I found this assignment provided a great opportunity for me to take a look at the big picture of technology at Pony Elementary School. There are many aspects of technology that I tend to forget about because they do not directly impact my every day work. This semester, while learning so many new things about the field of educational technology, it was very easy to find the areas in which the school is struggling. Through my evaluation, I was able to remind myself that there are also a lot of things going right.
I was not surprised by the results of my evaluation of PES. Curriculum integration stands out as the biggest issue by far, and I am continually reminded of this in conversations with staff members. I also would have predicted ahead of time that connectivity is one of the greatest strengths of the school. I hear other people discuss issues with networks going down, or slow connection speeds, and it is a relief to know that we have a dependable network that works well the majority of the time. In a non-technology related comment though, I was surprised by some of the demographic information for PES. I knew there is a high ratio of Caucasian/Native American students, but I didn't realize it is as high as reported. I also found it interesting that the percentage of students in special education and the gifted and talented program were equal at 5%.
I enjoyed completing the Maturity Model Benchmarks Survey Sheet and compiling the data into the summary for Pony Elementary School. There is always room for improvement, but in this particular school, there are many technology components that are going well.
Here is a link to my Maturity Model Benchmark Survey Sheet.
Here is a link to my School Evaluation Summary.
Kim,
ReplyDeleteI am finding that in almost every school I read about, there is always staff that is resistant to change when it comes to technology. It's a shame that teachers who are uncomfortable with technology are really stunting the students by not using it in their classrooms. It is great that your connectivity filter is high however so that teachers who do embrace technology are able to get it when they want it. I love the point you made about teachers being tuaght how to use technology, but not being taught how to integrate it. What an important step!
Er
Technology can be a frightening thing for those who lack experience so it is really unfortunate that there is a such a huge lack of support at your school, at the moment anyway. Change does take time. It is a shame though when educators refuse to embrace technology because it takes a huge opportunity away from the students. I don't think it's ok to project our fears onto our students. It sounds like you have a huge opportunity to really make a difference in your school by Mastering in Educational Technology. They are lucky to have you!
ReplyDelete