EDLD+5306

Final Course Reflection
=== As I enrolled in EDLD 5306 Concept of Educational Technology, I experienced great trepidation because I wasn’t sure what to expect, and wondered whether I would be able to manage. Going back for a graduate degree was a major undertaking for me because I have a very full work schedule as well as being a single mom to four children, and I was very concerned about having the time to complete my course work. It was a huge challenge to feel as if I were devoting enough time and attention to each of these areas, and I have found that wise time-budgeting is the key to my online course work. === === I expected to learn more about topics that will help me in my current technology position. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the course was filled with topics that I already knew about. As an Instructional Technology Specialist for Alvin ISD, I am very familiar with administering the campus and teacher STaR Charts, and have had some experience with Long-Range Technology Planning and E-Rate information because of my work in our technology department. I was also interested in learning to use as many Web 2.0 tools as possible, and how they can be integrated into the educator’s classrooms. I have never used a wiki or a blog, but knew of the concept. Every week has been filled with multiple assignments that contained valuable professional development material that I can foresee sharing with AISD teachers during in-service training days. === === One of my goals is to show teachers how technology purchases are made based on information obtained through the StaR chart and other surveys. The creation of the StaR Chart and E-Rate presentation was a great way to reach the staff and explain how their surveys of technology implementation are a major component of student success and district funding. Explaining the StaR Chart tool will help the teachers understand where they stand in the implementation process, and which technology areas need improvement within the school aside from the fact that it is used to check on TLRPT progress (E-Rate:Tech Plan & STaR Chart, 2010). My district has also expressed an interest in implementing individualized on-line professional development to teachers who are interested in creating lessons with Web 2.0 tools. My experience in completing these on-line assignments at my own pace has been invaluable in that it will allow me to give better instruction and assistance to teachers who will enroll in district courses. I also think that my experiences will make me a better intermediary between students and teachers with differing technology backgrounds. According to Prenksy, any student born into the digital era is considered a Digital Native (2001).Many teachers are leery of Web 2.0 tools. The challenge is to work with these teachers and to help them create and implement lessons that integrate wikis and blogs. The importance of collaboration tools can be better understood by reading J.G. Hendron’s __RSS for Educators__, in which he attempts to persuade teachers to use 21st century technology tools to converse with students (2008). === === Staying current with technology has been part of my job for the last few years, as well as being a personal goal of mine. I have always enjoyed being the first teacher on campus to implement new technology in the classroom, because I have found that seeing it in use and hearing students talk about it to other teachers has often been an encouragement to try it themselves. A lot of teachers, regardless of age, feel overwhelmed, and view technology as something else they have to learn or implement, but seeing it in action can change that. “…technology facilitators and leaders are likely to find themselves in the most difficult type of change initiative—one that challenges teachers’ long-standing beliefs about teaching and learning” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 38). Overall, I was astounded at the amount of work required for Master’s coursework, and while I have found that there are times when I lose sleep to get homework done, most of it has been manageable if I put myself on a schedule. ===

References

===Hendron, J. G. (2008). //RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom,// Eugene, OR: ISTE. === Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants: Part 2. //On the Horizon//, //9// (6), 1-9. Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every// //K-12 leader should know and be able to do//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.