Texas STaR Chart

Week 2 ppt star chart Christopher Granger

View more presentations from txtrnr1979

EDLD 5352 Web Conference - Week 1

I attended the web conference on Saturday January 20th briefly before losing a connection to the room.  Since I was unable to get back in I decided to listen to the recording and reflect on that.  As with several other web conferences I have attended the main questions dealt with EPIC and TK20 as there still seems to be quite a bit of confusion as to the expectations for posting portfolio items.  It is my hope that this gets resolved as soon as possible and there is some clarity provided.  This serves as a great reminder of how our students feel if we provide them with an assignment and their is not a clearly communicated plan.  As educational leaders we all will be tasked with leading groups to get tasks done and we must make our expectations clear and offer support when needed to address concerns.  Even Dr. Abernathy made the comment that as leaders of the campus we should be able to provide help to a teacher that asks about techniques they could use to implement web 2.0 tools in their classsroom.  Therefore, we must model life long learning and continual improvement so our teachers will be expected to do the same. 
On a more personal note I was excited to hear that we would have a reception and graduation ceremony that will be a celebration of all of our hard work.  This is an exciting time for all of us who are getting close to the end and it made it sink in that it will be here before we know it. 

Texas Long Range Plan for Technology

I chose to focus on the area of infrastructure for technology because I feel it has a direct impact on the ability to meet all components of the long range plan.  This part of the plan calls for a high performance infrastructure to be in place to take advantage of new technologies aimed at improving student success and improving communication and collaboration among all stakeholders.  While this seems to be a simple take the facts are that not all districts in the state have the same infrastructure in place to adequately meet the needs of Texas students.  The inequity of technology products across the state has really hindered the state from achieving their maximum potential.  I have been in districts of all sizes and have come to realize that smaller districts in rural areas are struggling to get the needed infrastructure in place.  I am sure this is happening in other areas across the country which is causing us to fall behind in the global technology race.  If this continues in Texas and across the nation I am afraid for my children and the students I teach that they will not be equipped to be successful in the global workforce and that should be motivation enough to change our current approach.  I believe technology should be a statewide commitment and all districts show work in collaboration to ensure all students can have equitable technology.  I know there are larger districts that have technology departments that could assist the smaller rural districts in this endeavor.  If we can require collaboration amongst our teachers why can’t we require it of our districts to collaborate for the betterment of our students in this state and nation so that our students can have ample tools and resources need to ensure there is technology available for all learners so they can be successful in the global workforce?