Technology Improvements

Areas of Professional Development for Technology Improvements

SAS System	·         An area in which our school needs improvement is in the area of understaning our Student Assessessment System (SAS).  This is a program available through the district intranet which contains all standardized testing information, (TAKS, CogAT, MAP, district assessments, etc.), in addition to each students’ specific demographics.  ·         Properly undertanding how to study and analyze the information in this program will help teachers to identify at risk students and help them to be successful.  Most teachers at our school do not currently use this information to help guide instruction. ·          By understaning the SAS system, teachers at FMS will be able to differientiate instruction at a more complex level, ideally improving learning.
Survey Students	·         An item discussed in the week 3 interview with Dr. Jenkins was the need for professional development that is specific to each staff persons needs.  “To achieve the goal of a technologically literate staff, Plano ISD continues to offer a wide variety of professional development courses in the area of technology and curriculum integration. Training materials are available at http://k-12.pisd.edu/ for easy access by all staff members to enable just-in-time training options.”  ·         With this information in mind, we would first poll the students on what technology they would like to use more in the classrooms. ·          Based upon their answers and the available resources, we would formulate a staff development training based on student desires.  ·         The goal of this sort of training is to implement lessons with technology that will help keep students engaged.
STaR Chart Analysis	·         At Frankford, we need to improve decision making about technology at the local level. ·          Administrators and campus leaders would facilitate multiple faculty meetings and professional development planning sessions to review the Texas STaR chart results and set goals for the implementation of technology in the future. ·         The initial goal of these meetings would be to show teachers where we have been, where we are currently, and to set realistic goals regarding technology for the future.  Use the powerpoint created in week 2 to help. ·         The next step would be for team leaders and department heads to work with their teachers to determine subject specific goals and communicate them to the staff. ·         At a third meeting, the staff would share ideas and make asjustments to their initial plans.  ·         The mission of these training sessions would be to use technology in a productive way to teach the district mandated curriculum and keeping students engaged and increasing overall learning.

2/6 Web Conference

I watched the recording of the February 6^th Web Conference.  There were three main topics discussed in the conference: Graduation/commencement, TK20, and the Lamar Competency Exam. 

I learned quite a bit about the graduation and commencement procedures at Lamar.  It is interesting how they handle the timing of graduation.  I will be done with classes in August, so I will not graduate until December.  After completing an undergraduate and a previous master’s degree, I am always amazed how different graduation procedures are with each institution. 

The TK20 system still seems to be a hot topic of discussion.  There seems to be quite a bit of confusion surrounding this portfolio software.  I think I am getting used to the system, but we do not get much feedback regarding this.  I plan to complete the portfolio very soon, so I am excited to near that milestone in the program.

Lastly, the LCE was discussed.  We were directed to the google site for information and study material.  I located the directions to access the exam, but did not find any videos or study material as mentioned. 

Overall, the web conference was beneficial.  It is always nice and comforting to interact with colleagues and peers.  It is also good to know that others share the same stress and struggles in completing the program. 

Texas STaR Chart

Texas star chart

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Teaching and Learning

Technology can benefit and meet the needs of students from all experiences and backgrounds. Students acquire more knowledge when collaborative groups and discussion are encouraged. The 21st Century learner will learn to communicate with peers, collaborate with experts, and build knowledge through distance learning and online instructional tools. Many of our Texas students have limited exposure to technology in the home; therefore, we must ensure learning opportunities at school. In order to prepare students for real life experiences, teachers need to embrace technology in their classrooms. The traditional way of teacher guided outcomes are no longer acceptable for the 21st Century learner.

According to the state’s teacher STaR Chart, this specific area is showing significant gains.  In the 2007-08 results, 69.7% were at the developing level and 25.5% at the advanced level.  For the 2009-10 results, these percentages went to 59.3% and 37.8% respectively.  Therefore, the percentage of campuses reaching the advanced tech level is increasing.  On my particular campus, we have stayed at the advanced level, only increasing a few points over the last couple of years.

In looking at the Campus Statewide Summary, the majority of schools fall in the Developing Tech Range for Teaching and Learning. The Infrastructure domain is at the Advanced Tech stage which is the highest percentage overall. Our campus Infrastructure total had the greatest total points in all 3 years. This is exciting news because each year we are getting better and this can certainly be attributed to the wonderful technology department staff in our district.

In order to improve this phase of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, instructional leaders need to establish a shared vision for digital-age technology on their campus. A culture of innovation should be encouraged and opportunities for professional development must be provided. Administrators must explore best practices in educational technology and find ways for implementation on their campus. Likewise, teachers must be willing to step out of their comfort zone and utilize these strategies and tools!

Action Planning Template
Goal:  To determine if extra-curricular involvement is a motivator for student academic success.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Discuss topic with site supervisor, Renee Godi	Jeff Banner & Renee Godi	April 2011	-  Time -  Failure Reports	Agreed that the results will warrant action to be taken by many to increase student academic success.
Present research plan to all extra-curricular sponsors at beginning of year staff meeting.	Jeff Banner & all extra-curricular sponsors	August 2011	-  Time -  List of all sponsors -  Powerpoint explaining my research -  Printout of powerpoint for those who are not present	Ensure that all parties involved understand the process and what information is needed for me to conduct the research.
All extra-curricular sponsors email a copy of their roster.	Jeff Banner & all extra-curricular sponsors	September 2011	-  Time -  List of all sponsors -  Email sponsors with a  deadline to submit rosters.	Compile all the lists into one master listing of students involved in extra-curricular activities.
Obtain Failure Reports for the first, second, and third six weeks grading periods.	Jeff Banner	December 2011	-  Time -  Access to pinnacle failure reports -  7th and 8th student enrollment -  Contact any teacher who listed an Incomplete for a grade.	Calculate the school failure rate for the 7th and 8th grade combined.
Identify percentage of failing students that are involved in any extra-curricular activity by comparing failure list to my master list.	Jeff Banner	January 2012	-Time -Failure Reports - Master list of extra-curricular students	Of those that failed, calculate the percentage that were involved in extra-curricular activities.
Examine Current or existing research in this area.	Jeff Banner	August 2011 – February 2012	-  Time -  Periodicals -  Databases	Investigate existing research in this area to develop a deeper understanding and determine if my results support or discredit what is shown.
Compile data and results for each grading period.	Jeff Banner	February 2012	-  Time -  Create charts and graphs with figures	Compile and organize results in order to prepare to present them to administrators and extra-curricular sponsors.
Share findings with site supervisor	Jeff Banner & Renee Godi	February 2012	-  Time -  Computer with presentation or printout of presentation	Explain the results to my principal.  Discuss the findings and examine if there is need for additional information.
Share findings with all extra-curricular sponsors.	Jeff Banner & all extra-curricular sponsors	March 2012	-  Time -  Powerpoint explaining research -  Printout of powerpoint for those not there. -  Questionnaire for suggestions or qualitative information that needs to be considered.	Explain the results to all extra-curricular sponsors.
Brainstorm and identify actions that can be taken to increase all students’ academic success.	Jeff Banner & leadership team	April 2012	-  Time -  Leadership team	Based on results, determine how to motivate more students.  If participation is a motivator based on the research, how can we get more students involved?  If it is not, what can be done to motivate students?
Implement appropriate changes to improve academic success.	Jeff Banner & Renee Godi	August 2012	-  Time -  Present changes and research to staff at beginning of year staff meeting.	Implement new ideas brought forth by the action research.
Evaluate the progress and need for additional action research in this area.	Jeff Banner	Ongoing	-  Time -  Evaluate improvement by looking at student athletes academic success.	Constantly examine the progress of my student athletes to determine if the changes implemented are successful.

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

Importance of Blogging

Communication is the key to success in any organization.  In education, teachers and administrators are constantly collaborating and sharing ideas.  Blogging is an efficient, fast, simple, and cost effective way for leaders to do so.  Overall, it allows information to be shared and for feedback to be provided on unlimited topics. 

Importance of Action Research

In order to be successful and to attain the best results, all teachers and administrators must have the passion to be lifelong learners.  Strategies implemented in schools are constantly changing and evolving with time.  It is essential that school leaders evolve and evaluate best practices along the way in order to best serve their campus and community.  One way to accomplish this is through action research. 

Action research can be accomplished in four steps.  The first step is self reflection.  This is where you reflect on curiosities, problems, or wonderings that could be used to improve the campus or student learning.  Next is the process of researching the aforementioned curiosity or issue.  This is traditional research and consists of collecting data, reading relevant literature, meeting with colleagues, and collaborating with professional learning communities.  The third step is to implement your findings and put new ideas into practice.  Lastly, and most importantly, is reflecting on and sharing the outcome of your research.  It is essential that leaders reflect and evaluate if the results accomplish what was set out to improve.  From here, action research is shared in professional learning communities and amongst colleagues. 

Action research is much more involved than the traditional research.  In education, it is imperative that action research be conducted by teachers and administrators.  This is an invaluable tool used to improve leaders, teachers, campus, classrooms, and most importantly student learning.