As I am not a K-12 teacher, and have never been required to build a lesson plan of this magnitude, this was a particularly difficult task for me. Fortunately, I had access to a great many tools and research sites to assist me in creating the document.
I found the UDL Lesson Builder site and template to be a great help. Without that, I would more than likely have not been unable to complete this assignment. The site provided excellent examples and guidelines to assist in building the plan, and was very comprehensive.
As I built the lesson plan, I realized in order to be successful, one must be aware of state standards, TEKS requirements, etc. In addition, one must conduct constant and consistent research to remain up to date on various softwares, hardware tools, and websites that would be helpful in the discipline of choice.
Also, networking with other teachers is a must. I would find conferences and organizaiton memberships to be helpful, along with discussions and sharing with peers. This profession is not one that can be maintained alone. Teachers must depend on each other to keep up with the ever changing methodologies, technologies, requirements, and needs of the arena.
This assignment has taught me a great deal about the planning and preparation that must be utilized when teaching in the classroom. It gives me even more appreciation for all those in the environment.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology Webinar
On Wednesday, November 18, 2009, I joined the Pre-course Web Conference for the EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology course. Unfortunately, it was not a successful experience for me.
I navigated to the link provided at 4:30 pm, and the webinar did not show as available until a little after 5:00. Once I entered into the conference, no one was able to see or hear me. I was asked to shut down and reboot my computer, which I did, but it did not fix my problem.
In between all these activities, I was able to glean a small amount of information from listening to others' conversations, but I would have liked to hear everything that was said. I will, unfortunately, not be able to attend this Saturday. I do have a team formed, so hopefully one or more of our members will have been successful in connecting, and can share what they learned.
I would like to say that I was not the only one experiencing difficulties. The audio and video continually went in and out, and by the end of the session, we were only able to hear a fraction of the students within the webinar, and could no longer see anyone.
I have had IT come in to take a look at my computer to see if I need to change any settings, and will make sure it is properly configured for the next time. However, even if I had been able to access the webinar, it seems many others experienced the same frustrations as me.
Hopefully, our next experience will be more successful, and we will be able to share more and troubleshoot less.
I navigated to the link provided at 4:30 pm, and the webinar did not show as available until a little after 5:00. Once I entered into the conference, no one was able to see or hear me. I was asked to shut down and reboot my computer, which I did, but it did not fix my problem.
In between all these activities, I was able to glean a small amount of information from listening to others' conversations, but I would have liked to hear everything that was said. I will, unfortunately, not be able to attend this Saturday. I do have a team formed, so hopefully one or more of our members will have been successful in connecting, and can share what they learned.
I would like to say that I was not the only one experiencing difficulties. The audio and video continually went in and out, and by the end of the session, we were only able to hear a fraction of the students within the webinar, and could no longer see anyone.
I have had IT come in to take a look at my computer to see if I need to change any settings, and will make sure it is properly configured for the next time. However, even if I had been able to access the webinar, it seems many others experienced the same frustrations as me.
Hopefully, our next experience will be more successful, and we will be able to share more and troubleshoot less.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Texas STaR Chart
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Texas STaR Program
View more presentations from msells.
Educator Preparation and Development
The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology was written to assure that every student in the state of Texas has equal and free access to the necessary equipment and instruction to benefit from federally funded technology programs. In order to have the students learn the skills needed to accomplish this goal, our educators must be prepared to deliver instruction on the use of , and possess the knowledge to adapt the technological tools that are prevalent in the world today.
This area of the plan, or domain two, is called Educator Preparation and Development. It deals with the preparation of our teachers, administrators and support personnel to obtain the necessary training to not only use the technologies, but to incorporate them into the classroom seamlessly.
All teachers must now meet Technology Applications standards in order to become certified in the state of Texas, or to continue teaching. For those who are not currently familiar with the use of technology in the classroom, ongoing professional development opportunities are offered on a regular basis in most districts across the state. For those just entering the profession, they must have attended and successfully completed an educator preparation program knowing how to infuse technology into the classroom.
These requirements are approached on a local, state, and national level through preparation programs as well as professional development training. Trends indicate that the confidence level and use of technologies in our schools are on the rise. Even those who once felt they were inept at using digital learning techniques are now changing their outlook on the subject.
The continuation of standardizing requirements of our educators should continue in order to retain our standing with federal agencies. Support – with opportunity and funding - from the federal and state level must remain intact. Data collection and monitoring of the trends and progress being made by our educators and students will eventually prove to what degree our plan is indeed helping. Texas is serving as a best-practice state, and if trends continue in the same direction, it will continue to retain its status.
This area of the plan, or domain two, is called Educator Preparation and Development. It deals with the preparation of our teachers, administrators and support personnel to obtain the necessary training to not only use the technologies, but to incorporate them into the classroom seamlessly.
All teachers must now meet Technology Applications standards in order to become certified in the state of Texas, or to continue teaching. For those who are not currently familiar with the use of technology in the classroom, ongoing professional development opportunities are offered on a regular basis in most districts across the state. For those just entering the profession, they must have attended and successfully completed an educator preparation program knowing how to infuse technology into the classroom.
These requirements are approached on a local, state, and national level through preparation programs as well as professional development training. Trends indicate that the confidence level and use of technologies in our schools are on the rise. Even those who once felt they were inept at using digital learning techniques are now changing their outlook on the subject.
The continuation of standardizing requirements of our educators should continue in order to retain our standing with federal agencies. Support – with opportunity and funding - from the federal and state level must remain intact. Data collection and monitoring of the trends and progress being made by our educators and students will eventually prove to what degree our plan is indeed helping. Texas is serving as a best-practice state, and if trends continue in the same direction, it will continue to retain its status.
Getting Started
This is my new blog. Before the end of the week, I will post information dealing with part of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)