exas has created the STaR (School Technology and Readiness) Chart which is a self-assessment of campus and districts use of technology. This assessment is aligned with the Long-Range Plan for Technology and is used by campuses and districts for planning, budgeting, and evaluating technology progress. The STaR Chart asks questions in four domains. They are Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support, and Infrastructure for Technology. This chart provides summaries in all 4 domains and provides a percentage amount and level of progress for each of the domains. Levels of progress are divided into Early Tech, Developing Tech, Advanced Tech, and Target Tech. The last Tech being the one that needs to be met in order to meet the needs of the Long-Range Plan for Technology and No Child Left Behind.In my opinion the domain that needs the most work if we are to reach our goal is Educator Preparation and Development. This domain covers six areas with questions having to do with content and models of professional development, access to online learning and professional development, educator capabilities, and levels of understanding. There must be some extreme changes and re-teaching to all educators if we are to teach in this era and to meet the target tech level.
My campus scored 11% under this domain in the 2008-2009 STaR Chart summary and did not score any better in the previous 2 years. One area that was surveyed as and early stage for all three years was Access to Professional Development. Models of Professional Development showed up in the advanced stage in the year 2007-2009, but went back down to Developing in 2008-2009. The reason I think this happened was because in this year the district was bringing in lots of new Professional Development sessions for teachers. This year the sessions repeated themselves, like they have in previous years and teachers feel that they are hearing the same information over and over again and that it is a waste of their time. I feel that this survey does not reflect the level of Educator Preparation and Development at our school level, but at the district level. Most teachers think about the opportunities provided to them by the district when we thing about Preparation and Development.
The State Level scored 5.4% under Early Tech, 74.2% under Developing Tech, 19.9% under Advanced Tech, and a small .6% under Target Tech. Most people taking the STaR Chart assessment felt that technology is mainly used for Administrative tasks, online resources, and classroom management. Administrators expect their teachers to be able to use technology and allocated anywhere between 6-24% of their budget towards purchasing tools and resources to accomplish this task.
My recommendations for improving this area starts at the district level. The district needs to provide staff development on technology that is not only interesting and interactive, but useful. These staff developments need to cover how to use different technology tools and resources in the classroom. These staff development sessions need to show teachers how to effectively integrate technology into their everyday lessons in order to produce students that can function in the 21st century. After this happens, there must be follow-up sessions that continue to support teachers in their new role.
Districts are not the only ones responsible for Educator
Preparation and Development, campuses also have a role to play. Administrators must support their teachers and ensure that they have the necessary tools needed in order to integrate technology into their lessons. They must also provid
e on site training sessions with continuous follow-ups in order to support their teachers. Campuses also need to ensure that they allocate enough of their budget towards purchasing tools and resources needed to reach the Long-Range Plan for Technology and if we are to be on target.
Work Cited:
Texas STaR Chart. Retrieved November 2009 from the Texas Education Agency Site: http://starchart.esc12.net/
e on site training sessions with continuous follow-ups in order to support their teachers. Campuses also need to ensure that they allocate enough of their budget towards purchasing tools and resources needed to reach the Long-Range Plan for Technology and if we are to be on target.Work Cited:
Texas STaR Chart. Retrieved November 2009 from the Texas Education Agency Site: http://starchart.esc12.net/
1 comment:
I think the key is to not just teach the program and the technology in the professional development, but to teach how that product and technology can impact our students. That is the most crucial part of the professional development and if that is missing, the professional development is wasted.
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