When I began the Instructional Leadership course, I wanted to gain a better understanding of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology and social, legal, and ethical issues that are related to technology and teaching and learning. I also wanted to understand how to use data to assess the current technology status of my campus. I feel like I achieved those outcomes and so much more. I thought I had a fairly extensive knowledge of many of these issues since I am a Career & Technology teacher, but I learned that there was a lot I didn’t know.

By working to achieve the outcomes I initially set for myself, I believe I have a better understanding of how technology should be functioning within a school and/or district, and I feel confident that I can apply what I have learned not only as a teacher but also as I move into an administrative role. One of the key items of which I initially had little concern was the Star Chart. On my campus, everyone completes the STaR Chart, but we never receive the results; thus, we have no idea how the information is used or how our campus compares to others within the district, city, or state. I believe this information is very relative to my position as a teacher and as an administrative intern. As I’ve stated previously, many of our current administrators are older and have little knowledge of technology. The understanding I have gained regarding the STaR Chart, as well as a variety of other technology issues, will allow me to educate teachers and administrators on the effective uses of technology in teaching and learning.

I feel like I achieved the outcomes I set for myself, although I would have liked to have explored some of the concepts more in-depth. Unfortunately, the number of weekly hours required to complete the coursework for this class kept me from achieving that goal. I was successful in carrying out my course assignments, but there are a couple of issues of which I had great concern. Often, the course rubics differed from the overviews and assignment instructions. I also felt that many of the assignment instructions were quite vague and was concerned that I was not completing the assignments correctly. I am fortunate to have other Lamar students on my campus, and through collaboration, we were usually able to figure out what was being asked of us, or we would email the academic coach for further clarification. With that being said, I think it would be in the best interest of future students if all of the materials were in-sync and the instructions were more explicit.

I learned that I did not know as much as I thought I knew about technology issues, especially those related to copyright. I also learned that my campus has significant deficits in terms of technology integration and infrastructure. I feel that I have strong leadership skills, and the new knowledge I gained through this course will allow me to further develop those skills because so many of our teachers and administrators have a lack of understanding regarding technology and its benefit to our students. I believe my attitude about my school actually worsened, in that I realize how far we are behind other comparable schools in the city, state, and nation.

I believe that blogs can be very beneficial in education, and if used correctly, can benefit all stakeholders. Our 21st century learners use technology everyday. It comes naturally because they have been raised with it. By allowing students to blog for educational purposes, we promote writing and instant communication. Because blogging provides online, real-time access to ideas, students have the opportunity to communicate with people throughout the school, district, city, state, nation, and even the world. It’s hard enough to get our students to write on a regular basis; however, by allowing them to blog, they are essentially journaling, but have the ability to share ideas with others and receive feedback instantly.

The main concerns I have regarding blogs in education are safety and security. If we are to use blogging effectively, we have to publish guidelines and require blogging for specific activities, rather than letting the kids have a free-for-all. As educators, we also have to teach our students about technology ethics and how to apply those ethics when blogging, in addition to limiting the amount of personal information students make available within their blogs. Within our district, we also have some technology limitations that could prevent blogging from being useful or even timely. Our biggest obstacle to blogging, perhaps, is the mentality of many school and district administrators. Often, blogging is seen as social network; therefore, we have to prove to these people that blogging can be an effective tool for students, as well as teachers, administrators, parens, and community members.

It’s important for those that make the decisions to understand how blogging can benefit all school stakeholders. Many school and district administrators use blogs as a way to communicate important information about current happenings and upcoming events at school and district facilities. By providing a link from district or school websites to pertinent blogs, we will allow our technology savvy students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members to have better access to school information. By providing all stakeholders with a view into campus life, schools and districts will promote relationships and develop a stronger sense of community.