Sandholtz Chapter 5

Chapter five titled, “Redefining Student and Teacher Roles” discussed how Teachers quickly discovered that students were becoming experts with the new technology in the classroom.   The ACOT teachers and students experienced a shift in their traditional roles.  Peer teaching became the norm in the ACOT classrooms. Students provided technical assistance, tutoring, and mentoring in the classroom and in their communities.  With their new found roles in the classroom, student’s attitudes began to change in regards to how they viewed themselves.  Students took ownership and pride in instructing and sharing their technological knowledge.

Some of the benefits of the role shift were: less motivated students stayed on task, hidden skills were tapped, and academically challenged students became high achievers by finishing projects early.  Students who were unpopular were seen in a new light because of their expertise on the computer.  Teachers provided praise and support for those students who stepped into their new teaching roles.

Students took their computer knowledge outside of the classroom by teaching family members at home how to set up and use the computer.  They passed their computer knowledge on to their siblings and other family members.  The school district hired students as technical support with new equipment and they were also hired as teaching assistants for summer professional development classes.  Teachers and students traveled to places like the state capitols, conferences, and symposiums to share their knowledge of technology in the classroom.

Reflecting on chapter five, the ACOT teachers and students shifted their roles and found success.  I’m sure it was not easy for the teachers to give up their roles as leader in the classroom.  I wonder what would have happened if the teachers resisted the shift?  I was happy to read how the teachers put their egos aside and let the students share their knowledge, especially the principal who learned how to use the electronic bulletin board.

Sandholtz Chapter 4

Chapter four titled, “Managing a Technology-Rich Classroom” focused on the first three stages of instructional revolution.  These three stages are important because it set the stage for ACOT classroom teachers to experience major achievements or disheartening failures in their classrooms.

    Chapter four discusses the entry stage as the first stage of concern with the ACOT teachers.  Because the technology was so new, teachers could not anticipate problems.  Issues such as student misbehavior and attitudes, the physical environment, technical problems and software management, and the dynamics of the classroom environment were unique problems that presented themselves to the classroom.

     Adoption occurs when teachers anticipate and solve problems to resolve the student misbehavior in their classrooms.  Teachers used tactics such as using technology itself to redirect the misbehaving.  Teachers used spreadsheets, databases, individual and group restrictions to discontinue student misbehavior. The physical environment was changed by adding more spacious classrooms, organizing equipment, and installing whiteboards. To handle technical problems, teachers recruited students as “peer” teachers to assist with technical issues.  Some teachers became technicians themselves by attending service training.

                In the adaptation stage, teachers used technology to their advantage. Teachers lessened their workloads by creating databases and spreadsheets, which reduced time spent on calculating grades. Teachers were able to keep track of scores, prepare IEP’s, update materials, and give immediate feedback to their students regarding test scores. Because of adaptation, teachers grew confident with their technology skills which decreased worries about their classrooms being technology centered. 

                As I reflect on chapter four, I found the section on classroom management extremely interesting. It was refreshing how the author pointed out the link between management and instruction.  Without classroom management, students would not stay on task and the classroom would be in total disorder.  I worked for a school district where the principals only concern for the teachers was if they passed their professional exams.  But passing those exams was not enough. In that school district, I worked with some of the finest teachers who motivated students to the point where they wanted to go to school.  Those same students even scored high on standardized test. Those teachers were truly gifted facilitators, but they could not pass those professional exams. What was wrong? Where was the gap? On the other hand, I witnessed teachers who passed their professional exams with flying colors, running out of their classrooms crying because little Johnny won’t sit down or students who could easily push buttons to get the teacher to “lose it” and the students would laugh hysterically upon their achievement.  I have even known teachers from other districts retire early because of the changing diversity in the classroom. They could not deal with the fact they no longer shared the same culture as their students. I have watched the teachers, who made a difference in the classroom, walk out with a packed box under his/her arm and the teachers, with no management skills, teach year after year in a classroom full of chaos and disruption.  So, I ask again, what is wrong?  Where is the gap?

Twitter Question

Twitter question: Professional Development is largely personal, what are some things you can do for FREE to improve your technology skills?

Yes, I agree that professional development is largely personal because I found myself unemployed for about a year.  Money was tight so I sought out free computer courses.  I found it was a great way of networking, learning new skills, and sharpening existing skills.  There was an added plus of filling in the gap of unemployment history so employers would not see that time as a negative mark against me. 

Here are some of my favorite free sites:

http://www.metrolibrary.org/mls/mls_news/2011/pdfs/dn_computer_classes.pdf http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/training-FX101782702.aspx http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses

Sandholtz Chapter 3

               Chapter Three titled, “The Evolution of Instruction in Technology-Rich Classrooms,” follows ACOT teachers and students as they embark on integrating technology in their classrooms. The first part of chapter three discussed different perspectives on learning and teaching noting arguments whether teaching is clinical pursuit, an enterprise, or like therapy.   

                The next part of chapter three, Sandholtz introduces the five stages of instructional evolution. The five stages are outlined as:  1. entry 2. Adoption 3. Adaptation 4. Appropriation 5. Invention.  The first stage entry, talks about how the ACOT teachers experienced problems with discipline, resource management and personal frustration.  The ACOT teachers had to let go of some of their beliefs in learning and teaching in order to launch the ACOT program successfully.  The second stage is adoption.  Teachers showed concerns about how they were going to adopt technology into their curriculum and how would students perform on standardized tests.  Parents also chimed with concerns relating to poor handwriting skills and developing skill sets that would prove non-useful in the real world.  In the third stage, adaptation, teachers reported the new technology increased productivity and quality in their classrooms.  The fourth stage is appropriation.  The author describes appropriation in the classroom as an individual, who comes to understand technology and use it effortlessly as a tool to accomplish real work.  Another way to look at appropriation as going from appreciation to a life changing milestone as witnessed from the teacher accounts in the chapter.  The last stage is invention.  The invention stage goes beyond appropriation where teachers not only found new ways of thinking and collaborating, but they made it better with the use of technology.

                My reflections of chapter three are:  the ACOT program was successful and the teachers received much needed support for the program.  Support is an immense factor for implementing innovation in the classroom.  I hope with the Common Core Standards, although some things are vague, teachers receive enough training and support to make it work in the classrooms.

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Video Project

Using Windows Vista Movie Maker 6.0 for my project.

Stay tunned for the final results!

Chapter 11

Chapter eleven titled, “Top Ten Rules that Govern School Authority Over Student Cyber Expressions,” makes a clear explanation of student’s First Amendment rights and the rights public schools have over those rights.  The chapter outlines the “Top Ten Rules of Govern” that has emerged from court precedents. Rule One: applies to First Amendment provisions where students have the right to express themselves freely on or off campus, but when those expressions, no matter how small, disrupt education, schools have the right to intervene.  Rule Two: schools may sanction or censor expression if school leaders feel the expression may cause a disruption in school activities. Rule Three: if the expression interferes with the education rights of other students.  Rule Four: school leaders have the authority to prohibit lewd, vulgar, or profane language.  Rule Five: school leaders have the right to prohibit expressions that are grammatically incorrect, poorly researched, and expressions that misrepresent the school.  Rule Six: school leaders may sanction school sponsored expression, including media material and field trips. Rule Seven: reinforces rule six giving school leaders complete authority over pedagogical purposes. Rule Eight: a school has no authority to regulate a student’s off campus activates. Rule Nine: schools have the right to instill the morals, values and norms of the larger society.  Rule Ten: schools have the right to restrict student expression outside the campus if there is a concern or threat for illegal criminal activity or moral conduct.

                My reflection on chapter eleven.  Because of today’s technology, I think these rules are needed more than ever.  School leaders must be careful they are not allowing students on or off campus a way to promote cyber bullying, hate crimes, and hurtful messages that can interfere with the education process.

Chapter 10

Chapter ten titled, “Preventing Cyber Bullying,” discussed how school staff, teachers, and school leaders can prevent cyber bullying.  The chapter also raised the question of can cyber bullying be prevented altogether.  Chapter ten provided eight sample questions to assess the level of cyber bullying in schools.  The questions can be sent as anonymous surveys on a regular basis to measure computer habits among students and staff.  The chapter also found it important to clearly define what cyber bullying is, so students can take responsibility for their behavior.  Students and staff must be educated on cyber bullying in order to promote productive ongoing discussions.  Teachers may use real life scenarios and vignettes as discussion examples for cyber bullying to enhance awareness of what to do and how to do it.  Chapter ten goes on state how students need to be taught how to use technology responsibly and that can happen with rules and expectations.  The chapter mentioned other ways to deter cyber bullying such as, peer mentoring, school culture, monitoring and filtering software, and antibullying curriculum.  Parents have an important role in cyber bullying which includes, communication, and going online with their children.  The student’s role in preventing cyber bullying is: protecting their personal information and protecting passwords.  Law enforcement officials can play a big part in cyber bullying.  Law enforcement officials can make students aware of the legal consequences of what happens offline. 

Personally, I have never experienced cyber bullying, but I have read cases and I have seen news shows depicting real people and how cyber bullying has affected them.  You hear the old saying, “kids can be cruel,” but cyber bullying is on a whole new level.  I hope parents, teachers and students make every effort to educate the masses on the horrible effects of cyber bullying.

Chapter 9 Reflection

            Chapter nine titled, “Policies, Procedures, and Contracts,” examined Acceptable Use Policies (AUP) in schools and in school districts.  The chapter discussed how school policies, permission slips, and school handbooks are all contracts that serve as a foundation for expectations, rights/responsibilities, detail of procedures and policies.  Contracts can be customized to address particular situations and groups.  District wide contracts can be tailored to suit the needs of individual schools.  Together with legal counsel, school leaders can draft contracts not only for students, but for parents as well.

            Although the intent to commit wrongdoing was not there, violating a schools computer Internet AUP can happen. That’s why it is important that school leaders keep up with the changing technology and forecast future risks for their schools.  Schools must be clear to both students and parents on how and what the schools Internet is used for, otherwise a lapse in communication can cause legal ramifications for the school and a scramble to update their AUP.
            The chapter gave a five step plan for drafting a school policy which includes: 1. Collect data, 2. Solicit input, 3. Draft the new/revised policy, 4. Circulate the draft of the new/revised policy, 5. Approve and disseminate the new/revised policy.  The chapter also discussed schools establishing a chain of command for reporting incidents and age-appropriate tests for students to pass in order to receive a license to participate in less structured Internet activities. 
            My reflections of chapter nine are: I do agree with the fact that schools need AUPs to protect and govern themselves. But my concern lies with the parents.  The chapter did discuss parental roles, but how many parents are truly involved with their child’s Internet usage?  Schools can have firewalls to protect the students from inappropriate sites, but at some home environments  it is clearly different.  Students are locked away in their rooms at home surfing the Internet and breaking through mom and dad’s parental controls - not to mention school firewalls.  Inappropriate material looked up at home is easily sent or printed out and brought to school and problems arise.  Do you think a change with a school’s AUP happened because of this issue? Please let me know your thoughts.

Chapter 8 Reflection

            Chapter Eight titled, “Assessment in the Partnership Pedagogy,” examined six areas of assessments, they are: 1. student, 2. teacher, 3. administrator, 4. parent, 5. school, 6. world.

            The student assessment included, ipsative – beating your personal best.  Peer assessment – student’s work is assessed by their peers. Real world assessment – feedback is giving from other schools, cities, and countries.  Self-assessment – the student assesses his or her own work.  Also, the chapter mentioned assessing students with their own tools, such as, smart phones, tablets, and computers.  This is interesting because students and teachers will have to set new rules on what the norms or “rules” for using technology will be for assessments.

            Teachers should self-assess annually and the results should be known to students and administrators for continuity. Hopefully, this will motivate teachers to get better and better. Should this teacher self-assessment be included on a teacher’s formal evaluation?  And should it tie in with promotions and raises?  These are questions to ponder for teacher self-assessment.

            The chapter outlined administrator assessments posed as seven questions. The questions are assessing questions dealing with the administrators’ knowledge of partnering and in what ways the administrator gives his or her support to students, teachers and parents.

            The parents’ assessment included a checklist self-assessment where they assessed themselves by how well they: listened, helped, encouraged, participated, and shared in the partnering process.  There was also a part for the student to chime in on what they wished to get more or less from his or her partnering parents.

            Assessing the schools progress, the chapter acknowledges that the standardized practices will continue to be the norm.  But as schools move towards a partnering pedagogy, they will see a rise in test scores, quality student work, teacher collaboration, and better student-teacher relations.

            World assessment continues to draw criticism and praise among school leaders and politicians. Are we “falling behind” as a nation?  There seems to be some debate.  The author of this chapter seemed to think that the whole story of the United States being behind in the world of education should not be measured by just our nation, rather focus on raising the education bar for the whole world.

            Reflecting on this chapter, I liked the student, teacher, and parent’s assessments, but I wasn’t sure about the school leaders’ assessment.  I have many friends who are teachers complain about how school leaders are so political to the point where they feel school leaders are working for state leaders instead of students, teachers and the community.  Am I saying all school leaders fall in this category? No, I’m not, because personally, I know many school leaders who want the best for their students, teachers and the community.  I hear them complain also. They get caught in the middle between politics and the best interest of their school.  What do you think? Please share your feelings with me.

Chapter 3 Reflection

Chapter three titled, “Strategic Leadership, Encouraging and Assessing Technology Integration,” discussed how school leaders, Technology Coordinators, and technology planning committees are needed to help teachers bring innovation and technology in the classroom.

            The real test for school leaders is to bring people together in order to share a common vision.  Once the leader has the commitment of his or her people, action toward the common vision can occur.  School leaders must not continue to remain unconcerned or lag behind in technology.  Teachers are at a place where they know how computers work; now they are integrating them into the classrooms and in everyday functions such as administration, communication, and research purposes.  Teachers want to use technology in their classrooms, but now the concern is time and resources.  This is where school leaders must empower and support teachers in order to gain their professional commitment.
            Chapter three examined adoption of innovation in our classrooms.  One of the biggest complaints of teachers in the school system is change.  Changing the culture, the curriculum and the individual is difficult – not to mention the incorporation of technology.  Everett Rogers identified five categories of individual change they are: 1. innovators, 2. early adopters, 3. early majority, 4. late majority and 5. laggards.  Also, Hall and Hord created the Concerns-Based Adoption Mode that examines individual reactions to change.  When it comes to changing the culture, school leaders must be demonstrate a concern for the student, while respecting teachers in their classrooms.  So what do teachers want?  They want lots of training.  But professional development focused on technology has proved to be ineffective. Why?  Because the training does not give teachers something they can take back to the classroom.  And again the time and resource issue plays a role with the teacher’s investment, so it is up to the school leader to show his or her commitment to the innovation and culture shift at the school. 
            The role of technology coordinators, technology planning committees and teacher leaders in schools promote knowledge, balance and responsibility in and out of the classroom environment.  Still, it is the support of the school leader to promote a teacher’s willingness to move forward with innovation.
            My reflections of this chapter ask the question of what is innovation?  It seems to be the buzz word of the day for business and school districts.  But what does innovation really mean?  My current employer has a whole department dedicated to innovation and I still don’t know what they do - and I’ve been working for the company for six years. It wasn’t until I had to design a class on innovation that I found an understanding for innovation and it’s implication in the work environment.

Common Core Standards

Common Core Standards

Just like Tommy, I really didn't know what common core standards meant. So I had to research Common Core Standards and offer my answers to the to twitter questions from Dr. Cullen. I did some internet research and I went to amazon to look up the book Tommy mentioned in his blog called, "Pathways to the Common Core" by Calkins, Ehrenworth, and Lehman (2012). I did order the book, but I also used the “Look Inside” feature which allowed me to read selected chapters of the book. From my internet research and the chapters read in “Pathways to the Common Core,” The following is my refection of Common Core Standards.

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The shift to a national set of standards will definitely have an impact on schools and education, before Common Core Standards, each state had their own standardized test, so there was no way to compare scores accurately and rank states. With Common Core Standards, all states will have the ability to compare standardized test scores. The move to Common Core Standards will also mean The United States will be able to compare our standards to other countries favorably. Common Core Standards will allow students to better understand what is expected of them which will allow students to get the “big picture” of what and why they are learning something. The Common Core Standards will provide teachers with meaningful professional development which will promote collaboration and a sharing of best practices. It will be interesting to see how teachers across the nation, who will be using the same curriculum, use this new standard to communicate and compare what works and what does not work in their classrooms.

But, there are some cons that come with Common Core Stands. Great fear comes with great change. I can see some of our best veteran teachers leaving the classroom and finding other jobs in different areas or even retiring. I don't want to see our special needs students falling in the cracks of a more rigid and quicker pace learning curriculum. Also, I found that Common Core Standards only have standards for English-Language and Mathematics. So what about social studies and science?

I hope we spend quality time in class discussing Common Core Standards. Sorry I did not post last night, but I had so many thoughts going through my mind - I was a little foggy. I found myself thinking about the No Child Left Behind Act and I thought, “oh no, here we go again.”