Wow.
Much of the information covered in the Long Range Plan is "Big Ideas", things like statewide 24-7 access to high speed internet so that our students, parents, and educators can get to resources and information in real time. However, as a building administrator, I have a lot to think about as well. I need to consider where we are as a district as well as a school in terms of our technology and where our plan says we need to be. The first thing that comes to mind is an inventory of computers, their age (or average age of all on campus), the number in the classrooms, how often do kids have access. Does the District have a replacement schedule, or is it a "whenever it dies" approach? The next is, what happens in the event of , say, a hurricane? Do we have a plan to replace them in the event the unexpected actually happens? I need to model good technology usage. I actually enjoy bringing technology into meetings, so this should be fun. Finally, I need to find a way to give my teachers time to learn, to collaborate, to develop best practices, and to embed technology into their teaching. I need to identify local "experts" and allow them time to mentor when possible. This is probably the most daunting task, but also the most potentially fruitful.
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Kaye,
ReplyDeleteThe two comments that struck me from your post concerned bringing technology into meetings and finding local "experts" on campus who are available to be mentors. I agree that bringing technologies to meetings shows that you as the administrator are being proactive in utilizing various technologies in different situations. I think it also ups the ante for teachers that they must also begin to utilize available technologies whenever and wherever possible. Your comment about local "experts" helps to create an environment where individual talents are being cultivated for the betterment of all stakeholders on campus. Using local "experts" as mentors should also increase the opportunities for collaboration amongst teachers because they are working to improve their skills regarding technologies with co-workers who have very similar classroom experiences and challenges rather than the distant relationships many teachers on campus have with district or other off-campus representatives. I also like the fact that you realize the challenges but see the opportunities associated with the Long Range Plan.
Kelvin
Kaye,
ReplyDeleteI like your thinking. As an administrator, it is our responsibility to help integrate technology. If there isn't enough computers or else they are outdated, then it is hindering the entire district from reaching its technology goals. I agree with you regarding technology usage at meetings. When teachers realize that administrators have to use technology too, they will view it less as a threat and more of a partnership. The main problem I continue seeing throughout everyone's posting is time. There isn't enough of it. As an administrator, we are going to have to make certain that our teachers have time to collaborate and learn together.