SESSION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

SESSION 8

Data Driven Decision Making (DDDM)

Response to Discussion Question:

Think of a way that Data Driven Decision Making could be used in your world or your job setting. What would be a positive use of DDDM: and what would be a negative use of DDM? How does leadership factor into both negative and positive us of DDM?

A way that DDDM could be used in my job setting would be to collect data on recidivism. The data would need to be an aggregate collection of gender, length of incarceration, age, ethnicity, type of rehabilitation program, technological development used in their educational/vocational programs, length of stay in society, whether they were employed during stay in society, and a survey with five questions: do they believed the education and vocational programs helped them; do they prefer an educational (academic) or vocational program; name three things that would help you not return to prison.

A positive use of this data would be to change and develop educational and vocational programs that have been identified by DDDM tool as needing to change. For instance some students may say that they needed direct instruction as opposed to independent study the institution could train educated and skilled inmates to provide that one-on-one instruction the learner needs, in conjunction with the teachers learning strategies/methods. The data collected would identify who needs additional help (men or women) in the educational/vocational programs and provide the service accordingly.

The negative use of this data would be that the leaders assert, that the services inmates are requesting are already provided; and, that the ineffective learning strategies/methods practiced by the teacher, is the catalyst for the failure of the learner.

Leadership does factor into both negative and positive use of DDDM. In the statement above, the use of DDDM by the leader is used in a negatively. Teachers may want leaders to employ DDDM tools to improve their instructional practices; however many will not support this tool. The lack of support for DDDM use is that many leaders will use the data to critique teachers and if they are not meeting the standards developed by a DDDM collection tool, negative or adverse data is use against the teacher. The positive use of DDDM by leaders would be to use data collected and provide the teacher with the information and allow him/her to determine by which means they will change to improve whatever needs improvement. An excellent leader would assist and make themselves and/or other services available to the teacher and allow ample time for the change to occur.

ACTIVITY LOG
Listened to podcast on Data Driven Decision Making
Responded to the response discussion question
Read and responded to Rosa, Jon R and Cassandra’s blogs
Email the professor because I am having a difficult time uploading my PowerPoint (if
someone out there could tell me step-by-step what to do I would appreciate it.
Completed my PowerPoint for Focus 1 Using Technology
Complete an artifact for Focus 2 and 3 Communicating and Supporting Technology
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SESSION SEVEN

Introduction

I am working in the Ed Norman Syndrome Headquarters, the California Department of Corrections and REHABILITATION. The rehabilitation is to aid inmates with developing skills academic and vocational to prepare them for a productive life outside of the institution. It is difficult to prepare these learners for the outside global workforce, without access to the Internet.

The Issue

The issue of security/access to real life detrimental websites and emails, ordering houses, and etc. in the Ed Norman Syndrome is valid, in the prison institution. When the web was first introduced back in the late seventies inmates had access. These inmates ordered items from guns to sex toys. They sent emails and posted comments to websites from the parents of a person they had murdered to the president of the United States. So with their advanced knowledge of the computers (at that time they knew more than the above average employee) an order came down that all Internet access computers were barred to inmate use. That was the end of real real life academic/vocational learning in the prisons.

As An Educational Leader Resolving the Situation

As an educational leader, I would develop a software that could lock that PC so that the person on it would be barred from using computers after their third time going to restricted sites. I would develop to a software that recognized the users fingerprint and facial structure. This software would validate the user periodically during use checking to see if the original log in person was the same one using the PC. This software too, would be equipped with a video, so that as soon as they went to a restricted site their picture would be taken, then it would lock, informing the inmate what has happened.

I hope that I can develop such software and all of you in CyberBlogSpace do not steal my idea without sharing the profits.

ACTIVITY LOG
Listened to podcast
Wrote the above paper in response to Dr. Newberry’s, question
Responded to the BLOG of James, Linda and Steven
Created and posted my Using Technology Power Point
Worked on a my artifacts for Supporting Technology and Communicating Tech
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SESSION 6

RESONSE QUESTION:
1. What common barriers to technology integration do you hear about or do you
perceive in your practice of education or in your local area where you are
teaching?

As in the 1999 study all three barriers are actual in the educational institution in which I work. However, the real main barrier is as the professor et al are addressing-that is leadership. Our leaders must develop an understanding of technology and its great potential for aiding students in their learning. When leaders address this issue within themselves, then and only then will true educational technology development in my school and others come to fruition. Many leaders are not individuals that do not care about the technological development of their teachers, effecting technological development in students; leaders do not have a clue as to how any of it works.

2. Which of these are actual barriers that exist for whatever reason and which
of these are proxies or stand ins for something else?

Leadership is truly an actual barrier and the reason again is because those leaders do not have information. There time too, is a barrier for they are always in meetings, going to meetings or being of service to the stakeholders. The meetings they attend often discuss development of technological programs and more applications or usage in the classrooms however; never has any of my administrators come to our staff development meetings and showed us what technology they learned and how to apply it in the classroom. There presentations are always, that we must start using technology in our classrooms and here is “a” software that we will be using—date of implementation pending.

3. For those issues that are actual barriers, what would you do to try to solve
the barriers, or to get over the barrier so that technology will/could be
used more effectively at your location?

The leadership actual barrier is what I am working on now. The project that I am developing is to be actually presented at one of our staff development meetings in the summer (we work all year—not year round). I want to ask my administrators if I could show them how to create a professional development workshop using Power Point. If given permission I will provide the lesson, with materials, printouts, and guides that the administrators and teachers will be able to take with them after the presentation. I will have the administrators create lessons for learning using all applications in Power Point until they feel comfortable instructing a class on the creation of a Power Point presentation. Time is a proxy. Once I am able to engage my administrators in enjoying their learning experience, I know that they will comprehend the importance of personally training their teachers, so that they too, experience this transformation.

My experience is that teachers are more apt to respond to change when the administrator personally guides them towards achieving the change. Teachers are not always responsive to other teachers training them on how to use something new. This is especially apparent when new teachers (innovators/risk takers) try to train some of the late majority and laggard. Teachers are students too, and just like the students, when their leader knows how to do something new or different, you look at them is awe. Of course some will reject this outlook for they may think that I am implying that we look up to administrators as superiors, I am not. I am in awe when the principal shows up at a meeting with something relevant to say. If he did something or actually showed us something I would be “floored”; yet, happy they he is really trying to encourage us to change by changing himself.

PROJECT ACTIVITY
Focus 1 – Started working on Power Point lesson plan
Focus 2 – Supporting Tech – First draft of memo to administrator asking to include Power Point demonstration at the summer teacher professional development workshop
Focus 3 Using Tech – Choosing the type of pictures to use with information present on Power Point

ACTIVITY LOG
I received an email from the professor with corrections and suggestions for my
projects. I took the suggestions and corrections, posting them to my BLOG!
I decided that for me there is no need to post or write a daily activity log-weekly
logs work better. Also, as discussed in th PODCAST time is limited and crucial.
I listened to podcast on Barriers to Technology
Responded to response question
Responded to Session 6 of Jennie, Edgar & Rosa

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Session 5 Response Question

Identify technology integration Best Practice that I have used in my classroom. How did you learn about this Best Practice? Describe what it is; how to accomplish it; did you learn it on your own or by someone else? Why isn’t everyone doing the Best Practice?


Power Point is the technology Best Practice integration that I have used in my classroom. I use it for students to create book reports. Students are always required to insert pictures and time lines; use charts and sometimes tables to complete their reports. They also have to have a different template for each page. Applying this skills teach students how to manipulate the software and have fun while doing it. I learned how to use Power Point in a course that I took at CSUSB five years ago.

I use the overhead projector to show maps, pictures, and write answers on the transparencies. I use CD’s to watch videos and listen to presentation like “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the Friday before his birthday holiday.

Why everyone is not doing these Best Practice is because many do not want to or find no significant need for utilizing technology in their classrooms.

Activity Log
Listen to Podcast
Responded to response questions
Read and posted to the Blogs of: Deborah, Brian Lafferty,
& Cassandra Flores
Started an outline of the lesson plan for project
Wrote draft of flyer
Researched information for the science lesson plan
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SESSION 4
Diffusion of Innovation

Workers in different capacities be it laborer or CEO, I believe will find themselves at different levels of Rogers’ five categories of willingness to adapt to technology begins with their need for the technology. For example a laborer may find innovative ways to use an iPod and Mp3. They know all of the websites to download music, videos and information of interest to them to have a productive day. This same group may not have any knowledge on developing a blog or the use of it. The CEO on the hand would find the development of a blog as a use avenue to provide information to others.

I would like to believe that I am an innovator, but in reality I am an early adopter. I am one who will see something a get right in to try to become efficient with/at whatever it is. For instance, developing the blog. I believe I was one of the first to publish my blog. I had never heard of it before. Even though I have a website, I never ventured out to discover if there were another form of site in which to present information that I would be comfortable in telling other professionals to view. By that I mean, my children have introduced me to MySpace, but I would never (or at least not yet) create a page on that site. Does that make me a lager? I think not.

I have not read as intensely as maybe I should have on Rogers’ discussion of an innovator. Innovators to me are those who discover and create new ideas, not just extend/expound on what is already there. I would defind the people that use what already is as MOTIVATIONAL DEVELOPERS. That is they take what is and make it interesting and fun. For instance, if you look at Jon’s BLOG, using Rogers’ definition of innovators, he fits (to me) that category. On the other hand what new idea has he created? His BLOG certainly motivated me to perfect and make my blog more interesting. And isn’t that what technological learning should be. Presenting technology in an interesting and exciting demonstration as to engage the viewer/learner transforming them into willing participants for change.

I am not artistically inclined, I need visuals and direct instruction in some areas. Developing a blog that increases interest without a pretty face attached is my desire. Showing others how to develop a blog is my ultimate goal in my projects. By presenting the information to colleagues and working with them to develop a blog for use in the classroom (future) and within the institution does that qualify me to classify myself as an innovator or should I happily maintain status as an Early adopter?

PROJECT ACTIVITY
Focus 1 – Communicated with administrator on developing a plan of action for the Blog presentation
Focus 2 – Supporting Tech – Drafted a memo to my administrator asking for teacher Internet access
Focus 3 Using Tech – All my correspondence to others is some form of tech power point,
Publisher (small monthly calendar), or a picture. Writing a calendar to log dates of activities.

ACTIVITY LOG
Listen to podcast Diffusion of Innovation
Responded to response question
Responded to Edgar & Brian Session 4: Robert Session 3
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SESSION 3
WEEK 22-26, 2007
PROJECT PROPOSAL
My plan is to present a workshop to other teachers on creating a BLOG. I believe this will diminish the fear that many of our teachers are having with using technology in their classrooms.

ACTIVITY REPORT
· I have discussed the project with my administrator and received support and approval
· Have started to develop a plan for the project: date, time, materials, room, funding, facilitators (in addition to myself), equipment.
· Developing this BLOG so that teachers will be able to have a artifact

ACTIVITY LOG
I responded to Jon, Anita and Michelle.
I am recording a weekly log rather daily. I have posted to some BLOGS. I find it difficult to get to all are even three some weeks while writing my papers for this course another course, working, driving, and family.

I am also having a problem logging into Blackboard. Professor I need your help with logging in.

DISCUSSION QUESTION/STATEMENT
I am working in an institution (literally); that means the most important type of technology is not accessible to all. No teacher has access to the Internet in their classroom. Having Internet access would definitely be an incentive for students.

When the discussion is a type of pyramid the I would have to say that technology use and may be extensive with the use of software as opposed to Internet familiarity for my prison students. Students in my class use the PLATO Learning Lab program for educational purposes. When students first enroll in the course they are happy to receive computer time and complete all assignments to use the computers. But as adults that have had some exposure to the Internet they lose interest in educational programs within weeks of working in this program. Therefore, I have had to introduce them to power point and excel. Working in these applications students find a rewarding outlet to learning. The students are able to create stories on the power point from books that they are assigned to read each month. Instead of writing a simple book report the have to produce it using power point.

The higher level of using technology is the presentation of mathematical problems in excel. They are allowed to calculate their remaining sentence of time served at a local jail while waiting trail or sentencing. Additional time that is cut off their sentence for working or attending school in prison. I have to be creative in using technological applications since access to the Internet is at this point impossible.

The height of the pyramid to me in the applications of technology is to be able to create and utilize any means of technology to get students/people motivated to participate and find multiple uses.