National Education Technology Plan (NETP)

In reading the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) the goals and recommendations are very clear in respects to teaching, learning and professional development and training.  With this plan it is very clear that with teaching and learning that educators are increasing the use of technology into their curriculum these changes are reaching and empowering today’s learners with everything they need to deal with the growing use of technology. Not only is it reaching the students but it is helping the educators to design curriculum that promotes critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and college and career readiness. Educators have to develop things that are age appropriate for all levels of learners. According to the plan states should continue to revise, create and implement standards using what is defined as the 21^st Century technology.

Professional development and training are also key factors in succeeding for the 21^st Century learner. Districts have developed several opportunities for educators to receive the training they need to keep up with the advancements in technology. Technology is constantly being revised and improving; therefore there is always a need for training. There are 20 regional education service centers that play a critical role in providing training for educators so that they are able to teach in the 21^st Century classroom. These trainings will enable educators to be able to create and increase their technology skills in order for them to implement and present to their students assignments, and assessments that are technology based.

There are also grants in place that allow for the educational training needed for educators such as Title II , Part D which states that at least 25% of funding go towards professional development. Educators also have access to online, and state owned instructional material.

Web Conference

1/19/2012

Attending the first web conference gave me a chance to work with the program to figure out how everything would work. During this conference there were a lot of technical difficulties such as feedback, echoing, and conversations fading in and out. But it gave everyone a chance to work out the kinks and get prepared for the mandatory web conference.

1/26/2012

This web conference was an official meeting that was very informative; Mrs. Borel discussed components of the class during this time. She discussed in detail when assignments are due because there seems to be a discrepancy on the web site as to when assignments are due. The internship plan, competencies chart and reflections that are due during week 5, during week 3 the application for internship and site mentor agreement are due. The role of the site mentor was thoroughly explained and everyone was able to ask questions. I was confused about some of the components of the class but they were all cleared after this web conference. It was also good to be able to put faces with names, it personalized some of the interaction that I have with some of the class members in discussions throughout the week.

School or District Technology Plan

The Beaumont Independent School District’s technology plan falls in line with the key areas of the Long-Range Plan for technology of the state and there plan has to be approved by an SLD-certified technology plan approver. The key areas of that plan are:

·         Teaching and Learning

·         Educator Preparation and Development

·         Leadership, Admin., Instructional Support

·         Infrastructure for Technology

The Technology plan has predicted by 2020 that all Texas schools will fall in line with this plan. The technology application addresses the recommendations of the Long-Range Technology Plan 2006-2020 and helps to define the requirements for educators and students in accordance with the No Child Left Behind. The purpose of the Technology Application curriculum is to guarantee educators and students expand and apply what is known as the 21^st Century digital knowledge and skills within the curriculum.

Beaumont ISD is requiring professional development training for all teachers. There are key classifications with required hours of training for each classification.

·         Early Tech-less than 9 hrs.

·         Developing Tech-9-18 hrs.

·         Advanced Tech-19-29 hrs.

·         Target Tech-30 or more hrs.

Funding for technology is determined through the E-Rate which is a program that provides discounts to assist schools and libraries in the United State to gain affordable telecommunications and Internet access. There are certain qualifications that has to be met before a district is considered for funding. The districts technology plan has to include the following:

 

·         Clear goals and a realistic strategy

·         A professional development strategy

·         An assessment of the telecommunication

·         An evaluation process that enables monitoring progress by the school and library

The E-Rate program has an application process and before funding is awarded to a school or a district they must meet all requirements and file all required forms and meet all deadlines for each form.

Technology Assessments

Assessments are used for multiple reasons and allows for the measurement of what matters, and measures strengths and weaknesses in all areas for educators and students. Technology based assessments can be very beneficial in that they can help make decisions concerning what is needed to reach a specific goal and can help to modify curriculum to fit a student’s specific need as well as help improve the current education system. But there are also some disadvantages to some types of assessments. An assessment that is given in test form can give false information in its results because some assessments want specific actions in order for the question to be answered correctly. An example for this would be an assessment of knowledge and skills in Microsoft word. When taking these types of assessments the instructions are clear as to what they want done within the program in order for the task to be completed but the problem is there maybe 10 different ways to complete the task, however, the computer wants a specific sequence of actions. Most assessments of this kind are set to keep a record of incomplete actions it takes for a person to answer correctly.

Assessments with cognitive research and theory that concentrate on how students think with multimedia, interactivity, and connectivity allows for these skills to be assessed. When placed with learning systems, technology-based assessments make it easier to diagnose and modify the circumstances in learning and instructional practices. Some systems are designed to assess student’s data as it is entered, during this process the information is used to determine the student’s knowledge and problem-solving skills as they are working. The more the student works the more the system learns about the student and their skills, which allows the system to provide the support the student needs to move forward in improving in technology.