Technology: The Adventure by Joanne St. Peter

For me, technology has been an amusement park.

Sometimes, everything is just ducky…

But in a flash…

…glitches can erupt leaving me, the user, in a blur of confusion.

What can a person do?

Grin and bear it?

Abandon technology altogether?

The answer is to develop a systematic plan, a roadmap, to help in navigating where to go next.

…might look like fun, but…

In other words, until I work my intestinal fortitude up to it, the plan will help in deciding which “rides” to avoid…

like the ones that will leave me upside-down,

and others that will make me dizzy.

But more important, the plan will help to determine which rides to take…

that will give me a new perspective

on the ordinary.

A plan will help to identify those vehicles of technology that will bring people together in compelling ways.

I. Leadership & Vision II. Learning & Teaching III. Productivity & Professional Practice IV. Support, Management & Operations V. Assessment & Evaluation VI. Social, Legal & Ethical Issues

I. Leadership & Vision Goal A: Support the use of data more effectively through technology Action Steps: A1. Participate in Excel tutorials. A2. Using the program, sort 2009 District Fall Assessment scores to organize instructional groups. A3. Maintain data for administration and teacher use during the upcoming the year. A4. Share student data during fall and Trimester teacher meetings during the upcoming year.

Please Note: This is a product of my first tutorial!

II. Learning & Teaching Goal A: Seek out additional innovations to further support/enhance instructional practice. Action Steps: A1. Consult “Tech Leader” to review innovations. A2. Seek out information from colleagues about what works best for specific subject areas.

II. Learning & Teaching Goal B: Facilitate the use of technology to support students’ higher level thinking and problem solving skills Support the use of data more effectively through technology Action Steps: B 1. Arrange for technology in-service for the early fall to address problem solving opportunities for students. B 2. Investigate software and teaching strategies to enhance instructional practice.

III. Productivity & Professional Practice Goal A: Pursue personal professional development opportunities to broaden tech expertise. Action Steps: A1. Apply to CREC for additional grant funding for professional development. A2. Develop a calendar of staff sharing days on the professional calendar similar to the Language Arts planning for teachers to learn from one another.

IV. Support, Management & Operations Goal A: Explore additional sources of funding to support the technology plan and professional development Action Step: A1. Meet with the Superintendent to identify possible additional sources through new grants.

V. Assessment & Evaluation Goal A: Improve the use of technology to analyze data. Action Step: A1. Use Excel graphs to sort student progress on District assessments to inform instructional groupings.

VI. Social, Legal & Ethical Issues Goal A: Regularly review changes in policies and practices to ensure the safety of all users. Action Steps: A1. Regularly consult ISTE website A2. Schedule Tech Safety Seminars for teachers and students to educate all for responsible Digital Citizenship.

Along with outfitting the “travelers,” it is our duty to prepare our children to understand that technology has enormous power, and as such, care must be taken to use it ethically and responsibly.

My over-arching goal then is to model educational risk-taking in venturing forward on the technology journey.

After all, technology can take us all to new places filled with discovery when we least expect it.

Electronic Bibliography  Administrator NETS (2002)  GoogleImages.com Keyword: Amusement Park July, 2009

Technical Assistance Andrew Kenyon- Excel Bar Graph James St. Peter- Text Animation Richard Therrien - Accessing and importing digital images importing digital images