increase understanding of how technology supports curriculum.	Participation in training sessions, higher order thinking evident in instruction
Campus Instructional Technology Specialist	Participate in a global learning community to provide training in various 21st Century technologies including video conferencing, blogs, wikis	Teacher lesson plans and student products
Campus Technician	Participate in a global learning community to provide training in various 21st Century technologies including video conferencing, blogs, wikis (understand “nuts and bolts”	Teacher lesson plans and student products
Campus Team Leaders	Attend training on use of the LoTi Rubric, Levels of Technology Integration.	Participation in training sessions, participation in online annual refreshers
Classroom Teachers	Attend training on use of the LoTi Rubric, Levels of Technology Integration.	Participation in training sessions, participation in online annual refreshers

STaR Chart Presentation

What is STaR chart and what does it mean for our campus?

Star Chart

View more presentations from tiffdj.

National Education Technology Plan

Obama set out on the premise of two overarching goals:

“By 2020, we will raise the proportion of college graduates from where it now stands (39%) so that 60% of our population holds a two-year or four-year degree (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 2008).”

“We will close the achievement gap so that all students – regardless of race, income, or neighborhood – graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.”

With these two goals in mind the U.S. Department of Education has come up with 5 specific goals:

Goal 1: All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society.

Goal 2: Our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement

Goal 3: Professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all learners.

This third goal is directly linked to professional development. This goal is saying that we must close the gap between teacher and student technology fluency. Our students are natives and our teachers are immigrants. We need to teach the teachers the skills necessary to engage the natives.

Goal 4: All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it.

Goal 5: Our education system at all levels will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff.

Teaching and Learning are effecting greatly by technology. This plan hit it on the bulls eye when it said that “much of the failure of our education system stems from a failure to engage students.” Our students in 2011 are immersed in technology outside of school. Many students say that when they arrive at school they literally have to slow down to learn. The world we are living in is technology 24/7 and we have to mold our classrooms to reflecting teaching and learning that are technology 24/7.

Professionals in community also have technology at their fingertips. No matter what the occupation is, there is some type of technology involved. We have to bridge the gap of learning for our students from school to the workforce.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/NETP-2010-final-report.pdf

Progress Report for Technology

After reading the Long-Range Plan for Technology Progress Report, I am amazed at the amount of pilot programs that are being implemented across our state. I was not aware of the levels of technology that are actually being implemented currently in districts. My concern for technology pilot programs or grants mentioned in this progress report relate to the budget. With such a cutback to funding, are the state, TEA, region centers, and schools going to be able to provide these programs? The progress report stated that “for the current biennium, the technology allotment was $29.66 (per student) in 2009-2010 and is projected at $29.33 for 2010-2011.” I am very interested to see with the new biennium if this per student allotment stays within reason.

According to the data found in many of the grant studies and pilot programs student learning is at it’s highest when the technology ratios is 1:1. This requires that an infrastructure be in place to support this. Our data for the state shows that only 7.6% percents of campuses are at a Target Tech level of progress. In order to be at the Target Tech level each student must have access to his or her own computer. I realize that this plan is currently in place and we still have nine years left, but this area in concerning for me. In order for Teaching and Learning to increase the infrastructure must be in place. How can districts provide their campuses with this infrastructure in such a time of budget cuts?

Teaching and Learning Technology

The best description of Teaching and Learning is that “students cannot be passive recipients of instruction; rather, Texas students must become active participants in the learning process.” When teaching and learning are at a target level the teacher is primarily a facilitator and co-teaching when necessary. Teaching and Learning at a target level of technology has occurred when students have full access to learning all hours of the day and all days of the week.

Our state has made great progress in the area of Teaching and Learning. From 2007 to 2010 we have decreased from 3.9% of school being Early Tech to only 2.1%. From 2007 to 2010 we have decreased from 69.7% of school being Developing Tech to only 59.3%. Our schools in Texas at the Advanced Tech level have increased in the last three years. In 2007-2008 only 25.5% of campuses were Advanced Tech, and in 2009-2010 37.8% of campuses were Advanced Tech.

At the local level my specific campus, Baker Elementary, has also made progress in the area of Teaching and Learning. In 2007-2008 we received 13 points in this area with the classification of Developing Tech. In 2009-2010 our campus received 17 points in this area with the classification of Advanced Tech.

My recommendation for improvement is that we increase the amount of campuses that are at the Target Tech level for Teaching and Learning. From 2007-2010 .9% of campuses were at the target level of progress and this percentage has not changed in three years. This is going to require that teachers let go of more of the learning. At the Advanced level students are still receiving peer support and expert support. We have to transform the students’ learning to be completing self-seeking and completing.

My first official action research plan

My inquiry first began when I ended last school year thinking I never want to have cafeteria duty again. The headache I was left with each day was one I could not forget. I just had my first child and I remember thinking I hope if I ever have lunch with my son it is not in a cafeteria like this! As I began my Master’s class course work I began to see my campus in a different light. I really started to look at it through the eyes of an administrator. Instead of just blowing the cafeteria off as a problem I wanted to try and fix the problem. Then this summer I attend a professional development course given by Marcia Tate. The session was titled “Shouting Won’t Grow Dendrites”. She described several atmospheres of a campus and included the cafeteria. After enrolling in this course and reading the management section of the Dana text I could not find a topic more applicable than cafeteria procedures.

I decided to find out if the cafeteria procedures were just a personal tick of mine or if it was something that was actually affecting student learning. At this point I began to interview teachers and parents. I also analyzed data provided by teachers. I found that parents began to attend school lunches less often as the school year progressed. I also found that test scores in subjects given in the afternoon were much lower compared to the morning. When I saw that there was a need I knew I needed to act on this research.

My plan begins by writing new procedures for our cafeteria. These procedures include having soft instrumental music playing and students are not to talk above the music. The procedures also include teachers acting as "severs" when a student needs something so that students stay seated. The atmosphere of the cafeteria will be described as "restaurant like". There are also set entrances and exits. In addition there are set ways for getting seating and cleaning up trays. After these procedures are presented to the staff the staff will practice the procedures. Then the staff members will teach students the procedures. The students will practice the procedures a minimum of three times with an administrator present.

After the procedures are in place I will monitor the research each nine weeks. I will do this by giving surveys to teachers, students, and parents. I will also analyze afternoon test scores as compared to last year. Lastly I will compare parent attendance during lunches compared to last year.

Can't wait to share my findings!

Blog Use for Educational Leaders

There are a few ways that educational leaders can use blogs. One way is the way that most other people use blogs, as a journal. Leaders can journal about their daily successes/struggles as a way of reflecting.
Dana (2009) shared another way educational leaders can use blogs. She suggested using a blog to "model a love writing". (Dana, 2009, p. 89) As an educational leader you should show that you are a "head learner". Using a blog is a great way to model a "up to date" way to write.