The Texas STaR Chart And Your Campus

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Infrastructure for Technology- Week 2

There are several parts to the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. The part that I have chosen to discuss is Infrastructure for Technology. I believe this is one of the most important parts because if we want to implement technology in the classroom, we need to make sure we have the right resources to do so. The area of infrastructure for technology can be described as the frame for technology facilitation. In this century, schools must provide high speed internet so that students may use it as a research and learning tool. The Long-Range Plan for Technology also dictates that school will integrate voice, video and data technology. Also, schools will allow for students, parents and teachers to have immediate access to data and information that is essential to the success of students.
Our school has done a great job in this area. All classrooms have at least one computer with high speed internet in it. Students’ grades are entered and can be accessed on-line by teachers, students and parents. Students recently became acquainted with Gaggle which is an on-line program of email, information storage and blogs. Gaggle will be implemented into next year’s curriculum. After looking at state and national data, it looks like most schools are following this trend and implementing more technological frameworks into their campuses. It has become a huge trend across the nation to have student grades on-line so that parents can access them at any time.
I believe that in order for our campus to improve in this domain, we will need to implement more opportunities for students to use the technology that we have. That could be having students work on projects that integrate technology or integrating it into the classroom.

Summarizatopm of the Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS.

The Pre-K technology applications outline exactly what children in Pre-K should learn in order to help develop their technology skills and build on them in other grades. Students in Pre-K begin to learn the basics about a computer. They will use devices such as a mouse, keyboard and modem. Students will also use a variety of computer software programs and applications. They are expected to start making connections and understand why they are using the software programs. Students will also begin to understand how to use a keyboard properly and other computer devices. This knowledge will help students build their skills in other grades. It also allows for a scaffolding effect on the curriculum. An example of this is using technological devices properly. In Pre-K, students begin to learn how to use a mouse, keyboard and modem and also learn the correct terminology. In K-2 TEK 2. A students are expected to use a variety of input devices such as mouse, keyboard, disk drive, modem, voice/sound recorder, scanner, digital video, CD-ROM, or touch screen. In 3-5 TEK 2. A students are also expected use a variety of input devices such as mouse, keyboard, disk drive, modem, voice/sound recorder, scanner, digital video, CD-ROM, or touch screen. This continues on through middle school and high school. Each TEK is expected to be appropriate to task. So, although the TEK says the same information, students should be learning more in depth about these skills as they move up grades. This is an example of how the TEKS for technology provide scaffolding a schools curriculum. By scaffolding the curriculum, students will build on their prior skills and also strengthen those skills giving them valuable knowledge in technology.

Long Range Plan

After reading the Long Range Plan for technology, I have gained new perspective in the importance of technology in educational settings. I was not aware that the No Child Left Behind Act had provisions for technology in it. It specified that 8Th graders would have sound technology information and be able to implement this information. This is important for me to know right now since I am an 8th grade teacher. I also learned about the dynamics that make up this state. That is helpful to me as an administrator because I know what students are like in the schools and where school populations are moving to. Also, this reading helped me to see what will be expected of my campus and district as far as technology is concerned. I will be able to better help my campus meet the technology initiative by knowing this. Finally, I will be able to help the teachers and staff at my campus understand why implementation of technology is so important. I will be able to explain to them how the initiative works and also how to implement technology in their classrooms.

Class Assignment # 1

After taking these assessments, I realized how little I knew about technology. In my class, I do take my students to the computer lab about once every other month. We just received three student computers in my classroom so I plan on using more technology as the year goes by. The first survey, Technology Applications Inventory, made me think on a more personal level. How much did I know about technology? The answer; not very much at all. I realized after taking this survey that if I wanted to use more technology in the classroom with my students, then I needed to take more time to learn more technological applications. If I learn more then I will have more ways to teach information to my students providing differentiation. The SETDA surveyed technological applications with curriculum and instruction. Again, I do use technology every so often with my students but it is very limited and a more basic skill level. This survey also added in questions about how technology is used in the district. Our curriculum does not have a lot of technological applications in it because our resources are very limited at most schools in our district. They do not have the technology to support adding it to the curriculum. We are working on adding more resources and adding more technology into our curriculum. I know that 8th grade science TEKS will require more technology use next year so we are planning for that right now. I do agree with these assessments. Both surveys showed me a good idea of my skill level when it comes to technology. I am at the basic level of knowledge and that is what both of these surveys showed. I understand that technology could be a valuable resourced in not only my classroom but in my school. I also understand that it is very important for students to become skilled in technology applications if they want to be successful in today's job market.