Web Conference 2/12/2012

Web conferences are a valuable way to collaborate with others via long distances. I had the opportunity to participate in my first web conference with my professor, Dr. Abernathy, and classmates at Lamar University Academic Partnerships. During this conference, the students had an opportunity to ask questions about assignments, completion of program, graduation, etc. It was also an advantage to have the professor explain assignment specifics, including helpful links that we may need to access for further information on web 2.0 resources.

Web 2.0 resources was a fairly new concept to me when I began this course. However, I believe it was the name "web 2.0" that was confusing, because I had been using these types of resources for a couple of years. It's a great way to get students involved in working with students across the globe, as well as using technololgy for collaboration on school assignments. I was able to start a list of tools that are not only excellent resources for students, but are also little to no cost to the campus/district. I'm excited to continue my exploration of these resources, and implement them in my classroom instruction,

Technology Action Plan

http://www.slideshare.net/lathomps/technology-action-plan-11575312

My opinion regarding the TX Long Range Plan for Technology

In regards to the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, I believe the one area that needs to be improved upon is Educator Preparation and Development, specifically how to integrate technology through all subject areas.  During the NetDay Speak Up in 2005, a survey related to technology use, “All teachers reported a desire for additional professional development with the primary emphasis on integration of technology into the curriculum and instruction.” (2006, pg.13). The results showed that nationally: 59% of the teachers listed this as a primary need, while 57% of Texas teachers felt the same. Throughout my experiences, I’ve noticed how teachers mainly using technology for skill drills, (using programs such as Fasttmath, spellingcity.com, etc.) and therefore are not utilizing it to the fullest potential for student success. “Technology can impact curriculum and instruction, but for this to occur, teachers need to learn to incorporate technology appropriately to support the curriculum and bring about learning opportunities that would not be possible without the technology.” (2006, pg.23). In order for teachers to develop these skills, they must have the appropriate training, and practice, through college courses, educator preparation programs, online learning activities, and/or through collaboration with colleagues and instructional specialists. However, teachers need assistance from campus and district leaders in providing the time and opportunities to take on these activities, whether it be through campus based learning, district training sessions, or service center professional development opportunities. To be successful in providing the best instruction for our students we must work as a team.


Resource:

Texas Education Agency, 2006. Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020: A Report to the 80th Legislature from the Texas Education Agency. Texas Education Agency. Retrieved January 28, 2012, from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5082.

Texas STaR Chart presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/lathomps/texas-star-chart-presentation-11344718

Action Plan Draft - ZAP Program

Action Plan for ZAP Program
Goal: Will a ZAP (zeros aren’t permissible) program positively affect the students who have zeros, or missing homework, in achieving success in both subject area grade and meeting the standards on the TAKS tests?
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
1. Compose letter stating specifics of ZAP, including the day and time, and send it home with students to notify parents of this new program.	Laurie Thompson and Julie Sheriff	Begin 12/6/10 and have it ready to be sent home in Thursday folders on 12/17/10	Computer, school letterhead, in-depth meetings to ensure the letter is accurately stating the specifics of the program.	This is simply informative, so parents are aware that if students can not complete their work at home, we will have them complete it here at school, after hours.
2. Determine which students are to partake in ZAP program, based on missing work and/or zeros.	5th Grade Teachers: L. Thompson J. Green B. Wright E.Gibbs	12/6/10 – 12/18/10. Students will be notified Monday 1/3 as to who will need to stay and permission slips will be sent home,(since parents will need to pick up at 4:30.)	Subject area grades, report stating which assignments are missing or have the grade of zero and need to be completed again.	Letters stating which assignments will be worked on during ZAP in January will be sent home to parents on 12/18 or1/3. (Administrators will also receive a copy)
3. Analyzes scores from benchmarks, CBAs, placement tests, as well as previous TAKS tests to determine correlation.	5th grade teachers will supply scores and L. Thompson will complete analysis and share with the team	12/6/10-12/18/10	Aware program on eduphoria	Determine if student progress on these state tests are in alignment with their lack of work completion.
4. Provide weekly room to hold ZAP program, including an administrator available, such as campus principal, assistant principal, or principal intern	Thompson, Wright, Green, Sheriff or Cardoza	Each Wednesday from 1/3/10 through 6/1/11	Classroom, activities to work on if class work is finished, tutorial items, computers and other resource materials for students to complete assignments	The setting must be a quiet place, with resources available for students to complete assignments, (see resources necessary)
5. Re-assess student progress on district tests, following each benchmark, CBA or TAKS test	Thompson, after receiving data from classroom teachers	PRN, based on the dates the tests are given and/or scores are received	Aware program on eduphoria and TAKS scale scores	This will allow us to determine whether or not the ZAP program is beneficial for student progress on testing and how to better prepare the students using specific tutorial techniques, re-teaching once work is completed.
6. Analyze the percent of improvement in core subject grades	5th grade teachers	Ongoing from 1/3/10-6/1/11	Each teacher’s online grade book report, for each student participating in ZAP	This will allow us to determine whether or not the ZAP program is beneficial for student progress in classroom grades and make it easier to promote students on good conscience.

The Use of Blogs...

Blogs can be an effective tool for educational leaders to connect with other leaders, not readily accessible to them. I once attended a conference, where an administrator from the Chugach district in Alaska was providing information on differentiated instruction. Through the use of his blog we were able to obtain various elements of his program and effectively implement them in our school, thus meeting the needs of students on various levels in their educational goals. This was something that was deemed impossible 10-20 years ago, but now educators can share effective tools with colleagues in all parts of the world.

Of course blogs do not only have to be a way for educational leaders to share with each other, but they could be extremely useful in sharing with campus faculty.  Through a centralized campus blog, administrators can open the door for their faculty to share ideas and instructional practices that work within their classrooms, thus providing an avenue for cooperative learning in a technological setting. As a classroom teacher it’s not always feasible to sit down with a colleague to share ideas, but being able to do that from my home, at a convenient time for me, it becomes more of a reality.

Action Research Is...

Action research, is a method of problem solving, or inquisitive investigation that is performed either individually, or by a group of individuals working together to improve performance. Action research involves determining the critical problem/question, establishing a suggested action that may improve the situation, collecting and analyzing the data obtained through the study, and finally implementing a change based on your analysis.

Action research involves the individuals who are actively invested in the outcome from the study, and therefore participants are more engaged in finding and implementing a change in their environment. Most of the time, traditional educational research is comprised of individuals who make suggestions to improve a campus when they do not truly understand the students and demographics of that campus. Thus, the teachers do not completely “buy into” the suggested changes. However, when a one can actively pursue changes based on what is needed for his/her students, the ability to conform to the necessary change is greater, since student needs were taken into consideration when the change was developed.

As a fifth grade Mathematics teacher, I feel it is necessary to continuously make changes based on student needs. Differentiated instruction is key in every classroom on my campus. Through data analysis, whether it come from independent practice or assessments; instruction needs to be adapted to meet the individual needs of the learner. In my classroom, I have students are low performers on various student objectives, as determined from the data I have collected. I must continuously use various methods to meet the needs of those students, re-teach the skills involved, and re-assess to see if the student performance increased through the re-teaching.  I will continue to find new ways of reaching my students, and action research make this possible, because it's a continual cycle that encourages reflection and futher action to improve even further on instrcutional practices.