Week 5 Reflection - EDLD 5326 School Community Relations

Time is flying!  I can't believe I have been in the Lamar M.Ed Educational Technology Leadership program for one year.  I am completing my 8th class and only have 4 to go before the degree is mine!

The project has been slow.  I was quite surprised with the number of teachers that I asked to participate that said no because they didn’t have time.  That reaction changed the number of participants and obviously will not produce the results I was expecting due to the number of actual students involved.   This project is still ongoing and I plan on stopping it mid-May allowing me time to calculate my findings and prepare my reflection. 

 

I have not been surprised by the responses from the students involved in the study.  I proposed that students would be more engaged in their learning and the class with the use of BYOD and so far their responses to surveys have proven that to be the case.

 

I have found that with the implementation of iPads within our district, although they are not 1:1 yet, that teachers are using them in place of BYOD.  I think there are two reasons for this.  First, teachers can obtain and have for their use enough iPads so that there is one iPad for every 2 students.  For most classes that will give more students access to devices than it would if teachers were using BYOD.  Secondly, teachers want to use the iPads because next year from grade 7 to 12 we will be 1:1 and teachers want to be comfortable using them in class.

 

Over all I am comfortable with how well things have progressed and the schedule looks like I will be able to end in a timely manner and hopefully the teachers satisfied.

EDLD 5326 School-Community Relations

In addition to preparing my plan for my project part of the assignment this week was to prepare a presentation to stakeholders.

Week 5 EDLD5363 - Multimedia and Video Technology

I have had the pleasure of working with a great group during this class creating a video. I originally expected it to be difficult to collobrate and create over the web but it has all gone well. We are all ready for the Christmas break and hope you enjoy our video.

EDLD5363 Multimedia and Video Technology

Webconference Reflections - Due to my busy schedule and the time of year with mutliple commitments it was very difficult to attend many webconferences. That however is not a problem! They are recorded for future viewing as well as a transcript is made available. I have to admit I mainly had time to read over the transcripts. I did find them helpful and informative. There were several times when I had a question that was answered in the webinar and thus made something easier to understand. I am very thankful for the recordings and transcripts. I realize that everyone doesn't have the time to attend the webinar but they are still able to recieve the information through the recording and transcripts.

EDLD5363 Multimedia Video Technology Week 1

The assignment for Week 1 of EDLD5363 Multimedia Video Technology was to creat a personal video.  I know for some this may be difficult for some but not for me.  I hope this video will not only meet the requirements for this class but serve as an inspiration for parents that may be beginning the journey of CHD.  For those not familiar with Congenital Heart Defects  it is the number one birth defect affecting one out of every 100 children born. 

EDLD5362 Informational Systems Management Week 4

This week in EDLD5362 we were required to write a paper on the classroom of the future.  I have attached the paper to this blog.

Please click <here> to view the paper.

Libby

EDLD 5364 Teaching With Technology Final Reflection

It has been a wonderful 5 weeks in EDLD5364. I can't believe we are at the end of this class already. To be honest the time has flown by. I feel that this has been a very interesting class and must admit what I thought the class would be and what the class actually was are entirely two different things.

 

As an Instructional Technology Specialist I have to admit my attitude was a little "cocky" in that I believed I was already Teaching with Technology and had for years. What I didn't realize was the importance of technology in meeting the needs of all learners. It isn't just a tool to use with a product as the ultimate result. It is so much more!

 

Current educators are faced with being able to differentiate for students with different learning styles and different abilities more than ever. Students are no longer segregated into classes because of learning abilities or levels. It is truly possible you could have students with many different issues.

 

I now feel that my job will take on an entirely new direction. As the Instructional Technology Specialist in my district I now see a whole new set of goals and responsibilities. I must find ways for teachers to use technology to meet the needs of all their students. I must encourage them and show them tools that are available to help them and be on call to assist them in that new direction. I must also always be on the lookout for technology to meet those goals.

 

Because of EDLD5364 I truly believe that doing my job will not only be harder but easier. It will be harder because the need to find the appropriate tools is much more important to me and easier because I truly understand the direction I must take.