EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: Technology Component JILL WILLIAMS SP2 11 EA1202

Week 5 Assignment
Overview
Throughout this course, we have examined the role and responsibilities of an educational
technology leader in the 21st century information landscape. In Week 1, we looked at
educational technology in terms of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, the Technology
Applications TEKS, and the Technology Applications Inventory. Our focus in Week 2 was on
using data to make informed decisions and gathering data on educational technology through
the Texas STaR Charts. Week 3’s focus was on the needs of the “digital natives” we serve,
online learning communities, and expectations for educators. In Weeks 4 and 5, we discussed
online safety and the social, legal, and ethical issues confronting today’s digital-age educators,
students, and parents.

In your Week 5 assignment, you will consider the outcomes of this course and the extent to
which the outcomes will influence your role as a principal and educational technology leader in
your school.

In part 2 of this week’s assignment you will be asked to:

• Reflect on what you have learned in this course.

• Assume a school leadership role as a principal who understands the role of an
educational technology campus facilitator or as the district educational technology
director. From that vantage point, compose a 150-word response to each of the guiding
questions provided.
• Write reflectively in APA format.

Submit your Course Reflections by the end of Week 5.

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EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: Technology Component JILL WILLIAMS SP2 11 EA1202
Rubric
Use the following Rubric to guide your work on the Week 5 Assignment.

Tasks Accomplished Proficient Needs Not Meeting

The evidence The evidence Improvement Expectations
suggests that suggests that The evidence The evidence
the educator is performance does not yet does not yet
ready to on this work make the case make the
mentor others matches that of for the case for the
in this area. a strong educator educator
educator. being being
proficient at proficient at
this task. this task.

Course Student Student Student Student does

Reflection composes 150- composes 150- composes not submit
word reflection word 150-word the course
on each reflections on reflections on reflections
question 3-4 of the two or fewer and/or
provided; questions of the reflections not
reflections provided; questions of the
demonstrate reflections provided, required
extensive demonstrate and/or minimum
knowledge of adequate reflections word count.
course content. knowledge of exhibit a lack (Maximum 0
(Maximum 90 course content. of points)
points) (Maximum understanding
80points) of course
content.
(Maximum
70 points)

Assignment Responses are Responses are Responses do Responses do

Mechanics relevant to relevant to not reflect not reflect
course content. course content. knowledge of knowledge of
Student Student course course
adheres to APA adheres mostly content. content.
stylistic to APA stylistic Student Student does
guidelines. guidelines. adheres not use APA
Writing is clear, Writing is loosely to APA guidelines.
concise, and mostly clear, stylistic (Maximum 0
well organized. concise, and guidelines. points)
Excellent well organized. Writing is
sentence/parag Good unclear and/or
raph sentence/parag disorganized.
construction. raph Weak
Thoughts are construction. sentence/para
expressed in a Thoughts are graph
coherent and expressed in a construction.
logical manner. coherent and Thoughts are
There are no logical manner. not expressed

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EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: Technology Component JILL WILLIAMS SP2 11 EA1202
errors in There are three in a coherent
grammar, or fewer errors and logical
spelling, or in grammar, manner. There
punctuation. spelling, or are four or
(Maximum 10 punctuation. more errors in
points) (Maximum 8 grammar,
points) spelling, or
punctuation.
(Maximum 6
points)

Week 5 Assignment, Part 1: Course Reflections

What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the
actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

When I began this course I was unaware how deeply integrated technology would be into the
objectives until I read the Instructional Leadership syllabus. After reading the learning outcomes
and reviewing the assignments, I envisioned that I would learn new and innovative ways to
“develop strategies for evaluating and determining the effectiveness of professional
development” and how to better “recognize the needs of digital-age students, and acquire
strategies and tools to meet those needs” (Lamar University, 2011).
I feel that I was able to achieve those outcomes to some extent because I was able to
implement some of the skills and knowledge that I learned into the classroom environment, such
as requiring students to create an educational portfolio blog in order to track and reflect on their
learning successes. I am asking that each student review their work (PowerPoint presentations,
photo story projects, etc) before posting it to their blog to ensure that they are not violating
copyrights laws because “as new technologies become increasingly common and integrated into
all areas of school instruction and business, an up-to-date education on what is and is not a
legal use of resources remains a crucial element of a workable 21st century literacy” (Davidson,
2005).
As I create and implement lessons that integrate technology and require students to access
and cite information from the internet, I am consistently bombarded with bibliographies filled with
references to personal blogs and Google searches. Even my Advanced Placement United
States History students have trouble decided which sources are reliable and accurate when
completing a research paper. It is essential to remember that “as we become increasingly
overwhelmed by information” that we are able to “decide which information we are going to use
or ignore” (Warlick, 2007). I strive to ensure that my students are prepared to complete their
college papers successfully by steering them towards appropriate sites with appropriate
information. There are also sites out there that write the bibliography for you! I sure wish I had
it this easy in college, but sometimes I wonder if I would be as knowledgeable if I had not spent
hours in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Library searching for books and articles that supported my
senior thesis on Lenin in my History of Russia class!

To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in
your school? Why or why not?

This course was appropriate and extremely relevant to issues on my campus this semester.
Our campus administrators are pushing teachers to help students create digital online graduate
portfolio systems. In order simplify and expedite this process, I met with our technology
specialist and Smartboard trainer, Karen McIntyre, and discussed the possibilities and

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ramifications of Google Apps for Education being rolled out on our campus. After learning more
information, I sought out and gained approval from my principal, Chang Yu. I have contacted
Google Apps for Education and will figure out the logistics of training the staff, students, and
administrators on how this tool can be extremely productive in aiding our college bound culture.
As a member of the SDMC committee, I was also able to suggest that we add more technology
goals and components to our Campus Improvement Plan, as there are no references to
technology currently.
On our campus, our administrators have laid the foundation to creating a project based
learning culture which “requires teachers to become learners too” (Boss, 2007). Our school is
only in the 4th year with our first graduates walking the stage this June 2011! Our
administrators required us to do a book study on PBL Starter Kit: To-the-Point Advice, Tools and
Tips for Your First Project in order to collaborate and create PBL's for our subject areas. As this
school year has progressed, we are creating lesson plans together in order to develop some
cross-curricular lessons due to the fact that our “school leaders play a key role in helping the
project approach succeed” (Boss, 2007). So far, it has worked well because most of our staff is
on board and those who are opposed to the PBL train of thought are being forced to follow suit.
I have learned that PBL is extremely difficult and not all projects turn out successfully, but that
doesn't mean you have failed as a teacher. Our system is also successful due to the fact that
we have unlimited support from our administrators when it comes to having resources, planning
time, and technology availability. I am worried what might happen next year with the budget
cuts. This will probably mean bigger classes, fewer planning periods, and less money for
technology. I am not sure what the future holds for our project-based learning initiative on our
campus.

What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

After learning how post a PowerPoint presentation and a word document on my blog by
using www.slideboom.com and www.scribd.com, I decided to use this exact format in my
classroom in order to assist my students in creating some sort of online digital portfolio. I felt
that this instruction took up too much of my valuable classroom time because the Exit Level
TAKS exam is looming next month. Some of my students were unable to complete the
assignment within one class period, and I do not want to spend more time assisting them with
blog setup and learning how to upload their work onto their blog. In order to meet the needs of
those students who require more help, I have asked the Computer Applications teacher to assist
me with tutorials after school and to aide any students in her class if they have time remaining
after any of her lessons.
I firmly believe that “as educators, we must take our cues from our students’ 21st century
innovations and behaviors, abandoning, in many cases, our own pre-digital instincts and comfort
zones” (Prensky, 2005/2006). At my previous school, I had several coworkers in my Social
Studies department who had no desire to use their new smartboards or projectors because they
saw nothing wrong with the old way.....workbooks, book work, packets, coloring maps, etc.
Most of these teachers were a few years away from retiring and were just hanging on until then.
But the main reason they refused to learn how to integrate their new technology was due to their
fear of the unknown. I feel they were doing a disservice to their students who could benefit
highly from the technology gathering dust in the corner. If I had been a school leader, I would
ensure that ALL teachers used the extremely expensive equipment, instead our professional
development was teacher lead therefore there was nobody to contact on further help or
questions during the school day. My new campus has a dedicated smartboard trainer who visits
our campus on a weekly basis to work with each department to assist in specific content work.
However, I am diligently trying to engage other teachers in helping our entire student body to
consistently create and use an educational blog/portfolio throughout their high school career
with us.

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Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or
discouraged you?

I believe that I was successful in carrying out the course assignments throughout all five
weeks. Although the constant changes presented some challenges throughout the first couple
of weeks, I was able to confidently complete each task efficiently. The most beneficial task
assigned during this course was creating a blog and learning how to use Web 2.0 resources
which gave me “an opportunity to model for all stakeholders” in my learning community (Lamar
University, 2011). The only assignment that presented difficulties was the Week 4 assignment,
which required us to develop an action plan for “gathering, analyzing, and using data from a
variety of sources for informed campus decision making focusing on integrating technology,
instructional leadership, professional development, and organizational leadership” (Lamar
University, 2009). Due to the fact there was little guidance, I found it hard to get started
because there were so many items to address. I am unable to comment on how successful I
have been on the entire course, because weeks 4 and 5 have not been graded at this time.

What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and
your attitudes?

I learned so much from the Instructional Leadership course, by most importantly how
important technology pertains to the administration level of education. It is important for all
educators to know and embrace the fact that the “world has changed and web 2.0 resources
give candidates opportunities to model for all stakeholders” and to “connect to everyone
electronically” (Abernathy, 2011). Although there were some bumps in the road during this
course, I feel I was able to see the forest through the trees and implement the things I learned
inside my classroom and throughout my campus.
The round table interview conducted by Dr. Kay Abernathy, Ms. Cindy Cummings, and Dr.
Steve Jenkins, was very informative. As Dr. Jenkins addressed all 5 NETS-A standards, Dr.
Abernathy and Ms. Cummings made some astute observations. I agree with Cindy Cummings
statement that “staying on top of emerging technology trends and research and the practical
uses for campus improvement” is extremely important (Abernathy, 2011). I feel that our campus
leaders do an extremely good job at this and our campus is leading the way for better assisting
our digital natives. Dr. Abernathy stated that we must “emphasize our beliefs and lead our
teachers to resources like Project Tomorrow in order to create digital citizens” which is definitely
the right idea (Abernathy, 2011). I am constantly seeking out new and creative resources on the
internet and sharing/demonstrating my new ideas with my peers.

Abernathy, Kay, and Cindy Cummings, and Steve Jenkins. "EDLD 5352 Week 3 Interview 1-4."

Lamar University. Beaumont, TX. Jan. 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.

Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Real projects in a digital world. Principal Leadership, 8(4), 22-26.

Davidson, H. (2005). Copyright primer for administrators. Technology & Learning, 25(11), S2-

S8.

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EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: Technology Component JILL WILLIAMS SP2 11 EA1202

Lamar University. (2011). EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: Technology Component

Syllabus. In K. Abernathy, K. Attaway, C. Cummings, & . (Eds.). Beaumont, TX.

Lamar University. (2011). Technology Round Table Discussion, EDLD 5352: Week 3.

Instructional Leadership. Beaumont, TX. Academic Partnership.

Lamar University. (2009). EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: Technology Component Week

4 Assignment. In K. Abernathy, K. Attaway, C. Cummings, & . (Eds.). Beaumont, TX.

Prensky, M. (2005/2006). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8-13.

Warlick, D. (2007). Literacy in the new information landscape. Library Media

Connection, 26(1), 20-21.