Reflections on Learning: EDTECH 501

EDTECH 501 was a well-rounded introduction course for technology in education.  For an educator who once felt like they were on the cutting edge of technology in the classroom to a stay-at-home mom looking to figure out the world of technology before I re-enter the work place, I believe I learned a lot in this particular course.  I taught an online high school history course this past year and saw the benefits of online teaching, but still felt like there was something missing that I was used to in the traditional classroom.  So when I was accepted into Boise State's EDTECH program I was unsure how to feel about a strictly online learning environment.  With my busy schedule and family, I found that in this stage of life an online school was beneficial.  I appreciate the challenge I encountered and the feedback I received from both my instructor and fellow classmates.

Using Google+ was a great way to communicate with other educators in this course.  I have also never "blogged" before and found it to be a useful tool.  It was easy to setup and and edit and was a great way to share my assignments with the whole class.  I found it beneficial to catch up on my reading of professional articles about education and technology.  Since the world of technology changes at an increased rate then before, it was a good to get the overall picture of where things are going.

Lastly, I look forward to using what I have learned in this course in my classroom.  The projects I had to complete opened up what I can do in my curriculum to enhance my student's learning.  My favorite tool that I would like to use is the VoiceThread program that allowed a teacher to create an interactive presentation.  The versatility of the program allows it to be used in a variety of ways.  I look forward to my futures courses and hearing the perspectives of other teachers around the world.

Course Syllabus & AECT Standards

AECT Standards AECT link

EDTECH 501 Course Syllabus

EDTECH 513 Course Syllabus

EDTECH 543 Course Syllabus

School Evaluation Summary

This by far was the biggest challenge of this course.  The assignment has great purpose, but since I have been out of the classroom for almost six years, it was quite difficult to come across the information especially during the month of July.  Since I left Southfield Christian there has been major changes in the administration and the vision for the school.  Technology has been a major focus of the school, not only to benefit the staff and students, but also to make it more marketable as a private school.

I was not able to collect as much information as I would have liked to for my research, so in some areas I feel it is a little incomplete due to lack of information.  To complete my research I contacted the former administrator for Global Christian School Online, which is based out of SCS.  He was active in the technology at the school and gladly helped me complete the survey.  I was able to discuss with him the changes that have been made at the school and the improvements that still need to be made.  To get another perspective I talked to a high school history teacher who has taught there since 2004.  I was surprised to see just how far the school has come in less then a decade and the potential it has in the future.  By attaining a administrative and teacher perspective I feel like I got a well-rounded view of where the school stands with technology.

I was not expecting to see that the overall benchmark rating was "integrated".  When I taught there previously, I would have rated it a "emergent" school.  I am very pleased with the progress made by the school overall and look forward to advancements in the future.  The one piece of information I would have liked to research was the school's technology use plan.  I was unable to reach anyone at the school to get a copy and according to my sources it is not readily available.

Please click on the links below to review my school evaluation survey and summary

Maturity Benchmarks Survey

School Evaluation Summary

Technology Use Planning Overview

Technology Use Plan

Definition of Technology Use Plan

Research studies in education demonstrate that the use of technology (e.g., computers) can help improve students’ scores on standardized tests, improve students’ inventive thinking (e.g., problem solving), and improve students’ self-concept and motivation (Hew, 224).  Therefore, a proper technology use plan is essential to a school’s effective use of technology.  Regional Technology Education Consortia's (RTEC) Technology Plan Task Force states that "a technology plan serves as a bridge between traditional established standards and classroom practice.  It organizes and integrates the content and methods of education in a particular discipline with applicable technologies.  It facilitates multiple levels of policy and curriculum decision-making, especially in school districts, schools, and educational organizations that allow for supportive resource distributions" (Knuth, 1996).  A technology use plan is the process in which a school or district develops short- and/or long-term plans to incorporate technology into its classrooms.  Plans can be drawn up by committees or teachers who submit proposals for purchasing specific technologies (See, 1992).  This plan’s focus is on the out-come or what will be achieved by using technology, not just one the simple purchase of a computer.  This process should provide a “road-map” for a school or district to develop a school culture of technology.  A plan should incorporate four major areas: 1) awareness – what is available, 2) application – work smarter not harder, 3) integration – more efficiently and effectively, and 4) refinement – change what is taught and how it is taught (See, 1992).  A school should have a plan that sets goals or a vision and stays focus on meeting those whether it is short- or long-term. 

How might the new National Educational Technology Plan 2010 be an effective and powerful resource for technology use planning?

The Department of Education recognizes that technology is now a part of our daily lives and work, and schools need to prepare their students for the future in an engaging learning environment (NETP, 2010).  There must be a rubric for student achievement to provide valid research data to continually improve the future technology plan.  A key part of this plan is to effectively and efficiently improved student’s research and development skills.

The National Education Technology Plan 2010 calls for "revolutionary transformation rather than evolutionary tinkering" (NEPT, 2010). It encourages our education system at all levels to

 • Be clear about the outcomes we seek.

 • Collaborate to redesign structures and processes for effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility.

 • Continually monitor and measure our performance.

 • Hold ourselves accountable for progress and results every step of the way (NEPT, 2010).

It is important to have a benchmark or standard for school districts for work from.  The NETP allows districts to have a foundation for what the overall national standard is and has given data to help accomplish their own personalized technology plan.  The five essential goals are learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity.  The NEPT points out that all levels of education needs to work together to ensure that our students are competitive with the rest of the world and "ensure that even low-income and minority students, students with disabilities, English language learners, students in rural and frontier school and other are given an equal opportunity to be successful" (NEPT, 2010). 

The application of a national standard as a benchmark will help ensure that state and local government have a “roadmap” to develop their own technology use plan.  The State of Michigan has developed an in-depth plan for the local governments to base their district plan.  The national and state plans will help school, whether public, private or charter, who may not have developed a plan previously to have goals to towards.

Michigan State Technology Plan: http://www.techplan.org/

Do you agree with See about tech use plans needing to be short, not long term? Why or why not?

John See has a good point when he talks about a technology use plan needing to be short-term.  I believe there needs to be both short- and long-term plans at a school.  Technology changes at such as rapid pace that it seems impossible to develop a five year plan, but having a long-term vision can help a school stay focused on implementing technology in an effective way.  See points out that one year plans can be effectively used for planned purchases as long as there are not restrictions of the technology changes sooner than the purchase.  Too short of a plan can leave a school without a clear vision, but instead a rushed decision to meet the anticipated deadline.

What do you think about his comment that "effective technology plans focus on applications, not technology?"

The aspect of the article I thought was most applicable to the classroom was going beyond enhancing the curriculum.  I thought it was an interesting point that schools should not buy technology to teach technology.  Many schools have computer classes to teach students various applications, but do not go beyond that.  See’s thoughts that technology use goes beyond just computers and goes into every content area, shows that our students are beyond learning to type, but needing to actively apply technology.

A plan should be specific for what students, staff and administration should be able to do.  See focuses on the importance of the output, or what the students will be able to do, compare to the input, which could be how many machines a school may have.  This was interesting to read because when you read articles about school districts it seems to be about the numbers, not how it will be applied.  In the City of Farmington, there is a millage to be past this summer for a $220 million bond, which includes technology and security improvements.  Unfortunately, there are no answers for the taxpayers what the investment will do to improve tests scores and graduations rates.  The term “technology improvements” are advertised to encourage voters to pass the millage.  There is no clear plan or vision for what this technology and other improvements in the schools.  As an educator and taxpayer I would like to see the technology use plan for this school district and have data that proves that what they are looking to add will truly help the students.

What experiences have you had with technology use planning and what have been your experiences in terms of outcomes (both good and bad?)

During my years teaching at a private school there was little talk about technology plans.  Our in-service meetings usually revolved around current enrollment and the budget for the year.  During my curriculum meeting we address the budget and were given a allowance per teacher and choice how to spend the amount given.  As a department, were able to propose larger funded items.  When I wanted to purchase another multimedia project for the social studies department, all I had to do was send an e-mail to the principal.  Six years later the overall culture and focus of the school has changed.  There has been a change in administration and now the school is actively pursuing technology for the rights reasons.  They did research on the effectiveness of specific devices and applications.  Now the school has a Director of Operations who sole job is to lead the school down the path of appropriate technology.  Each year the administration team and school board reviews the technology and its usefulness and makes a plan to ensure that the school is competitive with other schools.  I look forward to returning to teaching and using the knowledge I have learned in my EDTECH courses to help my school with its technology use plan.

References

Hew, K. F., & Brush, T. (2007). Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning: Current     

knowledge gaps and recommendations for future research. Educational Technology 

Research and Development, 55(3), 223-252.

Knuth, R., & Hopey, C. (1996). Guiding Questions for Technology Planning. Version 1.0.

See, J. (1992). Developing effective technology plans. The Computing Teacher, 19(8).

US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education  Statistics. (2002). Technology in Schools: Suggestions, Tools and Guidelines for Assessing Technology in Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/tech_schools/

U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology. (2010) Transforming American education: Learning powered by technology. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf

Digital Inequality

At first, I felt lost in my direction of this presentation.  I am currently unemployed for a couple reasons.  As I have mentioned, I'm a stay-at-home mom, but I was employed at an online school that dissolved after this year due to changes in the administration and budget.  For these reasons I have been taking my past experiences and research to find a topic that is relevant to my teaching.  I decided to focus on my time teaching at an Christian online school.  Most of my students were from Detroit and needed to attend their online classes at learning centers due to the digital divide in that community.  This presentation was a great way for me to learn more about digital inequality in the Detroit-metro area.  I focused on the financial issues of the school system and the alternative online school for students who may not want to attend a public or charter school.  I was pleased to see that there are numerous organizations working hard to bridge the gap in Detroit.  I learned about the progress that Life Builders, the Knight Foundation, and Detroit Digital Justice Coalition have made.  It was surprising to me when I did my research how many people are in the "have not" category, even within the United States.

Online schools, like the one I worked at, can help bridge the digital divide by connecting with organizations in the communities they are involved with.  By networking with these organizations the school will be able to understand the level of technology students have access to not only during school hours, but also at home.  I found that there are a variety of grants available to help setup community technology centers or resources to purchase updated technology.  Overall, I saw the most important aspect of my finding to be educating those who are disadvantaged for free or at low-cost.  A community program to educate people, young and old, on basic computer programs will not only benefit the individual, but also the community as a whole.

This assignment led me to discussions outside my specific research.  My husband currently teaches at a public high school and will be transitioning to online textbooks this year.  The divide is also in the suburbs and students who are without access to the Internet at home will be at a disadvantage when they leave school and have to take a textbook home instead of accessing it online or on a tablet.  No community is without a divide, although we see some communities, like Detroit, may be at a greater disadvantage overall.  

This was my first time using VoiceThread.  I found this was a great resource to present my PowerPoint presentation in a more interactive way.  It was extremely easy to use and edit.  I liked the various options to comment on each slide.  When recording my audio presentation I had several interruptions.  My two dogs took it upon themselves to bark randomly and lap up their water quite loudly during my recordings.  Because of this I was please to see how easy it was to delete a recording and start over.  I look forward to using this program to make my PowerPoints more engaging.

Hope you enjoy my presentation on the amazing city of Detroit.


VoiceThread Presentation on Digital Inequality

EDTECH Challenge

New Horizon Report 2013 K-12 Challenge #1: Ongoing professional development needs to be valued and integrated into the culture of the schools.

I had mixed feelings about this assignment as a whole, but in the end I felt proud of all the new skills I learned along the way.  As I read through the NMC New Horizon Report: 2013 K-12, my eyes were opened to the range technology has in education currently. I have been out of the classroom since 2007, so a lot of the trends and challenges were unfamiliar to me.  I used to work at a private high school and was known as the "tech savoy" teacher.  This would no longer be the case if I was hired today, but that is why I chose an EDTECH program.  Challenge 1 stood out to me, not only because it applies to the school environment I once taught in, but it still seems to be an issue with professional development and the overall culture of a school as the technology continues to increase.

My school was split between veteran and rookie teachers.  I was shocked coming out of college that high school teachers were still using the overhead projector and had no plans on changing.  There were two multimedia projectors in the whole school, but I was able to get one just for the social studies department.  My use of the projector was mainly for interactive note taking, where the veteran teachers only used it to show a movie.  As the years have passed, the school has integrated iPads into the classrooms.  Unfortunately, I believe they are underutilized because the school has not made it a culture.  Technology training would be a great use of a professional development day.  If all the teachers could fully understand what options they have to enhance their classroom and how easy it can be, then they would embrace these tools, rather than shy away from them.  There was never a time when I had a meeting that focused on changing the school culture when it came to technology.  There was a short meeting once on how to use the grade book program, but nothing more.

Some teachers like to stick with what they know.  This obstacle can make it difficult to change the school as a whole.  Although teachers are given technology, if there is not proper training, then more resistance is met.  With the use of a technology specialist or a teacher with training in technology, we can overcome this challenge.  Teachers love to share ideas and work hard to make sure their students learn the objectives set in place.  Professional development days can increase the school's knowledge as a whole and encourage those who are uncomfortable with newer technology to ask questions.

In conclusion, this assignment taught me a lot.  First, that my blood pressure still increases to a high rate when learning new technologies.  I struggled with this assignment, not because I didn't understand the trends and challenges set forth in the New Horizon Report, but because there is such a broad range of programs on the internet to review.  I tried several different animation programs and settled on PowToons.  My script called for several actors, which other programs did not allow unless you upgraded.  The real stress came from trying to find an audio program to use to record my script.  With help from my fellow classmates (thanks!), I found that Audacity was a good fit.  I was able to manipulate my voice and my husband's voice to fill all the characters.  The problem that occurred when searching for good audio programs was in the installation.   I ended up with malware on my computer, which took time to delete and secure my computer.  My final project was what I envisioned from the beginning and I feel that this assignment was the perfect example of active learning.  I appreciated the technology challenge, but also the research aspect.  The New Horizon Report updated me on the trends and challenges schools are facing today.  I hope that you enjoy my cartoon about trying to change a school's technology culture.

2013 Horizon Report K-12

EDTECH Research

During this research assignment I had a flashback to my days at Hope College.  As an education major I spent most of my time on the second floor of the library finding ERIC documents on microfiche.  After searching through dusty file cabinets, I was able to find my article on the projector then print it for further research.  Now with the use of Google Scholar and the Albertsons Library database of scholarly materials, research is literally at my fingertips.  I struggled to find a specific research topic for social studies at first, since most of our lessons are note-based.  Social studies sometimes get a bad reputation because of the quantity of information teachers need to teach and the time give to teach it all.  Therefore, notes seem to be the clear option for relaying the information efficiently.  I found that when I added research papers or projects, my students were able to take their learned knowledge and make it active.  It also gives students some freedom to take history into their own hands and select different topics they are interested in.  So with that in mind I researched how to integrate web-based search engine for primary source documents and multimedia use for project-based lessons.

This assignment introduced me to APA style for my citations.  I've used APA style a little, but I found that the websites and videos were helpful to get me acquainted with something other than MLA.    The convenience I appreciated was on Google Scholar; having the "cite" option.  Although I had to double check the citation, making sure my capitalization was correct, it gave me a solid base to work with.  This is also helpful for high school students who are writing research papers, some for the first time.

Overall, I was not super thrilled about this assignment, only because I've been out of the paper writing world for quite sometime, but I did appreciate it.  It was a challenge to find a specific topic to study and expand my research off certain key terms.  That is what I most enjoyed about the online data bases.  I could manipulate my search as different terms popped into my head.  Also, I was not limited to one institution's library for my research.  I was able to access a variety of scholarly articles through Google Scholar and the Albertsons Library.  I look forward to integrating the information I learned into a future lesson plan.

Please click here to view my research EDTECH Research

RSS in Education

This has been an adventurous week in technology for me.  I learned about RSS, which I was unfamiliar with prior to this assignment. In addition, I made a multimedia presentation with Screencast-o-matic.  It seemed like a daunting task, but in the end I was surprise how easy it was.  I've been curious about all the icons on different websites.  From news sites to church sites, it seems everyone has the facebook, twitter, and RSS icon.

During this time of research, I learned that RSS, which means Real Simple Syndication, was simply an up-to-date news feed from blogs or websites.  I usually check my local news site along with a national site a couple times of day to get a quick look at what is going on.  Using a RSS reader, like Feedly, allows a person to save time browsing site to site and condenses it on one continuous feed.  I was surprise how easy it was to make categories and organize the information in a way that best fits the individual.  In my video, I discussed that RSS is and how it can be applied in the classroom.  I really wanted to figure out a way to integrate it into a high school social studies class.  So I thought back to assignments I thought were important in all my classes and how this technology could enhance that lesson, but also be appropriate for the age group and content.  Then it dawned on me!  What assignment needed to be updated daily from creditable sources?  Current Events.  I believed it is important for my students to stay in-tune with what is going on, not only on a local level, but also a national and international level.  Since you are able to categorize the groups easily, it can be used for all my content areas - history, government, economics and geography.  RSS is a tool that will provide information to my students in an organized area on their computers or phones.  This would be desirable because students will appreciate the efficiency provided with the constant feeds and their ability to subscribe to several news sites, like the New York Times or the BBC.

Although I do not feel like an expert in RSS and its uses, I was glad to research some of its possibilities and look forward to viewing other posts and videos for other ideas to integrate it into the classroom.

Elements of Educational Technology

After reading The Definition of Educational Technology by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), I now understand the complexity and extent of technology in our learning arenas.  I have been out of the classroom for almost six years since I have become a stay-at-home mom.  When I did teach, I was the go-to-person for technology since I was one of the few who integrated into their lessons.  Some of the teachers I worked with still loved their overhead projectors and did not want to release their grip and see what their computer had to offer.  Now that I have read the complex definitions of the thirteen different elements, I feel like that old teacher who is still holding on to PowerPoint and the glory it once was.  The difference is I want to let go and enter back into teaching with an understanding of the tools available to enhance my students.

I am thankful to say that the school I previously worked for is now working with iPads for both students and teachers to use as tools in the classroom.  I understand the need to be facilitators of technology, whether a history teacher or technology teacher, because it is the world we live in.  My family does not own an iPad, but my three year old daughter somehow understands how it works and how to access the camera and games on it.  I remember what I was in elementary school and we had special computer days where we would enter code into some tan box with a black screen and green type (I think if we did it right a smiley face made out of green Xs would appear).  Now toddlers are being exposed to technology that is growing at a faster rate than they are.  As a teacher and a mother, I want to understand the purpose of these technologies for my students and my children.

In conclusion, this article was eye-opening for me and I feel that I have a lot more to learn than I thought.  I am glad that I have enrolled in this master’s program not only for my future classroom, but to help other teachers understand the elements and their importance.  Hopefully along the way I will catch up with the fast-pace world and become part of it.  I look forward to reading the papers of my peers and see what they had to say about these elements and how they will use them in their classrooms.

Please see my link for a more in-depth look at Learning, Using, and Resources.

Click Here to access my Google Doc

Welcome!

Hi everyone!  I'm Lindsay Hoyt from Farmington, Michigan.  I was a social studies teacher for three years at Southfield Christian High School.  During that time I was the go to person for technology and actual began my EdTech masters at Lawrence Technological University.  I had my son in 2007 and decided to put my masters on hold until I was ready to go back to work.  I have a son name Seth who is 5 1/2 and a daughter named Jillian who is 3 1/2.  I've spent the last couple years in their preschool classes volunteering, but was fortunate enough to get an online teaching position with Global Christian School Online this past year teaching World History. 

I know that I am out of the tech loop since I've been out of the classroom.  I'm looking forward to Boise State's EdTech program to help catch me up in the world of technology.  I coach high school lacrosse and I know that technology is my girls' existence.  I want to understand what is available to me as an educator and use that to engage my students when I return to the classroom.  I look forward to getting to know my fellow classmates and hear what you all have to say about your schools.