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Rebecca Pruneda Page 1 of 17EDLD 5398 – ET 8028


Technologystandards

State domain & competencies

reflection

TF – 1.A I.1 I.2III.8

This activity helped me to recognize effective methods of training teachers in the use of technology. The teachers came to our building with varying levels of experience in technology, and this affected their comfort level, as well as their ability level. Many of these programs are mandatory in our district so it is important for everyone to be able to use them effectively and comfortably. By working with these teachers on using these various forms of technology, I learned a lot about helping teachers expand their comfort level, and making technology more user-friendly for those who are uncomfortable.

TF – 1.B I.1I.2I.3II.4II.5II.7

Our district has made a huge commitment to problem-based learning. Because of this, I have spent a large amount of hours in training, and on applying these principles and strategies. It has really helped to see how learning can be student-centered. It helped me to learn ways to be less teacher-led and more student-driven. This approach to teaching incorporates technology, critical thinking skills, problem solving abilities, and student- driven learning. It also requires preparation, time for planning, and a lot of support from administration. It is not a program that is easily applied. It needs a shift in thinking to be effective.



Technologystandards


reflection

TF – II.ATF – II.BTF – II.CTF – III.B

I.1I.2I.3II.4II.5II.6II.7

By helping teachers learn to assist their disabled students, I was able to help them address the needs of all their students. By addressing the needs of the diverse learner, and making learning more customized to their needs, teachers are able to make the instruction in their classroom more relevant and student-centered. This makes instruction in the classroom more ethical, more equitable, and more effective.

TF – II.D I.1I.2II.4II.5III.8III.9

This activity opened my eyes to so many resources that our district provides for the teachers’ and students’ use. This support system is not used nearly as often as it should be, because many of the teachers are unaware of it and not sure how to access it if they do know about it. These tools need to become part of our teachers’ tool boxes, and to do that, they need to be made more aware of the resources available in the district.

TF – II.E I.1I.2I.3II.4II.5II.6

Providing new strategies for teachers during my grade level meeting helped me to learn were the interest of the teachers that I work with lies. It is interesting to see those who prefer more interactive lessons, and those who are more teacher-controlled in their teaching. By providing a tip sheet to facilitate the new strategies, it was easier for the teachers to apply them.


TF – II.F I.2I.3II.4

Many of the teachers have very little experience using open source or creative commons material, and often do not think about the rules governing copyright. This is an area that our teachers need more information in. I did not realize how wide spread this problem was until I started providing information on the topic to the teachers that I work with. These materials are easily accessible and make addressing copyright rules and laws much easier to do.



Technologystandards


reflection

TF – III.ATF – III.E


As part of my action research project, this activity provided me with the chance to see what was effective in helping teachers learn to use technology in their classrooms. Different teachers needed different levels of assistance, and different types of assistance. They did not all need the same skill. This made a mentoring style of assistance very helpful.

TF – II.ATF – II.BTF – II.CTF – III.B


By helping teachers learn to assist their disabled students, I was able to help them address the needs of all their students. By addressing the needs of the diverse learner, and making learning more customized to their needs, teachers are able to make the instruction in their classroom more relevant and student-centered. This makes instruction in the classroom more ethical, more equitable, and more effective.

TF – III.C I.1I.2I.3II.4II.5II.6II.7

Problem based learning helps to create a more student-centered learning activity. It also helps students use technology to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills in ways that are effective for all learners. By using a problem based learning unit during my action research project, I was able to help teachers learn to provide technology to primary age students in a way that was relevant to their learning needs.

TF – III.D I.1I.2I.3II.4II.5II.6III.8III.9

This activity was a major part of my action research project. In assisting teachers to complete their projects, we needed to address several issues dealing with behavior, supervision, and diversification. I learned who and what good resources were, and how to find them. I also learned to listen to the needs of the people I was helping, not just assume that I had all the answers.


Technologystandards


reflection

TF – IV.ATF – IV.B

II.4II.5

These on-line assessment tools help to provide on-going formative data that helps to drive planning and implementation for student learning. It helps teachers to adapt their lessons to address the needs of the student in a timely manner that otherwise may not be addressed. This assessment data may also be used in a summative manner to address mastery and overall growth. What I liked was how readily available the information was. As long as the students were accessing the programs, the data was available for teacher use.

TF – IV.C II.4II.5

Using a rubric helps define what a student is expected to gain from the material. We address what we expect them to produce to show that they have gained the expected skills, and to what level we expect those tasks to be performed. When writing a rubric, I found that I had to make sure that I addressed the skills and tasks that showed


what I was trying to teach. It was easy to get off track if I was not careful to think about what skill I was actually trying to teach.


Technologystandards


reflection

TF – V.A I.2I.3II.4II.5II.7III.8

This workshop provided a lot of relevant material that could be used for planning and developing material, research and referencing, and as tools to be used in the classroom. By sharing this information with others, I provided some new information and food for thought to teachers in areas that they may not have addressed before. The original information was not an in-depth topic, but several teachers came and asked me about various aspects of the information.

TF – V.B I.1I.2I.3

By evaluating the results from the Texas Star Chart, I was able to provide some useful information to my building administration when developing plans for the


II.5II.6III.8III.9

coming year. We were able to apply the results of that data in a way that was relevant to the building, and I learned more from the activity because it had a real-world application.

TF – V.C I.1I.2II.5II.6III.8

Power Videos is one of those tools that is very easy to use once you start using it on a regular basis. A good introduction, with a cheat sheet for the steps to access the site, is usually enough to get teachers started. Once they realize the amount of resources available, they tend to access it fairly frequently. They like the fact that it is not just videos. It also has music, images, articles, and audio books as well. Most teachers just need to know that it is there and how to access it. For those who need a bit more assistance, a couple of hands on activities usually helps them to feel more comfortable using the site.

TF – V.D I.2 By developing and maintaining a class web page, I was able to create a great communication tool for parents and students as well as a resource for student learning. The web page was easy to develop, but I often needed to remind myself to keep it updated and current. It was a great tool, but it does need to be kept current to be effective as a communication tool.


Technologystandards


reflection

TF – VI.A I.1I.2I.3II.6III.8

When doing this activity, I found that middle school teachers are much more skilled at this task than elementary teachers. I think elementary teachers often think that it is not relevant to their students, and this is not the case. With all our students accessing technology at


younger and younger ages, they need to know how to use it in an ethical manner. If we do not teach them how to, and that it is important to follow ethical guidelines, then they won’t.

TF – VI.B I.2III.8III.9

I think it is always important to give teachers an idea of what is available to them. They need to know what district resources are available for them, and for their students. Too many tools sit in boxes and on shelves because people do not know that they are available. Or even worse, the teachers buy the items, not realizing that the district has it sitting in a cabinet or warehouse not being used.

TF – VI.C I.1I.2I.3II.6

I learned a lot from this activity. I address intellectual diversity all the time as a special education teacher, but I do not work with cultural diversity in the same way. Language differences often cause problems for my students since I have a large Hispanic population, but since I am already customizing the curriculum for my students, I often do not think of it as a language or cultural issue. This is an area that I need to do more research and practice in.

TF – VI.D I.2I.3II.6III.8III.9

I enjoyed this activity. It was fun to find and play with all the different resources available. I did find that some of the resources disappeared after a short time. I found that there are web 2.0 tools for every skill and age level. It is a matter of playing with them, and finding the best tool for you. I liked that there are multiple tools for the same thing so that it is possible to find the best tool for your situation.

TF – VI.E I.1I.2I.3II.5II.6II.7III.8III.9

This activity was the beginning of my action research project. By doing a needs assessment on this activity, this activity grew into a major project. By addressing the resources available on campus, and making them available to all teachers and students, I was able to provide an equitable and fair solution to the distribution problem for our mobile laptop labs.


Technologystandards


reflection

TF – VII.A I.2II.6III.8III.9

This activity helped teachers new to the district, and teachers who worked with young students. The teachers were easily able to access the Z: drive for their own personal use. This drive is stored on the district server, and is accessible from anywhere in the district. This allows for easy access to files from any computer in the district. The students also have Z: drive access. Many of the primary grade teachers never used these with their students. Since this is a place for students to store and work on their digital assignments, it is important that they know how to access and use this resource. This is another resource that is readily available in the district.

TF – VII.B II.6III.8III.9

Our district uses on-line training on a regular basis. Many of these are mandatory trainings that they have made available through the on-line training through Workshop on Eduphoria. They also provide technology and gifted and talented training in this manner for those who would like or need to get additional hours in these


areas. I have accessed many of these available resources, as well as those provided by the regional service centers and state training through Pearson. It is easier to fit these trainings into a busy schedule.

TF – VII.C II.6III.8III.9

I have learned so much from the various trainings and workshops that I have attended on resources and technology. Much of the information was repeated from session to session, but I always found enough new material, or a new way to approach the material already in my knowledge bank, to make attending worthwhile. I love seeing new ways to approach things. It broadens your vision of learning and makes the activities more relevant and interesting for everyone involved.

Chart for TF-VIII continued below reflections

Technologystandards


reflection

TF – VIII.A

II.5II.6III.8

Attending the TCEA conference was an interesting experience. This was the first opportunity that I had to attend. Visiting the booths of all the vendors was as big an opportunity as many of the sessions, and I was able to ask questions and have some hands-on experience with the actual items while visiting the vendors. There was a lot of information available all in one place. Some of it was repetitive, but some was new and gave a fresh vision to work with.

TF – VIII.BTF – VIII.D

I.1I.2I.3II.4II.5II.6

This activity let me be involved in the development of the new district technology plan, even if it was in the form of an observer. I was able to discuss the plan as it was being developed with the people who were actually developing the plan. I learned a lot from seeing how this process developed. How needs and research data, as well


II.7III.8III,9

as district data were used to address and devise a new plan after discussing and evaluating the previous plan. This was a process that would be used in developing any type of improvement plan for the district. This was definitely a learning experience.

TF – VIII.C

I.1I.2I.3II.4II.5II.7III.8

The tech-buddies program is a great way to help diverse learners be successful. In this case, our special needs students were able to work with another student on a research project that used digital media for research and for their product. By working together, both the high and low students were successful. It was great watching how much all the students got out of the assignment, and how much they were able to show.

TF – VIII.E

I.2I.3II.4II.7III.8III.9

This part of my action research project helped the teachers access the mobile laptop lab. In completing this task, I began to realize how much planning is needed to create an equitable and fair set of guidelines for teachers to access resources. A simple sign-up sheet is not always the answer. Sometimes, a bigger issue needs to be addressed before guidelines can be set-up and implemented.


Education

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