final reflections

The course is listed as Instructional Leadership. I imagine that the “Technology Link” was added as a very important afterthought. However, I don’t know if I agree that technology and education are linked. I believe they are more one and the same. As educators, we definitely have to get into that mindset—that we will never be able to separate education and technology. Think about this: even as teachers, we are not technology specialists, we do not work for the IT department, we are not computer programmers, and most of us do not teach technology courses. But, how often do you use technology to do day-to-day activities, teach a lesson, or interact with administrators, staff, or students? Even the state of Texas mandates that we, along with our students by eighth grade, must be technology literate. Especially in our field, we will forever be unable to separate ourselves from the technology that has consumed and is running today’s societies. Conclusively, I am thankful that Lamar University decided to add the technology component to this course. It will make me a more proficient and capable leader in public education.



Integrating technology in education is like saying we are integrating water into a fishpond. If we don’t integrate we are preparing our students to be letters of the 1950s. Sometimes it feels like we are heading in that direction. When we do not allow our students to use technology, we are saying, “Sit down, turn off, log off, or go to the screen saver.” The material learned in this course is relevant to the work we all do in schools. From pre-k to adult-education. Yes, even pre-k has grade-level TEKS for education! Whether you work in the front office or you are a superintendent, technology is important. As a future administrator, it should be my goal to model effective technology use and implementation. That may mean integrating technology into presentations, conducting web-seminars, or hosting blog discussions. As I’ve learned, professional development opportunities, especially for our technology-hesitant teachers, are one of the single most important components of effective technology integration. But, conducting professional development to technology proficient teachers, or even worse, to an empty room, will definitely not lead to the results we want!



The week four assignment was slightly confusing. My Action Plan was not as thorough and meaningful as I would have liked. I definitely understand that I could have created my own template for the plan. However, I would have liked to see a template imbedded in the assignment itself. I was confused as to the expectations for the week four assignments.



I was successful with completing course assignments. I found the directions extremely helpful and very explicit. Each week’s assignments contained detailed descriptions of assignment expectations and how-to sections regarding the somewhat foreign and initially complicated technology components. I felt like there was a significant amount of guidance for the technology pieces. This is especially the case considering the simple fact that there is no true “face-to-face” time to answer questions and discuss confusing areas or issues. I am proud to say that I did not have to contact my academic coach once concerning the assignments. I appreciated the diverse options available to me for completing assignments. For instance, I really enjoyed using the Google writing and presentation tools. I love these tools because they are free and accessible to the user anywhere there is an Internet connection. Beyond being successful with completing assignment, I feel they were relevant to my field, my position, and my future position.



There is a lot of technology that I am unaware of, and it’s a continuous effort to become and stay aware. I don’t always want to feel slightly behind the curve. As an instructional leader I must surround myself with adept technology and instructional leaders. I need to continually ask questions and seek more information. My leadership skills have multiplied as a result of this course. I have learned more about the effective use of technology in the classroom and in our schools. I realized the importance of technology integration. Not only does society mandate we integrate technology, but the state of Texas does so, as well. I think it is equally, if not more, important for administrators to demonstrate continued and effective use of technology. As I’ve learned in other classes, the single best predictor of a high achieving school is an effective leader.



Blogs! Wow! What an incredible tool. As a general education teacher, you can lead discussions with your students through blogs, or provide real-time information. As an administrator: Goodbye weekly face-to-face staff meetings after school from 3:30-4:30! Hello to blog-based Internet discussions. Have a topic of the week. Require each teacher to post 2-3 responses, in lieu of weekly meetings. Have faculty meetings once a month. Replace others with blog postings and discussions. So many teachers complain about too many meetings and not enough time to prepare for instruction. Well, blogs are the perfect answer to the time constraints of our already bombarded teachers. Teachers can engage in professional learning via blogs and discussions. They can do this on their own time, at their leisure.



Privacy is a huge concern for educators and students. There are predators out there who are not interested in the well being of our students. We know this. We need to be proactive in our education of Internet security and safety to our children. We need to start early and start now! Research has shown that even fifth graders have been exposed to, and are aware of, the dangers of the Internet. We need to educate and expose the truths. We also need to understand the importance and value that the online experience provides for our students. You know, students face dangers getting to school every morning. Accidents happen everyday. As safe as we try to be, children get hurt when they are crossing the street. So, do we allow our children just to stay at home, because it’s safer? No, we insist they go to school and experience education. This should be our same mindset for the Internet and technology. Yes there are dangers. Simply, we must educate our students of these dangers—just like we say “look both ways before you cross the street” or “wait till you se the walk sign to cross”.



There is free blog space everywhere. First, most schools have web space for their teachers. Some even have this space for students. Usually, this space is easy to use and update regularly. A beginning tech person can set up and update websites provided by the school. It is really an expectation that teachers do this at Leander ISD. And really, it’s just getting in the habit of doing so that is most challenging. I found it very easy to set up a blog at blogspot.com. It only took a few minutes. Once it was set up, it became even easier to post blogs and engage in discussions with fellow students. One of my favorite things to do is write. And I know that I am more articulate when I write. Blogging is the perfect venue for me to provide information and updates to stakeholders. Plus, if someone says, “You never told me!” You can say, “I posted it on the blog, which everyone has access to!”

Technology Action Plan