EDLD 5398ET(5370) Week 1_Reflections on Assignments in EDLD 5306

EDLD 5306 _ Course Reflection


Reminiscence back at EDLD 5306 course, I learned so much valuable information from the course. I had the unique opportunity to learn from a classroom setting experience of the daily operations of school administrators and the nuisances that teachers and school administrators go through each year. I had the chance to read, research, and review the Texas Long-Range Technology plan, the Texas STaR chart, and I had a delightful time in creating my wiki and blog sites. Over the last ten years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn in a pervasive manner in which technology has grown globally. Learning now occurs in a variety of forms through online forums, communities of practice, and personal and social networks, i.e., (Facebook, MySpace, and Email). Technologies of today have reshaped our thinking. P.B. Vahill, in Learning as a Way of Being, writes that “learning must be a way of being an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups that they employ to try to keep abreast of the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, recurring, events.”

I remember like yesterday, reviewing the plans and regulations set forth by the Texas State Board of Education. The Texas State Board of Education passed the Long-Range Plan for Technology for the years of 2006-2020. The plan was developed to address four key areas: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration; and Instructional Support; Infrastructure for Technology. The key goal of the Long-Range Plan is to improve student academic achievement through the enhancement of education technology. Although research emphasizes the importance of integrating technology into the curriculum, the use of technology can only be effective if teachers themselves possess the expertise to use technology in a meaningful way in the classroom (Sadik, 2008). Now as I continue my journey through the EDLD 5306; I had the unique opportunity review a copy of the STaR Chart for Katy ISD School District. The STaR Chart revealed the key areas of Infrastructure for Technology in Leadership, Admin., & Instructional Support.

While in the EDLD 5306 as Cohorts we created our wiki and blog sites. As I can remember, at least 20% of the class already had some form of a wiki or blog site in which they was currently using. I completely enjoyed creating a wiki and blog site; which is also part of the Web 2.0 tools for the 21st Century teachers and leaners. Both sites offer a unique form of communication outside the normal routine of sending e-mails. The benefits of a wiki/blog site, it allows for helping others on strategic learning, mentoring, and collaborative learning with peers of their group. Interactive exchanges like these are possible because the Read/Write web is a much more social and collaborative place than the traditional classroom (Richardson & Mancabelli, 2007).

Reference

Richardson, W. & Mancabelli, R. (2007). High-Tech Inspires the Read/Write Website. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed For Quick Review, 72(9), 14-18

Sadik, Alaa. “Digital storytelling: a meaningful technology-integrated approach for engaged student learning. “Educational Technology Research & Development 56.4 (2008): 487-506. Professional Development Collection. EBSCO. Web. Retrieved on January 28, 2012

Vahill, P.B., (1996). Learning as a Way of Being. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Blass Inc.