5306+-+Fundamentals+of+Educational+Technology,+ET+8006



This course provided an opportunity to examine where the state and nation are planning to take the students and teachers regarding technology. It is a good foundation course that helped me get a picture of where students need to be at various stages of development as well as the teachers who will be preparing them. I was surprised to see that my campus is not doing a good job and found an opportunity to help lead our teachers and students.

Week two assignment, “Campus STaR Chart Analysis we explored how our campuses ranked among the standards of the state and other schools with similar demographics. The area that my campus is lacking is nationwide, teacher training and preparation. In all of the classes I’ve taken through Lamar, the largest hurdle is professional development. My recommendation for improvement in the area of professional development includes utilizing professional development days for technology training. These trainings must be taught at the level where teacher currently are and develop their skills further. On a campus of forty teachers, they could easily be grouped into the four categories from the STaR chart. Training must occur that is specifically related to their jobs in order for it to be effective, especially for the beginner levels. It is imperative that we bring those teachers up to the advanced level. We have the hardware in the building that is not being used because teachers are not trained to use them. “Many educators are using available productivity tools in rudimentary ways, but not maximizing the available features of the software”. (Williamson & Redish, 2009). We must train our teachers to be more efficient in their tasks. By using the technology that is currently available they could eliminate wasted time and become more productive. It’s been my experience that when technology trainings do occur on my campus, everyone is in one group. The beginners don’t want to ask questions out of fear they will appear stupid and the advanced teachers are bored. Training that occurs when teachers need it on subject that relate to their jobs will be more effective. In the past the person conducting the training had all of the authority and did not have patience for the beginners. They did not seem to realize that the training was ineffective. The overall attitude of the class was just to hurry up, meet the requirements of attending and get out. There wasn’t a desire from most to participate. I felt a need to help the people that were sitting close to me, but the teacher of the class was offended so I helped them after the session was completed. I would take the advanced group and let them brainstorm lessons to add material to the district data bank. I would also have them share their lessons at the end of the day with the staff. Teachers are masters at adapting material to suit their individual needs. They may get an idea from someone else that could be used in their current situation. I will continue to research technology applications in the elementary setting. Teachers I worked with one on one were very receptive and enjoyed the technology after receiving the training. I would like to provide small group technology training on my campus with specific topics, but also have a time scheduled to be available to answer any questions teachers may have. References Williamson, J., & Redish T. (2009). Assessment and Evaluation. In Jeff Bolkan, Lynda Gansel, Lanier Brandau (Ed.) ISTE’s Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards (pp. 101 - 121). International Society for Technology in Education. Eugene, OR