WHY SHOULD EDUCATORS USE BLOGS?

In this day and age, blogging has become an everyday means of communication and collaboration. Educators are beginning to understand the value that blogging brings to the classroom as a resource for connecting to students and parents. In the book RSS for Educators, John Hendron clearly points out that teachers should be using Web 2.0 tools to integrate technology into the classroom.  He uses his instructional technology expertise to persuade the reader that they should be using 21st century technology tools to converse with students.  

As an administrator, blogs can be a useful reflection tool in action research. As Dana (2009) states in Leading with Passion and Knowledge, “Because Weblogs consist of a series of entries arranged in reverse chronological order, they can serve as a sort of ‘online diary’ where administrators can post commentary or news about the research they are currently engaged in” (p. 87).

Blogs provide educators the power to learn new information, share ideas and they also provide the communication tool needed to connect with parents, students, fellow educators and the community.

References

Dana, N. (2009). Administrator Inquiry Defined. Leading With Passion and

     Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher (p. 7-10). Thousand

     Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Hendron, J. G. (2008). RSS for Educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts,

     and wikis in the classroom, Eugene, OR: ISTE.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT ACTION RESEARCH & HOW I PLAN TO USE IT

The first week of EDLD 5301 Research has been very informative. We dove straight into the topic of action research. We began the week by discussing how administrators are under constant stress with the busy demands that accompany the leadership involved in directing a school. We then learned about administrative inquiry which is one of the tools available to principals to help them improve their practice, also known as action research. The tool involves using a systematic approach to collecting and analyzing data to solve a problem. Administrative inquiry allows the principal himself to work collaboratively with those who hold a vested interest in improving the school. As data about a particular problem is collected, the principal and his inquiry team are able to implement new action plans to solve the problem, observe the changes and then make decisions based on all observations. Administrative inquiry allows a principal to take the actual time needed in making valuable decisions to help the campus. As stated by Dana, “Administrator inquiry refers to the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry” (Dana, 2009, p. 2).

As a member of the technology team in my district, I plan to implement the action research tool. Throughout the year, many new technology tools are purchased and I would like to investigate whether or not the district is making purchases that are the best decisions for the students and teachers to improve learning. When administrators or action researches participate directly in solving their own problems, the entire staff will be able to see that the leader is concerned with making the best decisions and improvements to the school. According to Dana (2009), “Transforming the profession is really the capstone of the principal inquiry story” (p. 2).

References

Dana, N. (2009). Administrator Inquiry Defined. Leading With Passion and

     Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher (p. 7-10). Thousand

     Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Course Reflection - EDLD 5306

As I enrolled in EDLD 5306 Concept of Educational Technology, I envisioned learning information that would help me become more knowledgeable in my current technology position. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the course was filled with topics relevant to my everyday duties. The course immediately dove straight into explanations of STaR Charts, Long-Range Technology Planning and E-Rate, which is top priority in all technology departments. I also wanted to become more informed of Web 2.0 tools and how they could be integrated into the educator’s classrooms. While I have played with blogs and wikis, I have not used them on a routine basis. Every week has been filled with multiple assignments that contained valuable professional development material that I can foresee sharing with the teachers during in-service training days. This course has been very informative and I am eager to share and implement the information I learned.

One of my goals is to show teachers how Technology Planning is relevant to their everyday teaching process. 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 the principal idea of what levels of technology 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). A second goal I would like to implement is to provide individualized on-line professional development to the teachers that are interested in creating lessons with Web 2.0 tools. I have enjoyed the on-line assignments in this course and the opportunity to complete them in my on time. I do think some of the teachers in my district would appreciate the same on-line experiences. If interest is sparked with just a few teachers, then hopefully there will be a domino effect and more teachers will become interested in Web 2.0 tools and the on-line learning experience.

While I am ready to share the valuable information that I have learned, I am also more aware than ever the attitudes of a majority of the staff are that of Digital Immigrants and a minority Digital Natives. According to Prenksy, any student born into the digital era is considered a Digital Native (2001). Expecting the staff to have my same new found energy is a bit over zealous. Many teachers are very afraid 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.They must understand the relevance and see the advantages that they offer in the learning process. It will be a continuous project to assist the teachers until they become comfortable with the new technology tools. To understand the importance of collaboration tools, I suggest reading RSS for Educators. It is inspirational to anyone wanting to understand and implement Web 2.0 technology into the classroom. Hendron uses his instructional technology expertise to persuade the reader that they should be using 21^st century technology tools to converse with students (2008). This transition of using more Web 2.0 technology tools will be a work in progress.

Completing each course assignment took hard work and dedication. Expecting to complete your work in a weekend is not an achievable outcome. It was important for me to set aside at least three hours every night and also the weekend to read, understand and complete each assignment. While this course was time consuming, I can already see the results in our district from my energy and desire to share what I have learned. My site mentor has been extremely helpful in allowing me to implement and share my presentations with the leadership staff. I found Dr. Borel’s posting of the web conferences particularly informative when I became a bit confused on what was expected from some of the assignments. I also found my course coach to be friendly and supportive when I had questions. I must also add, I would not be able to take part in this class if it were not on-line.

In taking this course, I have learned that staying current with technology is and will be a continuous journey. I look forward to implementing Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I realize it is not enough to have new technology hardware, but the teachers must have the ability to understand how to integrate technology into their everyday lessons.

In assessing the State Technology Plan, I knew our district had a strong hardware/software support team. This course reinforced that Teaching and Learning is a huge component of successfully integrating technology in the classroom. “Instead, 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). Our campuses need an instructional leader available to them, not just hardware technicians. This course has reinforced my belief that this one additional position to every campus would be very valuable to the school district.

In using the Kersky Temperament Sorter, I learned that my leadership style is a Guardian which is perfect for my position. Guardians are rule followers that are concerned with completing assigned tasks and they take their responsibilities seriously. I also assessed my leadership skills and found that I have a very strong sense of planning, which is a mandatory skill needed in my position. Over the next 18 months, I plan addressing the professional development needs of the staff. I look forward to the challenge of transforming technology in my district.

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. 

Williams, T. (2010). Kaufman ISD technology plan: 2010-2013 [PDF document]. 1-15.