Guiding Principles for Principals :) Integrating Technology into Instruction

I'm really on a roll this morning :) So it is true the more you use it, the easier it gets :) This is GOOD for me! I found this video clip and it fits this blog topic perfectly! This particular principal, Kappy Cannon (South Carolina's 2010 Principal of the Year) says the key for the integration of technology in the classroom "is the relationship between teacher and students." She says to "provide what it is they (teachers) are asking for." Watch the clip...

Pin-interest WHAT!!!

Checking out Pinterest for the first time...WOW!!! It's a little overwhelming, to say the least. Found this, liked this, embeded this here... :) Now I just gotta figure out how to navigate and orginize all of this "stuff" no time now...RRR LG...CB & TA...later...

Source: mashable.com via Bryan on Pinterest

How can technology affect the learning process?

Okay. So our mission statement for education in Alabama is “Every child prepared, every child a graduate” which is GREAT! I totally agree with that. That should always be the mission of education, but what exactly does “prepared” encompass? We know about the 21^st century skills including the ability to think critically, solve complex problems, work collaboratively, communicate effectively and so on and so forth but how do we get there? I think it is a matter of changing the way teachers teach and in turn the way students learn which would undoubtedly embrace technology a as tool to reach such a goal. In all of this Content Literacy PD it comes up repeatedly, “strategic teaching produces strategic learners”

In this information age, education and technology affect every aspect of life so it should also be a part of education. “Simply stated, the use of technology and digital learning, when implemented effectively, provides opportunities to employ the elements deemed necessary for whole-school reform and effective instruction” (Alliance for Excellent Education, June 2012). I think the key phrase here is “when implemented effectively.” I like this graphic so I thought I’d share it here:

“digital learning and technology can provide opportunities for teachers to apply evidence-based practices that support effective teaching and learning”  So there you have it! What we know about best practice in teaching works also with the use of technology J Habit #4: Think win-win!

Techno Tools for the Novice: The Formula for Success

RRR, LG…CB, TA!!!

After a nice, long, hot, candlelit, bubble bath it came to me, the formula for success…RRR, LG…CB, TA translated…Rest, Relax, Release, Let Go…Come Back,  and Try Again! That’s it! And it actually works! Yesterday I tried and tried to get my LiveBinder into the class wiki and every time I clicked on the link it kept saying, Ooops! Private… I did finally figure out how to “share” my Simbaloo but didn’t have the same result with the binder L I have also been trying to figure out how to post a youtube clip to my blog, I even sought out expertise on that (Mrs. White, the techno-guru of MES – THANKS! Michelle) but still couldn’t get it right yesterday. Today, though, is a brand new day and look, I did it! The formula works and I even added a Shelfari! How cool it that! (THANKS! again, Mrs. White J)

Remember this clip from Dr. Minskey's class? For me, this clip truly clarifies the WHY...Why am I spending all this time doing what I'm doing? This is why and because it does matter.

How I spent my Saturday...

It's Saturday, homework day! Yeah!!! I've literally been at the computer ALL DAY :( I started out...gosh it was so long ago I don't even remember what I started with this morning as I sipped my coffee at the computer...but throughout the day (in random order) I worked on my Simbaloo webmix, which is really getting too crowded I think it might be time to reorganize and maybe sub-mix if that is even an option, worked in LiveBinders adding titles and subtitles and links to the NETS tabs, created my own personal wiki which I had confused with our class wiki which  I thought was my wiki but aparently is one that I am just a member of, played with some web 2.0 tools and finally decided on the one I will share, entered various information into the class wiki (not to be confused with my own personal wiki), found a plethora of GREAT online resources which I have added to my Simbaloo, looked at some of your stuff, and even sent you all a list of web 2.0 tools, just in case you have not found one yet, and concluded with this post to my blog, blog, blog...

I'm not real sure how the google+ share thing works but I did try and I hope you all got the link that I sent out but just in case you didn't here it is again:

http://edudemic.com/2012/05/best-web-tools-slides/

I am really starting to LOVE all of this technology and am appreciative of all I am learning because Lord knows I wouldn't take this kind of time just doing it for fun if I wasn't taking this class :)

Tomorrow's Sunday...homework day #2, EDUC 527 I guess I'll be working on portfolio entries. Thank God I don't have to blog about it :)

How can technology innovations be sustained in schools?

Two things…1) ON-GOING PD, and 2) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. These are key in sustaining technology innovations in our schools. There has to be an ongoing action plan to ensure sustained focus and without admin support that would not be possible. I read an article over the summer about a principal who was recognized in some online technology newsletter for his innovations and sustainability of technology in his school and he said something to the affect of if he expected his teachers to use the latest technology that he should too and that he should be willing to learn and practice right along with them. I agree. I think that alone would have a huge impact on sustainability in a school. A teacher recently made this comment to me as she was telling me about a weekly twitter chat that she engages in with other professionals who are using the latest and greatest in technology in the classroom, she told me, “this is the best professional development that I have ever participated in.” That to me is innovation at its best and it doesn’t cost a penny!

Technology on the brain…

Okay. So I was up late last night posting to my blog, blog, blog…looking at other blogs, commenting and joining the ones I could; the ones that had the familiar blue Google bar that says “Join this site” and then started to wonder to myself, “where in the heck is that list of blogs that we made in class of everyone else’s blog?” so that I don’t have to keep going back and forth to the class wiki to connect to the next blog!!! I know that you are probably laughing out loud by now but this is just a little snippet of what I go through to do the simplest of things. As I made clear in a previous post I am somewhat technologically challenge due to lack of practice and exposure L please someone, anyone…Where is that list of blogs that I am supposedly following?

Anyway, back to my story…after I finished posting and joining and commenting, I started playing a little with an online tool that I choose not to share at this time because I am considering the option of using it for the Web Tool Duel J and then I finished around 10:30 messing with my Symbaloo webmix (I just LOVE that I am learning all this techno-lingo…it makes me feel so “with it” J) And then after I shut down and went to bed with technology on the brain sometime between late night and early morning I processed some learning and woke up with an answer to one of my questions (from previous blog post) which is good because if I was really waiting for someone else to answer by way of leaving a comment I would obviously be waiting a long time seeing that I still have 0 comments on each and every post that I have made so far….okay back on track (can you say adult ADD) I woke up knowing the difference between using Symbaloo and My Favorites DUH! Go ahead and laugh, again…Symbaloo is web based and I can access my webmix from any computer at any time and My Favorites list is connect to the computer that I am using at the time J I’m so proud of myself! I am learning and please don’t knock it... because just like the saying goes, “It’s okay to not know, but it’s not okay to not try.” I’m trying, okay!

Best practices of technology used in my teaching area

My teaching area is reading but I have to admit I personally don't use a whole lot of technology in my teaching. I work with small groups of students, using very specific materials. I also work with individual and groups of teachers and what I use more than anything else is a SMART board, and occasionally the ELMO. I really don’t consider the aforementioned “best” practice. Best practice is what I see every day in many classrooms at my school and the technology these teachers are using. Yes, they too use the SMART boards but in much more interactive ways with web tools like http://www.edmodo.com/home (a social learning network for teachers and students) and  http://www.classdojo.com/about (behavior management software). They blog and they tweet. They are using clickers and ELMOs, Mobi pads, iPads and so many things that I have yet to learn about. I learn the most from them. They are the ones who are on the “cutting edge” so to speak. They are my examples of best practice. I can only hope that I will get to that point where I will know how to use these tools and find innovative ways to integrate them into my teaching. I am most interested in ways to use the iPads in reading instruction. This will be my action research this school year. I’ll keep you posted…

Techno-overload…

So, I guess you could say that I am not exactly techno- savvy and maybe I’m just a little bit “old-school” and/or “out of touch” but it seems that things are changing so fast it is difficult to keep up. As I am learning about all the latest and greatest innovations in the technological arena I find that I have more questions than answers and am just going through the motions of signing up and logging in but am not exactly clear on how all of this works for me, personally. Maybe you can help me better understand…Habit #5: Seek first to understanding, then to be understood. This is my attempt… (to better understand, that is. Your feedback is appreciated J)

My questions so far:

1.    How is Dropbox different from a “network”?

2.    Why would I want Dropbox on my phone when I can access all email accounts and/or files on my phone?

3.    How is a wikki different from a blog?

4.    Other than being more aesthetically pleasing, how is Symbaloo different from My Favorites drop down list on my internet homepage?

Why I want to be an administrator?

So…completion of this program will yield a Master of Science degree in Instructional Leadership which is really the latest version of the “old” administration degree. Personally, I prefer the term Instructional Leadership over Administration. It seems to be a much broader term that encompasses more opportunities than just being a school principal which is what people automatically think when you say you are working on a degree in administration.

It’s not that I don’t ever want to be an administrator (although I am more prone to say I don’t than I do) I just want to keep on open mind and be prepared when that one “dream position” opens up. I think that being a leader in whatever position I hold is more important than being a principal. To me, what matters more than status or position is simply being an exemplary leader in whatever I do. Ultimately leaders, in all facets of education, are the ones who influence and inspire a difference in schools and in classrooms. Simply stated, obtaining a Masters Degree in Instructional Leadership will enable me to be a better leader in our school, in our district and in our community whether or not that leads to an administrative position is immaterial to me right now.

Here I go...dive right in! I'm back in school. Curriculum Integration of Technology...WHAT??? What was I thinking??? And now I'm a blogger :) I believe it's true...I'll NEVER be too old to learn something new :)