Reflections on Instructional Leadership

Reflections on Instructional Leadership

The role of a facilitator for educational technology requires the knowledge to plan and facilitate the development of technology integrated instruction. This involves developing a plan for staff development (technology), developing curriculum materials and specific technology integrated lesson plans. I also would be responsible for my staff’s legal and ethical use. Assuming the role described above, I looked to this course to guide me in all those aspects of campus leadership.
The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology (2002-2006), course content on informed decision making and data collection, digital-age issues such as copyright issues, cyber-bullying, predation, creating blogs, and the appropriate steps a campus leader can take to protect technology users, are all part of the tools I will need to effectively and safely integrate technology on a campus. This course helped me feel more prepared to be an technology instructional leader.
As an instructional specialist, my current role is to shape and guide instruction for my staff. Part of that instruction must be to integrate technology into students’ learning. Technology is an invaluable tool that takes advantage of skills that many of our students already employ regularly. While hands-on technology use on our campus is somewhat limited for our students, I do utilize AEIS, PEIMS, AYP, INOVA, and other data to improve academic achievement of our students. I demonstrate these tools to my staff (including data manipulation using spreadsheets, etc.) and encourage them to use the data to improve individual student instruction. As a result of this course, I have begun to explore ways to bring 21st century learning skills to the classroom.
However, I feel that I am still a “digital immigrant” when it comes to creating and using blogs, WIKIS, and other collaboration tools mentioned in our readings. Part of this shortcoming is related to hardware and software issues experienced personally, a lack of technology knowledge, and a hesitancy to “explore” my technology horizons. Because this is an online course, some of my technology shortcomings in logistics and understanding are apparent in my assignments. I will still need to rely on campus staff such as our technologists and the “digital natives” among us.
In spite of my technology inadequacies, this course has provided me an enormous amount of information that will help me in my role as a technology facilitator. The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology is an excellent tool available to facilitators to enhance students' acquisition of knowledge through technology. The Long-Range Plan for Technology (2006 - 2020), outlined for me the expectations and standards to integrate technology with the purpose of helping students to improve their academic achievement. The plan for technology covers four areas:
Teaching and Learning
Educator Preparation and Development
Administration and Support Services
Infrastructure for Technology
Also assisting in this leadership role was course content on informed decision making. To make informed decisions for instruction and campus leadership, leaders must be comfortable with data gathering tools such as the Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System, PEIMS, the Texas STaR Chart, PDAS, and NET*S for Administrators. These tools define what administrators (and teachers) must know to improve the use of technology in our schools and ultimately the academic achievement of our students. The data can show us what needs to be improved, which student groups need improvement and how the improvements can be done. Abernathy (2009)
Along with an increasingly important role of technology come policies that outline the guidelines, procedures, and responsibilities for using school technology.
David Warlick (2006) suggests “…adding a whole new layer--Web publishing policies.” Warlick (2006) also suggests four steps for redeveloping an Acceptable Use Policy including establishing goals of use, itemizing and describing specific uses, identifying activities that will not be allowed, and plan the document as an instructional resource to be used in the classroom.
Considering even all that this course taught me, I realize how much I still need to learn. Technology surveys of my campus indicate to me that our district has a way to go with 21st century technology. Going wireless, utilizing pod casts and blogs, and WIKIS among others, need to be more usable in our classrooms. Blogs for instance are websites that are easily created and updated with a minimum of technology expertise. They provide a way “to communicate with students and parents, archive and publish student work, learn with far-flung collaborators…“ Richardson, W. (2004) My concern for blogs in education is related to student access, privacy, and security issues. Despite those issues the positive collaborative nature makes blogging worth the effort. Creating blogs on campus can be a valuable tool for sharing insights among staff. I envision creating blogs to deliver staff development. For instance, relevant journal articles could be assigned for reading and require teachers to respond to the reading on a specific blog, similar to what we have done in this class. We could post innovative technology ideas (with samples) for other staff to share as well. If I am to lead my campus to implementing those 21st century technology skills, I must improve my own leadership and technology skills. I must be knowledgeable and confidant enough to model for my staff the district’s vision for technology. This course, EDLD 5352(Instructional Leadership) took me a long way to that end.

Star Chart

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Star Chart

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StarChart

The Texas Star Chart: A Teacher Tool for Planning and Self Assessing states that "In order to continue improvements in teaching and learning in Texas, educators must assure that the knowledge and skills students learn match the knowledge and skills needed to live and work in the 21st Century." I have chosen what I believe to be the key words of that quotation for this opinion piece.
I has become increasingly clear, in my estimation, that schools are not keeping up with students in the area of learning styles. Students today are much more tech-savvy than ever before, much more than the adults who instruct them.
The star chart survey found that we are weak in the area of "Teaching and Learning." The students have the basic (and beyond) knowledge and skills in technology but we are not fully utilizing the technology we have in place to engage our students and broaden their knowledge and experiences. In each of last five years of data, there has been no progress beyond "developing." This is also true of statewide data. I looked at the last four years on the "Statewide Summary Data" and it shows no significant improvement in the key area of teaching and learning.
To improve this key area, I would recommend lengthening the time spent in each class period so that technology can be more efficiently integrated into the curriculum. I would also increase the opportunities for teachers to be trained in practical applications of the technology available to them and common planning time to critique the curriculum for opportunities to integrate technology and also to decide on the key points that must be taught. This way teachers will have more time to integrate technology in the classroom without having to cast such a broad net, sacrificing depth of knowledge.

Technology Applications

Pre-K technology TEKS are an effort to expand the communication skills of prekindergarten students. Basic ability to get information, solve problems, and communicate with others is the focus of these TEKS. Children learn the basic functions and develop skills using, and controlling, peripheral devices such as a mouse or touch screen. The will begin to use printers, graphics and generally interacting with the technology.
This introduction to computers lays a framework on which students will begin to build a more complex relationship with technology such as graphics design, video editing, and deep research. A series of TEKS to provide opportunities to master knowledge and skills might include a video or powerpoint lesson by the teacher on a knowedge and skill particular to the subject area. The students could be assigned a related topic or problem to research online. The information from the research would then be presented to the class in the form of their own powerpoint (which would include original graphics, video clips, etc.) or a student constructed video.

Long Range Plan

There are many benefits to using technology in schools. The global workforce our student will be entering is much more reliant on technology than ever before. Parents can more readily access and participate in their child's education. Children today are very diverse in how they learn and are very at ease with today's technology. Technology enhances opportunities for teachers to differentiate lessons. Updating and improving the technology skills of teachers is no less important that any other staff development required of teachers. Indeed, many teachers are much less tech-savvy than their students. As such, it is imperative that technology be a major component of a school's Campus Improvement Plan, devoting fiscal, time, and human resources to the effort.
As an administrator/leader, I must model technology literacy and insist that my staff do so also.

Assessment Reflections

After completing the two assessments it became obvious to me that both the staff at my school, and I, have a command of the basics of technology usage. However, our school lags behind when using technology to build student skills on proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. For example, the technology application inventory indicates strength in both the communications and foundations domains but a lesser grasp of the solving problems and information acquisition, skills most likely to be utilized by students in the classroom.
The State Educational Technology Directors Association assessment survey reveals a deficiency regarding campus/district monitoring of effectiveness and the impact of technology on student achievement. While there is abundant technology available to staff and students at my school, there is essentially no data collected (outside of the Star Chart for teachers) to indicate whether technology is positively affecting student’s 21st Century skill development. The district encourages technology literacy, requiring six hours technology update each year, which involves staff development on topics such as imbedding video, web research lessons, and the use of data projectors in each room. Each teacher is afforded the use of a personal computer. and lesson plans and grading are done electronically.
When it comes to student technology literacy the school falls short. Only one technology credit is required for graduation. There is no system in place to evaluate the effectiveness of what little technology is being used by staff with the students. Although my staff and I are proficient in the use of technology as indicated by the two assessments, the Knowledge and Skills outlined by state curriculum guides is vague and somewhat limited pretty much to understanding how technology has impacted society. Furthermore, innovative uses of technology are not widely shared by staff. To improve the utilization of technology on my campus, staff development that focuses on practical classroom uses and a clear instrument for analyzing its effectiveness must be developed. Additional technology must also be acquired for teachers to have access for their classes.

Getting Started

Keep an eye out for this blog. I will begin posting analysis, reflection, etc. as per assignment within a day or two.