Instructional Leadership Action Plan

Professional Development Planning

Prior to evaluating the campus, as an Instructional Leader, I will become knowlegeable along side my staff during technology staff development to ensure that I understand the concepts and how they can be utilized on campus and in the classroom. This will enable me to immediately assess integration within the classroom via walkthroughs. The focus will be in seeing that new technologies are being used and implemented in the classroom. Data will be compiled monthly and distributed to the teachers to monitor the campus progress in reaching the Texas Long Range Plan goals.

In addition, my campus will participate in a Technology Night in May to showcase the technological works of students learned and created throughout the year. The community stakeholders will be encouraged to participate by attending and browsing the works produced at the campus. The number of classrooms participating in this event will also provide data as to the current level of technology being learned and integrated througout the campus. The goal will be that 80% of the classrooms will participate in this showcase event.

Another assessment will be an online survey for teachers and students to share their input regarding their current level of technology experience. This will be similar to the STaR Chart survey the campus is required to participate. This can be done in three stages. The first would occur at the beginning of the year, one at the beginning of the second semester, and the final at the end of the year. These surveys will enable us to analyze the progress being made throughout the year technologically.

These surveys will also work hand in hand with the campus STaR Chart data to ensure that we are working toward improving our overall campus direction technologically. Monitoring these will aid in pinpointing weak areas that need improving as we strive to reach the 21^st Century technology goals. Incorporating Project Tomorrow as a resource will provide an additional way to monitor our campus in integrating technology into the learning.

Evaluation Planning for Action Plan

Prior to evaluating the campus, as an Instructional Leader, I will become knowlegeable along side my staff during technology staff development to ensure that I understand the concepts and how they can be utilized on campus and in the classroom. This will enable me to immediately assess integration within the classroom via walkthroughs. The focus will be in seeing that new technologies are being used and implemented in the classroom. Data will be compiled monthly and distributed to the teachers to monitor the campus progress in reaching the Texas Long Range Plan goals.

In addition, my campus will participate in a Technology Night in May to showcase the technological works of students learned and created throughout the year. The community stakeholders will be encouraged to participate by attending and browsing the works produced at the campus. The number of classrooms participating in this event will also provide data as to the current level of technology being learned and integrated througout the campus. The goal will be that 80% of the classrooms will participate in this showcase event.

Another assessment will be an online survey for teachers and students to share their input regarding their current level of technology experience. This will be similar to the STaR Chart survey the campus is required to participate. This can be done in three stages. The first would occur at the beginning of the year, one at the beginning of the second semester, and the final at the end of the year. These surveys will enable us to analyze the progress being made throughout the year technologically.

These surveys will also work hand in hand with the campus STaR Chart data to ensure that we are working toward improving our overall campus direction technologically. Monitoring these will aid in pinpointing weak areas that need improving as we strive to reach the 21^st Century technology goals. Incorporating Project Tomorrow as a resource will provide an additional way to monitor our campus in integrating technology into the learning.

Texas Long Range Plan for Technology Opinion

The Texas Campus STaR Chart is based on four key areas identified in the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. Those key areas are: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure for Technology. Each area is evaluated to assist a campus to determine its progress in meeting the Long-Range Technology Plan goals.

The Teaching and Learning area is divided into six parts. TL1 is Patterns of Classroom Use; TL2 is Frequency/Design of Instructional Setting Using Digital Content; TL3 is Content Area Connections; TL4 is Technology Applications TEKS Implementation; TL5 is Student Mastery of Technology Applications TEKS; and TL6 is Online Learning.

Each focus area is rated as Early Tech, Developing Tech, Advanced Tech, or Target Tech. The campus classification for Teaching and Learning is Developing Tech. All instruction is teacher directed and students have access individually to technology. There is minimal use of technology TEKS. Most TEKS are met K-8. High School campuses teach at least two Technology Applications courses.

At the state level 69.7% of campuses are identified as Developing Tech. The next level, Advanced Tech, is reached by 25.5% of campuses, and only .9% of campuses have reached the national level of Target Tech. Thus, Texas campuses clearly need to work on becoming more advanced technologically to reach the desired Target Tech.

Our campus is on a blitz this year to learn new products and introduce these learning's to the students. Ongoing professional development is always a strategic need to reach desired goals. Providing not only the professional development but also lessons that are easily reproduced in the classroom helps facilitate actual transference of learning to the classroom.. Providing planning time with teachers to collaborate together their ideas and come back together to reflect on best practices will also benefit students and teachers. Incorporating a Technology Night at the campus level will provide a showcase for students to show their learning's throughout the year and bring parents and teachers together along with local business to share the vision of the future. Ensuring that a budget is available to provide state of the art equipment to the schools is also essential.

Texas S Ta R Chart Presentation

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Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS Reflection

Children are exposed to many technological devices from the time they are born. By the time they reach Pre-K they are eager to learn how to handle and control the mouse, keyboard, headphones and interact on the computer. Basic skills such as double clicking a mouse are important and lead to other learning down the road.

All basic steps learned at the Pre-K level may involve when to press the space bar. As the student reaches 2-5 grades, they are expected to use the correct finger placement and posture to type correctly. Through middle school the students should be proficient keyboarders and by high school they are expected to use digital keyboarding standards.

Each facet of learning provides the framework for the next step. Over the course of years and the practice involved, students become proficient in technological devices.

Long Range Plan for Technology Reflection

As with any plan, the Technology plan is designed to lead the students and teachers to utilizing technology on a 24/7 availability. Today's technology is rapidly changing and educators must ensure that our youth is equipped to meet the needs of society. It is important to provide the opportunity for students to be successful technologically. Teacher's roles must adapt to these new learning's as they themselves become more facilitators and participants and as students become active, engaged learners.

As a school leader, it is necessary to ensure the staff is provided ongoing staff development opportunities and time to collaborate with others to develop lesson plans integrating technology across curricula. The instructional leader must support endeavors to incoporate digital learning in the 21st century.

Technology Assessment Reflections

The Technology Applications Inventory showed that I was strong in the areas of Foundation, Information Acquisition, and Solving Problems. It indicated that I have equal strengths and weaknesses in the Communications area. I am equipped to perform tasks but not necessarily design or create a product. I'm comfortable with the outcome of this evaluation and feel that I'm able to perform well with technology but rarely incorporate as a teaching tool with my students.

The State Educational Technology Directors Association assessment clearly opened my eyes to how low priority we are with Technology within our school and specifically within my grade level. Each class is provided a forty-five minute time slot in the computer lab, but my specific grade level generally does not make it to the lab until the end of the school year after TAKS. I realize our District has tools available, but we don't take advantage of them appropriately.

This year our Technology Facilitator has set up a schedule to meet with each grade level once a month to train on different programs. The desire is that by May we will have successfully presented the new learning to our students so that they can showcase their work at a Technology night.

I feel with the new initiative to reintroduce technology to our students, my skills will be enhanced as a leader to train not only my students but also provide assistance to those within my grade level who don't really embrace the use of technology in the classroom. This will certainly assist me down the road as I move into an administrative position to work with the staff to not only train them but provide examples of best practice usage.