Tx S Ta R Chart
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Sunday, November 29, 2009
Texas STaR Chart
This presentation walks you through the requirements for each of the four areas of technology in education listed in the Texas STaR Chart.
Texas STaR Chart
After looking through the four main areas included in the Texas STaR Chart, I have decided to discuss the area of educator preparation and development because that is the area that my school needs the most work in. As I reflect back on the amount of technology in-service trainings that we have, it was surprising to me to find out that we are only just at the advanced tech level. The overall state scoring system has a majority of schools falling below this classification (79.6%), with 19.9% scoring the same, and only 0.6% meeting the requirements to be target tech schools according to the 2007-2008 data. After looking at the state date for previous years, I saw a definite trend in the majority of schools progressing up the scale.
The basic requirements for each level are as follows:
Early Tech: use of multimedia and internet; 10% of educators meet SBEC standards; administrators see benefit of technology use; minimal personal use; 5% or less of tech budget used for professional development.
Developing Tech: technology is used for administration and classroom management; online resource use; 40% of educators meet SBEC standards; 6%-24% of tech budget is used for professional development.
Advanced Tech: Technology integration is used in teaching and learning; online resources regularly used; 60% of educators meet SBEC standards; exemplary use of technology is recognized by administrators; 25%-29% of tech budget is used for professional development.
Target Tech: learner centered projects that use technology are common; vertical alignment of technology TEKS is present; online resources available at all times; technology integration ensured by administration; 100% of educators meet SBEC standards; 30%+ of tech budget is used for professional development.
(summarized from the Texas STaR chart website: www.starchart.esc12.net/docs/20052006StarChartSummary.pdf )
For my school to become one that is classified as a Target Tech school in this area, we are going to have to work hard. It is difficult for us to include projects in our curriculum that heavily involve technology because we can not always have access to computers when we need them. We do not have online resources available to the students at all times because we do not have computers in all of our classrooms on a permanent basis. Our administration is working on ensuring that we integrate technology into our lessons by having us turn in lesson plans where the technology included is spelled out. To make up for these areas of weakness, our school would have to use a lot more of our budget to buy more student computers and other technological tools for teachers to use. They would also have to provide more training to the teachers on how to use the equipment in their own classrooms.
The basic requirements for each level are as follows:
Early Tech: use of multimedia and internet; 10% of educators meet SBEC standards; administrators see benefit of technology use; minimal personal use; 5% or less of tech budget used for professional development.
Developing Tech: technology is used for administration and classroom management; online resource use; 40% of educators meet SBEC standards; 6%-24% of tech budget is used for professional development.
Advanced Tech: Technology integration is used in teaching and learning; online resources regularly used; 60% of educators meet SBEC standards; exemplary use of technology is recognized by administrators; 25%-29% of tech budget is used for professional development.
Target Tech: learner centered projects that use technology are common; vertical alignment of technology TEKS is present; online resources available at all times; technology integration ensured by administration; 100% of educators meet SBEC standards; 30%+ of tech budget is used for professional development.
(summarized from the Texas STaR chart website: www.starchart.esc12.net/docs/20052006StarChartSummary.pdf )
For my school to become one that is classified as a Target Tech school in this area, we are going to have to work hard. It is difficult for us to include projects in our curriculum that heavily involve technology because we can not always have access to computers when we need them. We do not have online resources available to the students at all times because we do not have computers in all of our classrooms on a permanent basis. Our administration is working on ensuring that we integrate technology into our lessons by having us turn in lesson plans where the technology included is spelled out. To make up for these areas of weakness, our school would have to use a lot more of our budget to buy more student computers and other technological tools for teachers to use. They would also have to provide more training to the teachers on how to use the equipment in their own classrooms.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Pre-K Technology TEKS
Summary:
Pre-K students should be able to :
-open and explore software programs utilized to enhance instruction.
-use and name various input devices (mouse, keyboard, CD-ROM etc.).
-operate sound recorders and touch screens.
-use software apps to create/express individual ideas.
-recognize that information can be found through technology uses.
Pre-K TEKS enable students to be prepared for building upon them in grades to come. They allow teachers to focus on the foundational skills that will be added to as the student works their way up through their education.Without the cultivation of these skills it would be difficult or impossible for teachers in successive grades to impart the knowledge necessary to complete the skills required at each level.
A spiraling curriculum allows teachers to challenge their students based on previous knowledge. What this means is that students are exposed to the same subject many times, but the more they are exposed to it the more complicated it becomes. This allows the student to feel some level of comfort in their previous knowledge, but also be challenged on an appropriate level. An example of this in science would be the TEKS that relate to photosynthesis. The student start out at a Pre-K level by simply identifying that animals rely on plants (what eats what). On up to second grade, this gets a little more complex by introducing the idea that plants and animals have external characteristics that allow their needs to be met, as well as requiring the idea that students compare and give examples of how living organisms depend on each other and their environment. At the sixth grade level, students are introduced to food chains and food webs as well as energy transformations. The actual process isn't explored until seventh grade, where the TEKS spell out that the students have to learn about the process of photosynthesis itself by identifying that radiant energy is transferred to chemical energy through this process. At the high school leve (grade 9-12) the students are expected to learn the entire process of photosynthesis, complete with all the molecular shifting and energetic reactions.
Pre-K students should be able to :
-open and explore software programs utilized to enhance instruction.
-use and name various input devices (mouse, keyboard, CD-ROM etc.).
-operate sound recorders and touch screens.
-use software apps to create/express individual ideas.
-recognize that information can be found through technology uses.
Pre-K TEKS enable students to be prepared for building upon them in grades to come. They allow teachers to focus on the foundational skills that will be added to as the student works their way up through their education.Without the cultivation of these skills it would be difficult or impossible for teachers in successive grades to impart the knowledge necessary to complete the skills required at each level.
A spiraling curriculum allows teachers to challenge their students based on previous knowledge. What this means is that students are exposed to the same subject many times, but the more they are exposed to it the more complicated it becomes. This allows the student to feel some level of comfort in their previous knowledge, but also be challenged on an appropriate level. An example of this in science would be the TEKS that relate to photosynthesis. The student start out at a Pre-K level by simply identifying that animals rely on plants (what eats what). On up to second grade, this gets a little more complex by introducing the idea that plants and animals have external characteristics that allow their needs to be met, as well as requiring the idea that students compare and give examples of how living organisms depend on each other and their environment. At the sixth grade level, students are introduced to food chains and food webs as well as energy transformations. The actual process isn't explored until seventh grade, where the TEKS spell out that the students have to learn about the process of photosynthesis itself by identifying that radiant energy is transferred to chemical energy through this process. At the high school leve (grade 9-12) the students are expected to learn the entire process of photosynthesis, complete with all the molecular shifting and energetic reactions.
Key Ideas of the Long-Range Plan for Technology
As a fairly new teacher, I was aware of a lot of the "technology goings-on" that were discussed in this long-range plan for technology. I think that we all know that the educational era has changed to a much more heavy handed push in the direction of technology. I was surprised to learn that the Texas educational system is pushing for all students to have access to networked access. I think that would greatly help my students as 21st century learners. I think that it would also be great to offer access to distance learning to our students in an effort to reduce costs and strain on teachers who have to teach over full classes and subjects they aren't completely comfortable in. I do also agree that more professional development is necessary. I also think that more stringent requirements of the use of the items presented in the professional development sessions is important. In learning about todays teachers, I was pleasantly surprised that most teachers do incorporate technology in their instruction. As an administrator, I would nurture this fact and encourage teachers to share ideas and new things they learn with each other. I was shocked to learn that only 10% of teachers use computers to do some of their professional tasks from home. While I do not like to do so, I am definitely one of those teachers who takes her work home with her! There are just not enough hours in the day while I am at school to do everything I need to do without interruption.
I also think that the support end of this technology push is extremely important. Technology is great, but only if it works! I am glad that the Texas education system is asking districts to have technology and networking specialists on hand to fix the issues that come up. As an administrator, I will try my best to make sure we have quality people that fall into both of these categories on my campus. I also agree that it will be important for me (as an administrator) to model the behavior that I expect out of my staff in many areas, technology included. By setting this example, it will be must easier for me to ask others to do the same.
I also think that the support end of this technology push is extremely important. Technology is great, but only if it works! I am glad that the Texas education system is asking districts to have technology and networking specialists on hand to fix the issues that come up. As an administrator, I will try my best to make sure we have quality people that fall into both of these categories on my campus. I also agree that it will be important for me (as an administrator) to model the behavior that I expect out of my staff in many areas, technology included. By setting this example, it will be must easier for me to ask others to do the same.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Week 1: Technology Assessments
After completing the week 1 technology assessments, I feel fairly confident that I am familiar with most of the technology that is currently being "pushed" on an educational level. I was proficient at everything listed in survey #1 (Technology Applications Inventory) with the exception of only a few things. I am not experienced in the processes required to move back and forth between digital and analog technologies. I am VERY good at keyboarding! I do not have any idea what a vector or bit-mapped graphic file is. I also believe that I have some experience doing virtual simulations in the way of completing (and asking my students to complete) virtual lab experiments. I have cleared a lot of these items off the checklist simply due to this masters program, including participation in an electronic community, using technological collaboration and groupware. I am slowly seeing that this masters program has forced me to be more technologically savy, and I feel like as we move through this class on the technological side of educational leadership, I will see that this program along with many of the technologies that are offered to me by my district, are enabling me to be a better 21st century teacher. The second survey that I selected, "SEDTA Teacher Survey," opened my eyes to exactly how much technology that is out there for us to utilize and engage our students with. I do feel that my students are exposed to technology on a fairly regular basis, but from this survey I learned that there is much more that I can incorporate. I also realized that my school is excellent in what technology they offer to our teachers. We are expected to incorporate it into our lessons and held to that standard. They do encourage us to find new ways to use technology and share those ideas with our colleagues.
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