April+2010+-+Reflections

=April 2010=

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Reflection for the week of 4/1-4/2/2010
I really enjoy the ability to teach classes using the Elluminate Live! software that our district uses through the Region XI Service Center to present professional development in the district. The convenience for attendees and the multimedia presentation opportunities for the presenter are great - and the ability to record the session for others to view adds another whole level of accessibility when you're trying to reach as many teachers as you possibly can. The benefits of online professional development (OPD) are numerous and the subject of countless articles. They include:

colleagues after the end of a professional development workshop or activity." (Treacy, Kleimann, & Peterson 2002)
 * "Increased access to meet individual learning goals:** OPD provides opportunitiesto participate in professional development activities that might not be availablelocally.
 * Experience with the use of technology as a learner:** OPD does not require sophisticatedtechnical knowledge; instead, it gives educators a chance to experiencethe power of technology while learning in a supportive environment. This isimportant to help educators consider how they might use technology with theirown students and to feel comfortable introducing it into their own classrooms.
 * Use of rich multimedia resources and new technologies:** The explosion of digitalinformation and new media available on the Web offer abundant and engaginglearning opportunities that can address different learning styles and needs.
 * Anytime, anyplace learning:** Online learning enables busy educators to select personallyconvenient participation times. Additionally, OPD does not require costssuch as class release time, space rental, travel, food, and on-site equipmentneeded for face-to-face technology workshops.
 * Ability to meet special needs:** OPD provides a means for people with specialneeds to participate with adaptive technologies (e.g., text-to-speech for thosewith visual impairments) and for each participant to work at his or her own pace.
 * Collaborative learning opportunities with other educators:** OPD provides away for teachers to interact with colleagues and professionals across time andplace and to become part of a global community of lifelong learners.
 * Direct impact on classroom practice:** The ongoing and extended nature ofOPD workshops enables them to include projects in which participants developtechnology-enhanced lessons, try these lessons in their classrooms, and sharethe results in reflective discussions.
 * New opportunities for follow-up**: OPD can extend learning beyond single inservicedays and provide creative ways for participants to stay connected with

Despite helping teachers to learn the content that they need for professional development, it helps them learn it in a way that meets ISTE standards for using technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development. (Williamson, & Redish 2009). It's a win-win for the teacher.

References:
Treacy, B., Kliemann, G., & Peterson, K. (2002, September). Successful online professional development. Learning and Leading with Technology, 30(1), Retreived from http://www.edtechleaders.org/about/research/articles/SuccessfulOPD.pdf.

Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). Iste's technology facilitation and leadership standards: what every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

Reflection for the week of 4/5-4/9/2010
This week I spent quite a bit of time training teachers in the use of eInstruction Student Response Systems. There is a great deal of buy-in by teachers in our district for using student response systems. They see them as an engagement tool to encourage participation in their classes. "Many instructors have adopted clicker technology to compensate for the passive, one-way communication inherent in lecturing and the difficulty students experience in maintaining sustained concentration." (Caldwell, 2007) Keeping this in mind, I try very hard to help teachers create questions that are relevant, high-level, application questions rather than just rote memorization questions. It defeats the purpose of engaging the student if the work you are giving them is remedial, trivial, or boring in it's simplicity. This is, perhaps, the hardest part of using the student response systems for teachers as, almost invariably, their first creations are basic, multiple choice regurgitations of the content in their lectures, rather than an application of the knowledge given in the lecture. This effort to rethink the way that they question students to determine mastery is often a deal-breaker for teachers as they don't feel they have the time to invest in a reworking of their methods ( feeling already overloaded with too many students and too many TEKS to cover in an every shortening class period with an ever growing list of additional responsibilities). I can't say that I blame teachers, it is hard work....but those teachers who have stuck with it testify to the rewards reaped in increased student learning and better (more immediate) assessment data to help direct instruction. Paying attention to this research-based aspect of using student response systems is important when trying to work these strategies into the learning environment or activity (one of ISTE's standards for technology facilitation). (Williamson, & Redish, 2009) It can make the difference between a meaningful integration of technology and a classroom novelty.

**References:**

Caldwell, J.E. (2007, Spring). Clickers in the large classroom. Life Sciences Education, 6, Retrieved from http://lifescied.org/cgi/reprint/6/1/9.pdf  Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). Iste's technology facilitation and leadership standards: what every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

References:
Mothral, T. (2010, April). Region xi technology vendor fair-2010 presentation descriptions. Retrieved from http://www.esc11.net/8239511394321/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=52824

Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). Iste's technology facilitation and leadership standards: what every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

References:
Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). Iste's technology facilitation and leadership standards: what every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

References:
Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). Iste's technology facilitation and leadership standards: what every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

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