About Me:
I have been married to my best friend, Eric, for four years. We live in Colorado Springs. Family is definitely the center of my life. We enjoy spending time with our family, especially our nieces Kristen and Lauren, going to movies, biking, and relaxing by the pool as often as possible. This past summer has brought with it some challenging times. Eric was diagnosed with testicular cancer in April and has completed three rounds of chemotherapy. He is in remission now and we are hopeful that he will be "cured" next July. Looking forward to the future, we hope to spend much more time during this next year traveling and spending time with our loved ones and friends.
This is my second course at DU. I'm looking forward to starting the WSEPP in September in Colorado Springs.
Professional Experience:
I am beginning my 11th year in education. I have taught third grade for 6 years, fourth grade for 2 years, and most recently I have been the literacy and instructional coach at Evans Elementary School in Falcon District 49.
1998 - BS Mathematics, Elementary Education endorsement
University of Southern Colorado
2001 - MEd Literacy and Curriculum Instruction
Lesley University
Leadership Resource Links:
21st Century Partnership: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org
21st Century Content frameworks:
Personal Leadership Action Plan
Essential Questions:
· How can the leader support teacher effectiveness to improve student achievement
· What is a 21st Century school/district/teacher/administrator?
Your Next Steps
Identify “next steps” that you want to take in each of the six identified educational leader standards and the three strand areas to create your own personal action plan. Be sure to identify any resources you have identified during the session that you want to use or explore further. Use the template that follows this page.
Strand 1 – Basic Technology Skills and Applications
What skills, experience, and/or willingness can an administrator model in regards to using technology without having to be an “expert”?
NETS- A – III Productivity and Professional Practice
Educational leaders apply technology to enhance their professional practice and to increase their own productivity and that of others.
Strand 2 – Leadership Skills
How will you, as a leader and facilitator, help others focus on a vision that improves student achievement and facilitates continuous professional growth?
NETS A –I Leadership and Vision
Educational leaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision.
NETS A –II Learning and Teaching
Educational leaders ensure that curricular design, instructional strategies, and learning environments integrate appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching.
NETS A –IV Support, Management, and Operations
Educational leaders ensure the integration of technology to support productive systems for learning and administration.
NETS A –V Assessment and Evaluation
Educational leaders use technology to plan and implement comprehensive systems of effective assessment and evaluation
Strand 3 – Social, Legal and Ethical
What systems and resources do you need in place to ensure that available technologies support and enhance the learning environment?
NETSA -VI Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues
Educational leaders understand the social, legal, and ethical issues related to technology and model responsible decision-making related to these issues.
Strand 1 – Basic Technology Skills and Applications
What skills, experience, and/or willingness can an administrator model in regards to using technology without having to be an “expert”?
III. Productivity and Professional Practice
Educational leaders apply technology to enhance their professional practice and to increase their own productivity and that of others.
Short Range
· I want to explore wikis more and find training and time to develop a wiki.
· Explore other resources including Google docs, blogs, and podcasts and the possibilities of each tool to be used as a collaborative planning tool during weekly grade-level planning times.
· Learn more about NETS for Administrators, Teachers, and Students.
· Learn more about the 21st Century Skills and Frameworks.http://www.21stcenturyskills.org
· Evaluate Evans Elementary School’s current progress on the NETS-A Essential Conditions for Success Worksheet.
Medium Range
· Develop a wiki and Google docs to use as a collaborative planning tool for staff.
· Serve as a model for staff of the use of wiki and Google docs. Include district At-A-Glance Maps, CSAP Frameworks and Descriptors, rubrics, and exemplars of proficient or advanced student work. An agenda, team goals, and data can be collaboratively reviewed and discussed.
· Transition staff to the use of wiki and Google docs as a PLC tool.
Long Range
· Provide ongoing professional development with a variety of media and formats for staff to use to collaborate.
· Take time to explore additional tech resources. Investigate the use of podcasts as a resource for instructional modeling. Possibility of using blogs as a forum for teachers to share ideas and challenges/questions and receive support from their peers.
Strand 2 –Leadership Skills
How will you, as a leader and facilitator, help others focus on a vision that improves student achievement and facilitates continuous professional growth?
I. Leadership and Vision
Educational leaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision.
Short Range
· Review current PLC practices and tools (grade-level data binders) with grade level teams and administration. Meet with staff to define short-term and long-term goals.
· Invite staff to take the 21st Century Content/Skills Survey and lead discussion of results.
· Share technology resources (wiki) with staff. Establish a purpose/need of a tool that would serve as a communication tool between teachers, the instructional coach, IB coordinator and administrators. Assist staff with beginning to utilizing the wiki during weekly PLC meetings to best suit the purpose of collaboration and instructional planning and assessment (what resources, documents, links would be most beneficial).
Medium Range
· Develop a wiki to serve as a collaborative toolbox for discussions centered around the shared vision (resources will include instructional planning, assessment, IB units of inquiry, and incorporating the Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle of Continuous Improvement).
· Involve teachers, administration, and IB coordinator in use of the wiki for weekly grade-level team meetings. Google docs and blogs by using these tools to prepare for weekly grade-level team meetings.
· Utilize technology teacher/staff to provide technical support for all staff in the use of technology.
Long Range
· Continue to search for tech resources that would assist in collaboration and growth. Look into podcasts as a tool for instructional modeling, and Google docs and blogs.
· Utilize a needs assessment survey to continue to provide technical support for all staff in the use of technology.
II. Learning and Teaching
Educational leaders ensure that curricular design, instructional strategies, and learning environments integrate appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching.
Short Range
· Spend more time looking at resources such as Intel Educate and Thinkfinity.
· http://www.intel.com/education, http://www.marcopolo-education.org/home.aspx,
· Work with grade level teams, instructional coach, and IB coordinator to organize the wiki to be used during PLC meetings.
Medium Range
· Utilize resources, such as Intel Educate and Thinkfinity, to assist staff with instructional planning and curriculum ideas to support IB Units of Inquiry
· Transition staff to the use of wiki and Google docs for PLC documents and collaboration.
Long Range
· Continue to use tech resources for instructional strategies. Connect lessons to 21st Century Content/Skills and IB Transdisciplinary Skills.
· Explore 21st Century Classroom Lessons/Activities
· Look into podcasts as a tool for instructional modeling.
IV. Support, Management, and Operations
Educational leaders ensure the integration of technology to support productive systems for learning and administration.
Short Range
· Research the district’s acceptable use policy.
· Research the district’s shared vision of technology integration that helps all students to learn.
· Learn more about technology terms. http://129.71.174.252/tcov2/glossary.cfm
· Identify tech support at the building and district level.
Medium Range
· In discussing the shared vision, identify next steps and professional development needs in moving Evans Elementary towards 21st Century Content/Skills.
· Support staff in beginning to incorporate ICT into classroom lessons.
· Support staff in incorporating ICT into PLC meetings.
Long Range
· Utilize technology teacher/staff to provide technical support for all staff in the use of technology.
· Continue to support staff in finding ways of implementing ICT throughout the building.
V. Assessment and Evaluation
Educational leaders use technology to plan and implement comprehensive systems of effective assessment and evaluation
Short Range
· Review cites (Intel Educate, Edutopia) to learn about resources to support the development of formative and summative assessments. http://educate.intel.com/en/AssessingProjects/, http://www.edutopia.org/assessment
· Learn about Data-Driven Decision Making Initiative and complete the survey http://3d2know.cosn.org/
Medium Range
· Use ideas from Intel Educate and Edutopia to assist teachers with developing formative and summative assessments for IB Units of Inquiry.
· Research assessment ideas for assessing 21st Century Content/Skills. Lead discussion with staff about various forms of assessment. Discussion of articles and ideas from Edutopia.
Long Range
· Utilize Intel and Edutopia assessment resources in classroom assessments.
Strand 3 – Social, Legal and Ethical
What systems and resources do you need in place to ensure that and resources do you need in place to ensure that available technologies support and enhance the learning environment?
VI. Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues
Educational leaders understand the social, legal, and ethical issues related to technology and model responsible decision-making related to these issues
Short Range
· Learn more about copyright and fair use.
· Learn more about District 49’s copyright and fair use policy. Share the policy with staff.
Medium Range
· Learn more about internet safety and technology using NetSmartz. http://www.netsmartz.org/
Long Range
· Share copyright information, and internet safety information with staff.
· Work with tech support to help ensure policies are being followed.
Some questions to consider while you develop you own action plan (set of next steps) to help you lead to effectively integrate ICT into your school.
Describe your greatest strength in helping to integrate ICT into practice in your school
Though I feel like I have a lot to learn about ICT, I am confident in my basic technology skills (during this course I’ve realized that I know more than I thought I knew). It’s exciting for me to learn about new resources and tools and to think about the possibilities of using them to help support teacher effectiveness in improving student achievement.
Describe your greatest weakness in helping to integrate ICT into practice in your school
Not knowing what resources and tools are out there, what they are and how to use them is a big roadblock for ICT integration for me. This course has been beneficial for me to learn about practical ways of integrating ICT into practice in my current role as an instructional coach and future school administrator. Time and tech support are other areas of weakness. I need more time to learn about ICT resources and to begin to implement them in our school.
Describe your greatest “personal” staff development need(s) in the area of ICT
I am enjoying learning about all of the tools and resources throughout this class. My staff development need lies in finding applicable ways of incorporating the use of some of these tools with PLC time each week. I think that using a wiki would be a terrific tool for providing more focus and collaboration for PLC meetings.
Describe what you believe to be the greatest staff development need(s) of teachers in your school in the area of ICT
Teachers use what is available to them (mostly the PC in their classroom, and the portable classroom laptop cart). They are very adept with using their grade book, email, Alpine Achievement, etc. Much more training is needed to train teachers in using technology as a teaching tool. As an International Baccalaureate School, and with thinking about 21st Century learners, teachers need support with utilizing technology to reach all learners and promote higher levels of thinking. Teachers also need “time”; staff development opportunities and course credit would need to be available to them.
Technology Tools you want to explore (software, hardware, Web 2.0, etc.)
I want to learn more about using wikis, google docs, and about learning and teaching resources (Intel, Thinkfinity, etc.). As an instructional coach, I see wikis and google docs as useful tools for collaboration during weekly PLC time and grade-level planning. The other teaching resources would be terrific tools for me to use to help support teachers with developing IB units of inquiry.
School resources and support you will need
Tech support in the school is the top resource I will need. Other resources include, funding, time for staff development, internet access for all teachers.
Comments (1)
Dan Morris said
at 9:58 pm on Aug 14, 2008
Very good - hope you enjoyed the class
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