What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
I really did not know what to expect upon beginning this course. Once the course started I expected, as a teacher, to gain information on how to implement new technology into my classroom. Then as the class progressed, as an administrator in training, I wanted the focus to be on how to make professional developments more relevant to technology use in the classroom. I know as a teacher this is something I want to see in my school. As an administrator, I want my staff to know that this is the technology training that they are going to receive. My visions, as I progressed through the class, were similar to the learning outcomes being achieved. I would like to have seen more evaluation and determination of effective professional developments. This is because I find this more interesting than the information of the Long Range Technology Plan or the ethics and legal issues regarding technology. Overall based on the diversity of the student technology literacy, I found the course objectives to be very well defined and achieved. |
To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?
I think the outcomes I achieved during this course are very relevant to the work being performed at my school. I learned a lot about myself in perusing these learning outcomes. Learning about yourself, especially your weaknesses, is invaluable. I can take what I learned and better myself which will intern make me a better teacher in the classroom. I gained a lot of information about the Long Range Technology Plan and the STaR Chart. This allows me to better understand technology changes occurring at my school. This also allows me to better assist in bringing about the changes needed to meet the needs of the 21st century learner. I found it very interesting how integrating technology in the classroom will assist them in their learning because of how they are "wired". I am or have been slow to integrate technology into my classroom because I could not see the practical application for my classes. If presented properly during professional developments as to the practical instructional use, technology does not have to be so difficult to integrate into the everyday classroom activities. |
What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
I feel very confident in my achievement based on the course learning objectives. The only thing that would have prevented me from achieving these goals would be my own resistance to technology change. I had help from my fellow co-workers who really made it easy to find the campus based information required for the campus technology infrastructure. I do however wish that more emphasis would have been put on the professional development in regards to evaluation to determine effectiveness on the basis of implementation of technology. Although I feel I met this learning outcome, I would have liked to have covered this in more detail. Not only is it interesting to me, but I feel like this is an important part of an administrators duties. If an administrator can select appropriate professional developments for their staff, then they will implement it in the classroom which will asset in meeting the needs for the Long Range Technology Plan and STaR chart assessments. I feel like I accomplished all the learning outcomes adequately. |
Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
For the most part, I was very successful in carrying out the course assignments. The material was fairly straight forward. I have had some blogging experience so this was a welcome part of the course structure. I enjoyed the readings and the way the discussion board integrated these readings. There were a couple of issues I encountered. The first was with one of the technology assessments at the beginning of the course. I do not know if I was confused or did not know how to get the survey from the web site. It kept giving me a survey to print off . The survey seemed to be one that needed to be answered online and the results would follow based on the responses. The print off version did not give me a way to evaluate the responses therefore I had to infer what the answers revealed. The other issue I had was with the web conference. The scheduled conference I tried to attend did not accept me right away. About ten minutes after the scheduled start time the web site said I was attempting to access a conference that was finished. I then tried a few other links and ended up in a web conference with several other students who had the same issue. This ended up being a good thing. I spent about 45 minutes talking with students who were in all stages of the program. They had some great insights into what I could expect during this course. I rather enjoyed this course and the things I learned not only about technology but about myself. |
What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
When I started this course I thought I was computer literate. I can do basic computer applications such as word processor, e-mail, web browse, and use networked applications. I did not realize how the digital world is passing me by. I learned that I need to be more progressive in using technology as an administrator. Things can be streamlined with the addition of technology applications. E-mailed memos can reduce faculty meetings and help with changes in the daily schedule. Technology use in the classroom is a must to keep up with the 21st century learner. The problem most teachers have in implementing this new technology lies in professional development. The key to professional development activities is not what the program can do but how this program is instructionally practical. I find myself with some form of new technology that I misuse or do not use to the fullest instructional potential. If I had been trained on how to practically integrate the technology into my lessons, I may have been more effective with my use of the application. The last thing I learned was my attitude toward technology in the classroom resisted change. I must force myself to use more technology in the classroom not for my benefit but for the learning enhancements for my students. |
