5306 Concepts of Educational Technology Course Reflections

1.      What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

I expected to increase my awareness of technology concepts and ways to incorporate them into the learning environment. In addition to learning how to create a wiki, a blog, an Animoto, RSS feeds, and a Wordle I learned about my state/district technology plan, the E-Rate system, and cyber safety.  Not only did we create a wiki and a blog we continually practiced the application of those skills by posting our assignments online and commenting on co-hort members’ sites. I now feel much more confident about the design and implementation of blogs and wikis that I plan to build a classroom blog to communicate with my student’s parents. The actual outcomes surpassed my expectations of the course. I envisioned learning about technology that could be used in the classroom, but the application portion of the course was a hug benefit.

2.     To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

The outcomes achieved are relevant to my current position.  As stated before, I am very excited about my newly acquired knowledge of blogs so that I can create a classroom blog to increase communication with parents.  Learning how to create RSS feeds will also be very valuable in helping me to stay abreast in current news regarding education and technology. I’m still trying to find ways to incorporate blogs/wikis into my classroom. I think incorporating these web tools into my middle school classes will be easier than in my elementary classes. At my middle school campus a BYOD program has been implemented and Google Docs is regularly used. I could ask my students to post reflections each week of a reading concept or spelling rule that has been introduced each week.  I could also use Wordle for vocabulary development or spelling patterns with both my middle school and elementary students.

3.     What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

I feel like I’m somewhat at a disadvantage from most other members of the class.  Begin a dyslexia therapist in a public school setting, I don’t have the same opportunities as the general education teachers have to implement technology. In going through this program I hope to find ways to use technology with my students, yet still keep the integrity of the program. I have to find ways to enhance my therapy sessions without taking away from the curriculum. I don’t have the freedom to incorporate new things into the program at will. It would have to be approved by the curriculum authors. My program is forty-five minutes per day and is very multisensory. We use manipulatives to represent sounds in words.  I envision being able to use an iPad to take the place of this lesson component. Instead of the student physically picking up the manipulatives and placing it where they hear the sound, they could touch the screen and move the picture. I know it is possible, I just don’t have the knowledge to make it happen, yet. I hope to learn how to do this as well as other ways to make this program even better by incorporating technology.

4.     Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

I was successful in carrying out the course assignments, although at times I wasn’t so sure I would be able to complete all the assignments. The first week was definitely the most challenging, with trying to figure out how to access the course software and maneuver throughout it. Once I figured that out, it was much easier.  Getting access to Cohort 23’s blog was somewhat of a challenge.  Now that I do have access, I’m trying to let the other members of my cohort know to give me permission to comment on their blogs/wikis.  Since I was unable to edit the cohort blog and add my contact information, I’m now trying to catch up in that area. It’s also difficult to make sure everyone has been given permission to access my sites since everyone still hasn’t added their contact information to the cohort page. The time factor is the biggest issue. Trying to find time to complete everything while working and attending to family responsibilities is the biggest challenge, but it is getting easier. Maybe by the end of the 18 months, I’ll have it figured out.

5.     What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

First, I’ve learned that I’ve been out of school way too long and it’s going to take me a while to get back into the swing of things. I learned during week 1 that my top three intelligences were interpersonal, music, and visual/spatial. I enjoyed doing this activity and finding out my learning styles.  It encouraged me to do an inventory with my students and they really enjoyed learning about themselves as well. I’ve been in leadership positions before and it’s really not a position I enjoy.  I have a hard time with public speaking and presenting and giving constructive criticism. I don’t plan to use this degree to get into a leadership role. My goal is to learn more about technology, so that I can incorporate it into my classroom. As far as my knowledge of technology, I know that I am way behind in the times. It’s like anything else, if you don’t use it, you lose it. 

Web Conference Week 2 Reflection

I was at first very apprehensive about attending the web conference.  I felt much better after reviewing the video on u-tube that explained the format of the conference.  I was able to connect very easily.  Although, I was surprised when I signed on at 7:45 and there were already a lot of people conferencing. It appeared that everyone was just introducing themselves, so I hope I didn’t miss anything. There was some confusion about not turning your mic on until it was your turn to speak.  There were several times when multiple mics were open and there was some unwanted feedback. I really like that you have the option of using your mic to talk, or typing in your question/response. This accommodates those who don’t mind asking questions aloud, as well as those (like myself) who aren’t comfortable asking questions. I got clarification on several things that I wasn’t sure about.  Now that I know how the conferences are conducted I will be more likely to participate in future ones.

E-Rate and Technology Plan

E rate and tech plan

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Week 2 Assignment, Part 3: The National Technology Plan

The National Technology Plan 2010 (NETP) urges a transformation of American education.  This plan outlines goals for achieving this transformation. The Obama administration desires to see 60 percent of our population holding a two or four-year degree plan by 2020.  The NETP strives to close this achievement gap by preparing our high school graduates to succeed in college and their chosen profession. With technology embedded into every aspect of our lives, the plan stresses that our educational system must provide engaging and powerful learning experiences. The NETP identifies five areas to address this technology powered learning model: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.

Learning: This area revolves around providing an engaging and empowering learning experience for all learners. The learning experiences should mirror students’ daily lives and prepare them for their futures and must have technology woven into all content areas. To accomplish this goal, states must continue to revise and implement standards to include emerging technology.

Assessment: Educator’s must be able to assess student performance. Technology-based assessments can give important data about each student to help make improvements in our education system. To accomplish this educators and leaders must have the tools and training to be able to assess the data accurately.  

Teaching: We should be moving towards a model of connected teaching. Teachers have access to data and resources to help improve their instruction and also build online learning communities which give them access to fellow educators and professional experts. This model also replaces ineffective professional development with collaborative, continuous courses and workshops.

Infrastructure: Educators and students need access to resources when and where they need them. An infrastructure includes people, processes, learning resources, policies, and sustainable models in addition to effective hardware and software. A school infrastructure is driven by emerging technology and should provide for learning both in and out of school.

Productivity: Our educational system must be redesigned. Some schools have restructured their learning days by organizing around competence rather than seat time. If we are to see every student graduate high school with a diploma, we have to be more productive in our classrooms, and organize them to meet the needs of all students. 


Department of Education. National Education Technology Plan. [Online] Available http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010-execsumm.pdf, September 1, 2011

Week 2 Assignment, Part 3: School or District Technology Plan

Each campus will have a Technology Integration Facilitator, who must be a certified teacher, which is responsible for conducting on-going technology staff development. A variety of staff development opportunities will be available.  These include: campus specific workshops, summer technology integration classes, job-embedded training, online training modules, and video streaming seminars.

All campuses will meet a district-wide minimum standard for technology hardware and software. Technology inventory listings will be updated each year. To meet district standards, equipment will be provided to all campuses. Nortel system 11 switches will be installed on all new campuses, current Cisco switches for LANs will be provided, and Xirrus and Cisco wireless access points are provided as required by district standards. Each campus will be provided a high level voice and data services as well as a high bandwidth capability.

All available revenue sources will be utilized to fund the technology program. Funding will come from a combination of state technology allotment, M&O and bond funds. Alternative funding sources such as grants and federal programs will be secured.

Emerging technologies will be continuously researched for possible use within the district. To accomplish this, technology staff will attend state and national conferences, and discuss successes and best practices with another district. Technologies that allow the district to meet the 1 to 1 ration for students will remain a primary focus. A yearly technology plan that will meet the guidelines for E-Rate, No child Left Behind and the state long range technology plan will be adjusted and submitted, and the district’s business continuation plan will be reviewed and adjusted on a yearly basis. 


Frisco Independent School District Technology Department. District Technology Plan. [Online] Available http://www.friscoisd.org/ly/departments/technology/documents/2010-2012GOALSBreakout.pdf, September 2, 2011.

Week 2 Assignment, Part 3: Technology Assessments

Assessing educators’ technology leadership knowledge and skills is necessary to ensure technology is being effectively integrated into the classroom.  Most recent graduates are more knowledgeable about the current trends in technology. However, there are still many educators who are not comfortable using any type of technology.  Unfortunately, if these individuals weren’t “forced” to make changes to their instruction, they would continue to do things the way they’ve always done them.

Many of today’s students are much more computer literate than some of their teachers. Therefore, identifying the knowledge level of students is important. Their skills should determine how and what type of technology is incorporated. Just as we have been differentiating traditional instruction, the different skill levels require technology instruction to be differentiated as well. Educators should be compelled to improve their skills, so they can meet the needs of their students.

With all of that being said, I think there are certain educators who should not be penalized for their lack of technology integration. For instance, Physical Education teachers are very limited in how they can incorporate technology into the classroom.  It would be great if say, the Wii, could be used as an instructional tool.  However, a very limited number of students can participate, and thus not all students would be active. The cost would also be a factor. As a dyslexia therapist in the public school setting, I am prohibited from using technology. In order to uphold the integrity of the dyslexia curriculum I must follow the curriculum as it’s written (which does not include TEKS). Luckily, I haven’t had an administrator who gave me a low PDAS rating for the lack of technology used. Several of my co-workers haven’t been as lucky. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t like to include technology.  There are ways I think technology could be used, but I’m not sure how to go about doing it.  Through this program, I’m hoping to be able to learn the skills I need to help make a change.