Technology Reflections

This class has led me to question the use of blogs...I am a first time user. How can blogs be used to support and/or enhance instruction in the classroom - a question I hope I find the answer to during this course of study. After taking the two surveys, I now realize the areas that I have the least experience in - blogging and video conferencing, something my school is not currently set up to do.

The SETDA Teacher Survey confirmed that my school/district needs to change their expectations when it comes to the use of technology in the classroom. Current college graduates have an advantage, as they are far more advanced in the use of technology than more experienced teachers due to lack of training. An area that could be easily addressed is the collection of data district-wide to determine the impact technology has on one's education. Currently, the only data collection comes in the form of the state-mandated STaR test. There are many classrooms on my campus where no technology is used. It would be beneficial to collect data from classrooms where technology is used on a daily basis and those that don't. If more teachers saw the benefit, more would be willing to seek out staff development opportunities to enable them to incorporate technology into their every day curriculum.

When rating myself, I am "highly skilled" in word processing, spreadsheets, and email/web browsers. In most other areas, I fall in the intermediate category; although I am a novice when it comes to "other data analysis/database software".

As an educator and future administrator, I am confident in my ability to lead my school into a more advanced level of technological application. My campus has the tools necessary to become more technologically sound; however, as a whole, the faculty lacks the knowledge to advance to the next level. In a former school district, I presented workshops on incorporating the use of the Smartboard and Palm Pilot to enhance the PE classroom. Technology workshops were plentiful and it was an expectation that all teachers seek professional development to increase their level of proficiency in reference to technology. In my current district, there are no expectations for technology implementation. The district is making the tools available, and those who choose to implement them in the classroom do - it's time my district raises the standards.