Texas Campus S Ta R Chart

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Texas Campus S Ta R Chart

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Teaching and Learning

I agree with the need for students to be required to be proficient in technology. I also agree that it should start before students are even in elementary school. Just as we learned skills as young kids that were pertinent to the times, technology is pertinent to these times. In order for our kids and students to be able to learn the signs of the times, we as teachers need to be the learners ahead of the students. It is okay to learn on the fly in most of the areas, but we need to have a firm foundation before attempting to be the expert. Teachers are not only facilitators, but they are learners as well. Just as teachers learned how to collaborate with other teachers in order to provide the best lessons for their kids, the students need the opportunity to collaborate with each other to learn the new technology that they are faced with. Students, now more than ever, must be able to communicate effectively. Computers and modern technological tools are available to assist in this area. At my school, we are offering more and more computer classes to expand each student’s opportunities for their future. I am seeing more and more computer labs and professional jobs positions available within our district. I know that with more technology, we need more people who are experts in every field to support our students and faculty with the learning and teaching of modern day advancements. I would like to see every high school student issued a laptop computer that is their responsibility and tool to use on a daily basis to get their education. This will truly prepare them for what they will be faced with upon graduation when they are searching for their career.

Learning of Long Range Plan

I have learned that there is a great push for our students to become technically advanced by the time they graduate. I have also learned that in order for this to occur, there must be an active and collective pursuit by the educators to facilitate the goals. The districts are also going to have to provide the proper tools for both students and teachers. On top of the tools, the schools will need a great deal of time and effort to train the trainers or teachers. Right now, most students are ahead of the majority of the teachers when it comes to computer applications. Teachers are going to have to transform their way of teaching and even their way of planning so that everything they do can have a connection to the world of technology. I have already had a great deal of success implementing just a few technology tools in my classroom. I can now give more meaningful assignments that can be done on a computer. The students are able to show creativity and really enjoy the freedom to decide how they are going to succeed on the individual assignments. I know that the long range plan for technology in schools is not going to be an easy transition, but I do believe it is necessary for the growth of our kids and our nation. Now days, everything we do is computer related and there are more and more new advances made every day. We cannot afford to just sit back as educators and continue to teach the same way we were taught. The world is moving forward and we need to give our kids the opportunity to keep up with the rest of the world.

Pre-K TEKS and Scaffold

The Pre-K Technology Applications TEKS is summarized by starting, knowing and using basic hardware tools and enjoying the experience. The student should be taught the basic terminology of the hardware devices. The teacher should use a variety of software packages to enhance the learning experiences. All of these TEKS will give students a working knowledge of the key components needed in the daily functions of computer technology. The scaffolding curriculum is described in several of the strands. Knowing how to turn on a computer and work with the software as a foundation is the base of scaffold. After you know how to use the computer, you need to be able to acquire the necessary information. Now that you have the information, you need to use that information to solve the problem that you have been researching. The end result must then be presented or communicated. This is how the scaffolding works. Each step is necessary to move forward.

Technology Today

According to the two assessments, I am only somewhat computer literate. I feel very comfortable using a computer for basic things like writing a paper and email. On the other hand, I don’t know very much about spread sheets or power point presentations. I have a little bit of experience with both of these applications, but would not feel comfortable having to do a formal presentation using either. I definitely don’t know how a computer works or the programs that are needed to make a computer do what I want it to do. I can also navigate the internet and find what I am looking for using any of the search engines. I actually use the computer an awful lot every day. We are required to use a grade book and attendance system on our campus computers. I use a multi-media projector to put my warm-up activities on the screen for my students to copy. We are also required to use the school’s email system on a daily basis. I am learning more and more about technology through this course at Lamar and from my co-workers. We get training on a variety of programs and applications periodically throughout the year. These two assessments have showed me how much more there is to the technology field. I agree that I don’t know very much about technology and should probably do more to understand the tools and applications that I am using every day. I know that computers are the wave of the future and most middle school students can do more on computers than I can.