Reflection: Instructional Leadership-The Technology Link

INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP REFLECTION
At the beginning of this course, I envisioned learning about methods of leadership in curriculum and instruction which would bring in some technology components. I envisioned learning motivational techniques and strategies for improving instruction. The outcomes which I envisioned were somewhat different from the actual course outcomes. This course provided more in-depth information than I expected about various technology applications which can be used to enhance content area instruction and teacher development. Earlier in this course, I would have said that I was not achieving the outcomes which I had envisioned. However, after completing this course and learning more about instructional leadership with a technology focus, I understand that by increasing the use of technology and fully integrating technology into our classrooms and schools, I will be able to more effectively serve as an instructional leader. By using technology tools to communicate with staff, provide professional development, and as a tool for teacher collaboration, I will be modeling effective use of technology. This will raise my credibility as a leader when I guide teachers and staff members in integrating technology into everyday instruction and student learning. So, now after completing the course and improving my knowledge of technology based instructional leadership, I do believe that I have achieved the learning outcomes which I envisioned at the beginning of this course.
I believe that my learning from this course is very relevant to my current position as an instructional leader, and this new learning will continue to be relevant throughout my career. I have always felt confident using technology. At my campus, we do not have a technology teacher or aide. There are a few of us on campus that are willing and able to help out with random technology needs. I am comfortable using word processors, spreadsheets, publishers, presentation software, and using the internet to locate information and resources. I am also able to help out with random technology issues. However, throughout this course, I have learned that although I may be one of the few at my campus capable of using various applications, somewhere along the way, I stopped growing in the area of technology. I had never used a blog before this course. In the past, as a classroom teacher, I always pushed technology to the back burner so that I could focus on Reading and Math. Now, as an instructional leader, I understand the importance of bringing technology to the forefront and fully integrating it into content area instruction and providing the opportunity for students to use it on a daily basis so that they stay abreast of changes in technology and continue to increase their knowledge and skills in technology applications. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and intend to apply this newly gained knowledge to my current position as an instructional leader. I have discussed with the Reading Coach, Technology Director, Assistant Principal, and Principal the need for a technology teacher or aide on our campus that can help the teachers to integrate technology into their curriculum and instruction. I have also discussed the need for technology oriented staff development for our staff. Our teachers, staff, and campus leaders need to come together to learn more about the Technology Applications TEKS and what we can do to prepare our students for their future in the 21st century. In order to stay current in technology and be able to effectively lead my campus, it is important that I continue to learn about the many technology applications and tools which are available to us to help our students to be successful. This course has taught me that I need to start using various technology tools, such as blogs, into my work as an instructional leader. I plan to meet with the technology director and discuss how I can setup a blog for teacher use and allow them to be able to access it at school, on the district network. My learning outcomes from this course are great. I have been encouraged to guide our teachers in the use of more technology in the professional growth, curriculum, and instruction. These outcomes will continue to be relevant throughout the years because the expectations for our students will continue to evolve, and as an instructional leader, I will need to continue to grow and learn so that I can better guide and assist staff in meeting the needs of our students.
This has been a very enlightening course. I honestly do not believe that there are any learning outcomes which I have failed to achieve. I do believe that this is an area in which I will never be able to say that I have mastered the content. Technology is an ever-changing field, and as with all aspects of education and leadership, I must be a life-long learner.
The assignments for this course were very time consuming, but they were beneficial in helping me to achieve the outcomes of this course. I have a more thorough understanding of how our schools and classrooms should be integrating technology. I also learned a great deal about the importance of teaching students to be safe on the internet and the responsibility of schools to teach students to navigate the internet safely, use technology tools without endangering themselves, and to provide a secure network and environment for students to apply technology skills. There were times throughout this course when I was discouraged as I worked on assignments. A couple of weeks seemed to be very heavy with assignments. However, I try to keep this in perspective. As a campus leader, there will be times when the workload is heavy. I am learning to view the more difficult or time-consuming tasks as preparation for the duties of serving as a campus leader.
I learned a great deal throughout the five weeks I have been involved in this course. I have learned that though I am adept with technology, I need to begin using blogs and other technology resources to be a positive model of technology use on our campus. I look forward to trying out blogs with the teachers on my campus. I believe that blogs would be a great tool to help us share ideas and plan for instruction. My attitude has definitely changed regarding technology implementation. I believe that part of that is due to being out of the classroom and seeing things from a different perspective. On the other hand, I have learned a great deal about the type of instruction we should be providing our students, the 21st century learners. The perspective I have as an instructional leader and my new learning from this course have made me have a very positive attitude about improving the technology use on my campus.
As I stated earlier, I believe blogs could be a great resource for schools to begin using as a tool for teachers to collaborate with one another and “meet” online. Blogs also have the potential for improving student learning in all content areas by giving students the opportunity to share their learning and ideas in a neutral setting. Students could use blogs to discuss learning from any content area or to collaborate with one another on a project or assignment. As we have been experiencing throughout this graduate program, the use of technology, collaboration, and the ability to work in various settings are important skills in the 21st century. We need to provide these type of learning opportunities for our students to prepare them for whatever job or educational path they pursue.
Although there are many positive aspects of using blogs with our students to improve their learning, there are also many concerns about allowing and encouraging students to use blogs. Anytime a student uses the internet, they are at risk of being the target of a cyber-bully or predator. It can be very scary to think about the many dangers lurking in all the dark corners and alleys of the internet. If we do not teach our students to be cautious and to protect themselves as they use the internet, it would not be a good choice to provide the opportunity for our students to use blogs, or even access the internet. However, I do believe that it important for us to provide the opportunity for our students to access the internet and use the various resources which are available, such as blogs and wikis. We must first make it a priority to teach our students how to protect themselves. This may seem like a very daunting task, but it is doable. During this course, I read about the importance of teaching students to be wary and methods of protecting themselves online. Many people believe that this is something that should start in middle school and the upper grades. However, I was very pleased a couple of weeks ago when my 6 year old son started a conversation with me about being safe on email and the internet. He had watched a video in class the day before about how not everyone on the internet is who they really say they are. I was impressed that is teacher had taken the initiative to start teaching our young children to be cautious and protect themselves. We do need to provide opportunities for our students to use blogs and other internet resources, but it is crucial that we start teaching them early on to protect themselves as they do so.
Just as blogging can be beneficial for students and staff to collaborate and share learning, blogs could also be beneficial in improving school-community relations. Each teacher could have a blog set-up for his/her classroom and post updates about projects, events, and weekly highlights. This would be much easier for a teacher to do than creating a paper newsletter to send home with students on a weekly basis. As a parent, I would also enjoy one less paper coming home. Other school stakeholders would be better able to know what is going on within each campus and classroom if teachers and administrators used blogs to share news and communicate.
There are many opportunities for us to improve student learning through the use of technology. We must constantly monitor the integration of technology into curriculum and instruction. As an instructional leader, it is necessary to share the importance of integrating technology and providing opportunities for students to apply technology skills. It is also crucial that staff development be provided to meet the needs of staff in integrating technology. Data must be used to drive the planning of staff development opportunities, and instructional leaders must follow through after staff development and encourage and monitor the implementation of new skills and instructional methods. As the expectations for the 21st century learner change, today’s educators must take every step to provide prime instruction and improve student learning.

Technology Action Plan

Please review my Technology Action Plan.

Technology Action Plan

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