S Ta R Chart

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S Ta R Chart

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STaR Chart

To me the entire point of taking the STaR Chart survey and researching all of this, is to improve technology instruction. Technology instruction will improve when students are engaged in meaningful assignments that reinforce technology skills. That is why I have chosen to discuss the Key Area of Teaching and Learning. The state, my district and my campus all score mainly in the Developing or low Advanced range for that area. Just under 70% of all campuses in Texas rated themselves Developing in 2008-09. My district had scores that ranged from 13 to 20. Most campuses rated themselves in the high Developing (13-14) to the low Advanced (15-17). Very few campuses had scores of higher than 17 and only two campuses had scores of less than 13. Over the past 3 years my campus has moved from a Key Area total of 14 to one of 15 in 2008-09. Our school in this area is on the rise, but we are not progressing as quickly or as much as we would like to. We have the infrastructure and desire, but somehow that does not translate into teachers doing meaningful assignments in their classes.
Although our scores have not improved dramatically, I have personally seen a difference in our students over the past five years, especially in the Foundation area of the TAs. Students coming to me in 4th grade are much more capable than they used to be. Going to the computer lab was often frustrating because each little thing became a mini-lesson. Now, however, students begin signing onto the computers immediately with little help from me. They can open and save documents and work easily in MS Word, Powerpoint and Excel. After leaving me they are also often proficient with MS Publisher. There is definitely a commitment to use the technology on campus, however, sometimes other commitments take priority over others.

Pre-K TEKS

The Pre-K foundation teks start with keyboarding and mouse skills. They also have students learn how to open and save files. I noticed that the foundation section also has teachers discuss illegally copying material. These skills are integral in helping students get started learning new technologies. They are the very foundation that all other learning must be based on. In the acquiring information section, Pre-K students learn how to navigate the internet and evaluate the information found there. This will become the basis for all future research. Students must learn from an early age that there is a huge amount of information and not all of it is appropriate. The problem solving and communication areas are very similar to the 3-5 strand. The Pre-K teks are the very beginning of technology acquisition. Pre-K and Kindergarten is the first time that many of our students are exposed to technology. Like the other teks, Texas has set the TAs to build on each other. K-2 students are expected to use keyword and Boolean searchers. 3-5 students have to start using local and wide area networks to search on the internet. In grades 6-8 the same expectations remain, but students are expected to use collaborative software to aid their searches. According to chapter 126 of the TAs, students in grades 9-12 need to "design and document sequential search algorithms for digital information storage and retrieval."

Long-Range Plan

I had no idea that Texas had such a detailed plan for technology implementation. I noticed some recurring themes throughout the sections. First, I understood that Texas expects there to be equitable education for all students. A free Broadband network that runs 24/7 will help ensure that. Also, Texas expects students to use a myriad of resources to gather information, no longer is the teacher the only source. The plan also mentioned distance learning and information sharing as a way to ensure that all students have an equitable education. Another theme is that technology is constantly changing and becoming more personal. Students are becoming more and more technologically savvy before they even enter schools. It is our job as teachers to harness the innate love of technology to improve instruction.

3 Assessments

Before taking the three assessments, I was confident that I would do well. The Technology Applications Inventory reinforced that feeling. I answered “yes” to most of the questions from all 4 domains. When answering “no,” I often thought I could have done what the question was asking, but much like my ESL students, I was limited by new vocabulary terms. Specifically, I did not take part in virtual reality or technical writing. I also have not personally set up video conferences or distance learning sessions, although I have taken part in many of them.
I was not able to confidently answer many of the questions on the SETDA/Metiri Teacher Survey. Sometimes I did not have the information, such as in the beginning sections devoted to collecting data. This survey helped me the most because it forced me to think about the amount of technology I’m using in the classroom this year. Unfortunately, I have not been implementing it enough. Using technology was easier for me last year because of the class that I taught (4th grade GT). Taking this survey opened my eyes to the fact that I need to implement more technology despite the difficulties.
I rated myself either a level 2 or a 3 for all categories on the Rubric for Administrative Technology Use survey. I found that I had strengths in areas that dealt with communication and productivity. My relative weaknesses were in research, and student and teacher competencies. Again, I was often missing information about my school to fully answer some of the questions.