5364+Teaching+with+Technology,+ET8008



Information Systems Management opened my eyes to all of the information available to teachers. In week one assignment, Teacher Interview, I interviewed teachers who had been teaching for twenty years or more. It was interesting to speak to these teachers and discuss the changes in education specifically relating to technology. When I spoke with teachers in my building, they elaborated on the changes in education in general. When looking back twenty years, Mr. Harders states “the classroom setting is the same, but the methods we currently use to gain knowledge has changed”, Harders (2010). I was amazed at the specificity required of teachers today as compared to years past. The teachers did appreciate the accessibility of information today. They enjoyed having access to district curriculum guides instantly. I did notice a reluctance of these teachers to embrace technology in the classroom. They learned the minimum required without any initiative of their own with implementing technology in the classroom. They tended to rely on "what we've always done". They maintained their classroom websites with the minimum amount of information required. My concern is with teachers not willing to keep up with technology their students will lose interest in not only what they are teaching, but how. These teachers seemed overwhelmed with technology. They have been viewed as professionals all their lives and I get the impression that they don’t feel the same way today as they have in years past. TF-I is an area where these teachers were not familiar or comfortable using.

Week three assignment, SIS Evaluation, was a research mission. I was also surprised at the expense of Student Information Systems. I didn't realize that there was an initial cost as well as a yearly fee for maintaining the system. I was unaware of the amount of reports required by the state and that there is an entire department within the district whose sole responsibility is these reports. There is a different department designed to maintain the system. I received my information via e-mail from the head of our department, Donald Holland. He was very helpful and answered all of my questions. He seemed excited to talk to someone who was interested in the data. When it comes to any type of data in my district, he’s the man to go to. He is capable of providing reports and explaining them in a way that anyone can understand.

With all this data at our fingertips, it seems to me that teachers should have access to data that would help them in the classroom. All of benchmark tests are loaded into the system, but it seems to me like reports could be generated stating specifically which students missed what questions and a report could be generated and issued to teachers letting them know which topics need to be retaught. As of today, such a report does not exist. I'm curious why someone hasn't created this type of data yet. I would like to conduct further research on the accessibility of data to the teachers and if it’s possible for us to be able to create our own reports. As a first grade teacher, we don’t conduct as many benchmarks as the upper grades and I’m unfamiliar with the program.

This information was provided by the district website and my coach, Jeff Womack. Jeff is easy to work with and very knowledgeable regarding district policies and technical support. He will refer me to others in the district if he is not familiar with a topic. There have been times that I get the impression that I am bothering him with these questions. There are several people on the Instructional Technology Department staff and all have been helpful to me. There doesn’t appear to be conflict among the group, however my contact with them is limited. Assignment five addresses TF-VI.

This course left me excited about the future. I'm amazed at how far technology has advanced in recent years and can't wait to see what is next! References Harders, Alan (personal communication, January 18, 2010)

Birdville Independent School District Strategic Technology Plan 2004 – 2009, retrieved February 12, 2010 from []