Course+Embedded+Reflections

=**EDLD 5333 Leadership for Accountability Reflection**= ==== The important information that I found out from the SBDM member and the my principal was that the SBDM team does not meet very often. In fact, they have not met in months. This actually startled, and surprised me seeing how we are a performing and visual arts magnet with a lot of community involvement. ====

==== What I also found out is that there are a couple of groups, like our PTSA, that are heavily involved with the decision making with regards to the arts part of our school. They actually focus very little on the academic side of things. Most of the meetings are to make sure that everything is in order for the arts. It’s no wonder our students feel the way they do. Most of them will tell you that they are there for their performing or visual art gift. ====

====Now our current principal is in her second year at our school and she has brought anew mindset with her. She is also very focused on academics. She is focused on being an exemplary school in both the arts and academics. Because of this, she is in a constant battle. There does not appear to be a school wide vision on academics, and I find this very surprising, as well as disappointing. ====

==== When it comes to the continuous campus improvement cycle, the first thing that I have learned is that if you are going to have a successful SBDM team, then they must meet regularly. A campus improvement plan must be revisited regularly and revised as needed. You can not know if what you are doing is successful, if you are not revisiting it and evaluating what you are doing. ====

==== My next step will be to try and get on our campus SBDM team. Once on there, I will try to get us to meet at regular intervals so that we can evaluate the progress of our plan. Once we begin meeting, I will introduce my action plan for improving TAKS scores to the committee and get their input. At that time, I will also ask for any suggestions they may have that can improve upon that plan. It is easier to get individuals to follow through with the plan if they feel that they have some ownership in it. ====

====The next step, after the committee has come to an agreement on the plan, is to start putting the plan in motion. That can easily be done by setting aside staff development time. We will also need to come to an agreement on what we as a campus expect out of our students academically and not just in their clusters. Just like any thing else that is stationary, the hardest job is to get it moving. Once it’s moving, it doesn’t take as much effort to keep it going. ====

=**EDLD 5368 Instruction Design Reflection**=

** What benefits do you see in educators knowing how to design and implement online learning? **
====This would be of a great benefit. So many things are now done online. it is basically the second home of most students. This is their major form of communication, so they are comfortable with it. Online learning would definitely be a tremendous benefit to those who choose to home school. The problem with home schooling is that when you get to the more difficult areas like advanced mathematics and science, very few parents are able to effectively teach these. With online learning, this problem could be resolved. Now, these areas could be taught by teachers who are certified in those areas. Another benefit is that teachers can design and implement online tutorials. This could give students 24 hour access to tutoring as opposed to the regular before and after school hours. How impressive would it be if a parent asked you when your tutoring hours were and you were able to say that you tutor 24 hours a day?====

** How will you professionally use your course that you designed? **
====I will use the course that I designed as intended. It will be used to show students the importance of science in math in their everyday lives. One of the most common questions that I get is, why do we have to learn this? Students really don't understand how science and math is relevant in their lives. This is ironic to me because some of them work, in which they get paid, and some like to calculate their course grades. They could figure none of this out without math. I try to get them to see that so many things deal with science. This includes the foods they eat, the products they use, and the thought process involved in making many decisions can be related to science. By using the course I designed, maybe some of the students will begin to see the importance of science and math. I am even thinking about including an assignment that involves figuring out certain things, but they cannot use any math. The problem is, this is impossible to do.====

** Will you integrate online learning in your role as a teacher/staff developer? **
====I will definitely integrate online learning. This actually has been a question that has yet to be answered. Many have asked, why don't we have any professional development available online? With everyone's busy schedule, this would be a valuable resource. So many other things, like driver's education, are available online. Why not staff development? I believe that if staff development was offered online, you would get more teachers taking more than the minimum hour requirements. This would only lead to better informed, better trained teachers. If I were educational technology campus facilitator, this would be one of my primary projects. Online learning is also a great way to get staff comfortable with computers. The best way to become comfortable with online learning is to be involved in online learning. As a matter of fact, a certain number of staff hours will be required to be taken online. This will ensure 100% participation from the staff.====

** What questions do you still have about online learning? **
====The main question I have is how effective can online learning really be? It takes a great amount of discipline which many people lack. Also, the time between communication can be a problem. You might be working on an assignment and have a question at that particular time, but, you have to email the instructor and wait for a response. The downside to that is that you have to put on hold what you are currently doing and wait for a response. When most people are use to getting an immediate response to a question because they are accustomed to being in a classroom setting, this can be very frustrating. When given deadlines, the response time for question and answer must be taken into consideration. Another major concern to online learning is with regards to its credibility. Is it valued the same if you take a course online as opposed to taking that course in a classroom setting? Also, what are some of the problems that may arise due to hardware and network connections? In some cases, waiting on help from technical support has been an experience in itself. Sometimes the wait times are outrageous.====

** What will you do with this new learning? **
====I will take this learning and put it to use immediately. I will used what I have learned to make teaching and learning easier and more convenient. I can see so many uses for online learning. I can also see some pitfalls. Online learning should be an option. Some people may think it's the best thing ever, and some may think it is just down right awful. The truth of the matter is that it will not work for all. By using online learning, I will create another tool in which my students may learn. Who knows, this may allow me to reach some of those that I have not been able to reach. It may also enhance the learning of some of those who might be doing okay. I always wondered how students would perform if given an opportunity to work in an environment in which they are comfortable, online using a computer. Technology is here to stay. It is going no where. I plan to use it and what I have learned to increase my ability to teach, as well as my students ability to learn.====

=**EDLD 5301 Research Reflection**= ====When I first saw that this was the next course to be taken I was skeptical. I thought, oh no, not a research course. When most people see the word research, very few positive things come to mind. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. Although I am a science teacher, I really do not like much research. Most is boring, kind of like watching paint dry. This was very different. The material actually caught my interest and I began to enjoy it, even the reading. ====

====One of the main points of interest is that the course taught me how to engage in research in some of the things that I have always wondered about. Although I had questions, I never knew how to get started and pursue some of the answers to my questions. I am so excited about starting my action research because I now understand how it is to be done. ====

====The example of various action researches that was given in the Dana text was very helpful. It is always good to have actual examples to help guide your thinking and to serve as possible blueprints. It was also intriguing to see how new wonderings were created based on the results of the research that was done. This indicates that one research can lead to another. ====

====It was very nice to see the possible topics of action research of some of the other students in the course. Some of the things that they are researching are of great interest to me. I am very interested in what their findings will be. I was interested in researching some of the topics they discussed. Since they are doing it, I will just look at their results, which will save me time from possibly doing the research myself. There were some very good topics that were being discussed. ====

====All in all I really enjoyed this course. I learned a lot about doing action research. I learned what types of questions to ask, how data should be collected, as well as ways of analyzing that data. Through my interactions and people reviewing my action research plan I was enlighten to possible problems with the plan I had drafted. I was giving some great ideas on how to improve my plan so that some of the variables would be removed. I definitely see action research being a regular part of what I do from this point forward. ====

=**EDLD 5363 Multimedia Video Technology Reflection**= ====EDLD 5363 has been a very interesting course. I was a little worried at first because I really did not know what to expect. Then, when I saw that we had to work in groups I really became concerned because I really don't like group work. I have always had issues depending on others when I am directly affected by their actions. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised at the work and efforts of my group members.====

====Some of the knowledge that I gained in the course was with regards to the power of multimedia. Some of these things included wikis, blogs, graphic organizers, book builders and the use of rubrics. These things can be very powerful tools in education when used appropriately. Wikis and blogs open communications with students and teachers from across the globe. When used effectively they can be a form of peer to peer tutoring.====

====I have know for quite some time that some of these things existed, but I did not fully understand the potential to which they could be used and the impact they can have on the education of students. According to Pitler et al (2007), "Wikis and blogs allow groups to share resources, edit Web pages, and easily find and categorize information" (p. 135). I have never thought, before now, of getting students to complete group projects via the use of wikis and blogs. This will now become a permanent future practice in my classroom.====

====By completing the assignments in this course, I now know how to assist my students in completing graphic organizers, and create ebooks. Since I teach at a performing and visual arts magnet, this is a very valuable resource that I can use. I never knew these existed. Now, for those students who have difficulty expressing their understanding of certain content, they can now create a visual representation of what they know and have learned. Before being introduced to these things, I only practiced one way of evaluation, and that was traditional testing. This now provides me with a new way of assessment.==== ====I can see my students being excited about these things. I know I was intrigued and excited about it because I had no prior knowledge that these resources existed. Practicing this new knowledge gave me great joy and interest in completing the assignments.====

====As a learner, when I am completing an assignment, I work with the end in mind. I like to know what am I trying to accomplish, what is the finished product suppose to be? Once I understand this, I work backwards. This is the approach I took when completing the assignments in the course. Many times the collaboration among my colleagues was beneficial. Anytime I did not quite understand what was expected, I could always get clarification from one of my team members.====

====As I stated earlier, I am always uncomfortable with study groups. When working in groups as a youth, I was always the one doing most of the work while everyone else was receiving the same benefit. Some of the members would not complete their part of the work, and I would have to finish it in order to salvage my grade. After working in a couple of groups during the course of this degree program, I have begun to change my mind about group work collaboration. I have been very pleased with the members of my group and their efforts. Richard Davis was a group member that I had worked with in another group project. So, when we had to form another group for this course, I reached out to him. He was already in a group but spoke with them and got me in.====

====During the course of the assignments, the group communicated via email and the Google docs that were created. We exchanged ideas and contributed to the assignment through various pages of our Google docs. It was truly a nice experience because I could see what my other group members were doing. I never had to guess or assume. Using these docs also kept me on tract because I did not want to be the one that held everyone else up from completing the task. In fact, it was so nice of an experience that I plan to incorporate this into my classroom for my students to use when working on group projects. I can also see this being used as a tool for collaboration between departments and staff. Prior to using this tool in this course, I had no idea how beneficial it could be in my classroom.====

====Creating a UDL lesson was one of the assignments we had to complete during this course. I had never heard of a UDL lesson before. I soon learned that this too is a very powerful tool that should be used in the classroom. “UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone—not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs (Cast.org 2009).” With inclusion of special need students occurring in practically every school, UDL lesson planning is a must. You have so different learners, on different levels in the same classroom. Teachers must create a way in which the various learners can be reached. I know I personally plan to make this a normal part of my practice in my classroom.====

====The e-book assignment was actually a fun activity. This was another thing that I had never heard of before. I really became interested in this activity because I could definitely see where I could use this in my chemistry class. Many students have trouble with some of the concepts in chemistry. Having them create an e-book is a fantastic idea. This allows them to personalize the concept and show an understanding of it. I teach at a performing and visual arts magnet, so this fits right in with the type of students that I have.====

====Some of my group members had wonderful e-books. In fact, I was initially confused on what to do. I was able to figure out what was required by looking at the e-books that my group members shared with me. This was another benefit of being in a group.====

====The Team Google Site was a wonderful means of collaboration. It was through this site that we were able to effectively communicate and see what the other members were doing. Because of my experience with this, all group activities involving my students will require them to use a Google site. This use of this site really put me at eases. I am a bit of a micromanager. I like to know what everyone else is doing. With the use of the Team Google Site, that was never a problem. Using this as a means of collaboration allowed me to successfully complete all the assigned tasks.====

====Some of the questions I have regarding future investigations is with so many teachers and school districts lagging behind their students with respect to technology, how effective will they really be in educating the students?====

=EDLD 5344 School Law Reflection= ====The student management issue that I see as being the most relevant is student use of the internet. This is a very big issue because there is great concern as to the accessibility of certain web sites. Filters have been put in place in many schools, but many students know how to get around some of these filters and are able to access sites that are supposed to be locked. ====

====The problem is how do you protect students from visiting certain web sites but at the same time allow access to the many different sites that can be used for educational purposes. This dilemma has caused me to think about what might be the best way to approach this problem. I would create a policies and procedures document that addresses these concerns. This document will explain what to do and what not to do with regard to student use of the internet. The student must be protected but not at the expense of education. ====

====Because of the knowledge that I have gained, I am now aware of the challenges and how to address them. By explaining and putting in writing what is to be expected from student use of the internet, there is no reason for the policy and procedures not to be followed. This will help both teachers and students because there is no more guesswork or confusion about what is expected. ====

====I did not know that there was more than one approach to performing teacher evaluation and remediation. I have only seen them done on way, and it was not very effective. It always seemed rushed and not very thorough. I now see why. I also did not know that many administrators did not see the current evaluation methods as being that effective. ====

====I did learn that evaluations that involve more communication between the evaluator and the teacher were viewed as being the most effective. I will take this information and use it myself. This will be my method of choice for evaluations. My employees will value this because it is a means of open dialogue between them and administration. ====

====I still need to learn more about the evaluation process and how to possibly streamline it and possibly improve it. I plan to accomplish this by continuing to research the topic as well as communicate with other administrators to possibly get ideas from them. I have learned in the past that you can sometimes find the answer you are looking for by talking with others who are in the same situation. ====

====Cyberbulling is a huge topic right now. Bullying has become a big issue right now both nationally and locally. Because of bullying, there have been students who have taken their own life. ====

====Bullying now occurs in forms that we are unfamiliar with. When we think of bullying, we normally think of someone physically bothering someone else. Due to the availability of technology, bullying has now crossed into the cyberworld. It occurs through cell phones, social networks, email, and texting. It has become such a big problem that software companies are creating software that will detect and monitor bullying activity and notify parents when it occurs. ====

====Although it’s a major topic of discussion now, many really don’t know what qualifies as bullying. I would implement a workshop discussing bullying during one of the required staff developments. It’s impossible to stop a problem if you cannot identify the problem. I would also set up a workshop that parents can attend so that they can understand and identify bullying. They may be shocked once they learn what qualifies as bullying to see that their own child might be a bully. ====

=EDLD 5335 Curriculum Management Reflection= The information that I learned in this course will help me provide effective curriculum and instruction because I know to the written, taught and learned curriculum will all align with one another. I will also make sure that the local curriculum is aligned with the state requirements. I was really surprised to find out how many underperforming districts do not have a curriculum that is aligned with the state requirements.

The curriculum management topic that was discussed in this course that is most relevant to me as a school administrator is staff development. When I think about all the staff development that I have personally done, there has not been one time when any type of follow up was performed to see if I had effectively implemented any of the staff training. This is one of the big problems with staff development. There is no follow up.

When it comes to implementing quality curriculum and instruction it is best to get as many involved as effectively possible. The //solution-orientation// method appears to be the most effective method of implementing new things. Most people taken ownership in things that they were involved in creating. Therefore incorporating them in the implementation of curriculum and instruction is a good way to their full support.

All of the things discussed above will help students achieve higher levels. A quality effective curriculum will be created and implemented that aligns with state requirements. A sense of ownership by the committee will be established due to them being actively involved in the formation and adoption of the curriculum.

Collaboration and trust are very important in building trust among faculty and staff. In a study that was conducted it was found that the solution-orientation method was the best and most effective method in getting things implemented. Collaborating with others signifies that their input and opinion is valued. Getting them involved builds trust. As far as relating my knowledge of curriculum management to staff members at my school, I plan to have a committee formed with department heads. I would discuss my learnings with them first in order to get feedback from each academic area. These department heads will then meet with the teachers in their department to relate the discussions of the meeting. Doing it this way gets more people involved.

Some of the ethical issues that I may face when implementing change initiatives related to curriculum and instruction in a campus learning environment would be what to do if the changes that are needed don’t necessarily align with what the district wants each campus to do. For example, at my campus there is now discussion about whether to continue to use the curriculum planning guide provided by the school district, or use laying the foundations materials. Some of the surrounding school districts use the methods in laying the foundations and their students score higher on the state tests. This is one of the dilemmas I am speaking of. Do I use what the district states we should use as a guide, or do I use something that may be of greater benefit to the students?

When making this decision, I would think of what is best for the students. If doing something slightly different will be of greater benefit to the student, then I think it would be the greater good, as long as it is legal.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">The relationship between campus-level leaders, school district leadership, and state leadership in the area of curriculum management is one of great importance. When these three levels are in line with one another, good things result. Many of the unacceptable test scores produced by schools and school districts have been the result of these three levels being out of sync.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">If these three levels of leadership are not in line with one another, this can put even more strain on my day-to-day duties as an administrator. I would have to spend the required time, energy, and effort to make sure that I get my campus in line with my school district leadership. If the school district leadership is not in line with state leadership that creates an entirely different problem. I will then have to decide do I align my campus with the school district, or the state. Hopefully with the auditing systems in place, that will not be a problem.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">The best way to influence decision-making at the district or state levels is to model the behavior. Be what you want others to be. Use your campus as a model for others to how it should be done. Once your campus is successful and others see it, then others will take notice as to what you are doing. Every time a principal in our district successfully changes the culture of a campus or significantly improves student performance, they are always promoted to a position in the administration building in which they either serve on a committee, or oversee other schools. This now allows them to have an impact on other schools in the district.

=EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology Reflection=

====I found the discussions about constructivism to be very interesting. John Abbott states that the constructivism belief is that you never learn anything absolutely from scratch. It is believed that you take in a new idea and see how it relates to the things you already have in your brain and you construct a bigger framework. So, you take in information and add it to what you already have and that expands your framework of knowledge.====

====This seems to make so much sense when I think about the problems of some of my students. I teach chemistry which requires a good math background. Most of the problems that they are having are due to poor math backgrounds. They cannot effectively process the new information because they did not learn the math foundation needed to be successful. According to the constructivism belief, had that been learn, then the students could relate what is being taught in chemistry with the math information they have in their heads and expand their framework of knowledge.====

====This week was both interesting and a little confusing. The interesting part involved learning that students perform better academically all around if technology is used in instruction. This is actually what I am researching first hand right now. I have always wondered what would be the results if students were to take test using the computer. Would we see a significant improvement?====

====Our group had to brainstorm ideas for development of our plan. Group work can be frustrating sometimes because everyone is submitting at different times which will hold others up. I think this week I am going to suggest that we set a deadline for when the members must submit their information so that we will stay on pace to complete the project.====

==== All of the readings, lectures, and videos from this past week have really been intriguing. They really made me think about how I teach my lessons. I teach high school chemistry which involves my students using their math skills as well as being able to understand things that are not tangible. This is a very big problem for many students. I am always looking for technology that I can use to better help my students understand the concepts of chemistry. ====

==== The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has given me some hope. Since I teach at a performing and visual arts magnet, my students are gifted and learn and very different ways. Using the ebook will allow they students to demonstrate their understanding in their own way. Since music can also be added I can reach all clusters which are music, dance, theater, and visual. ====

==== Time as always is a factor. Before it can be incorporated in the classroom, the teachers must be familiar with how to use the resources. Then there is testing. How does this translate to their test scores? I watched on 60 minutes tonight a segment in which the TEP Charter School in New York was attracting top tier teachers by paying them $125,000 per year. The teachers were fantastic and their methods of teaching were student centered and very engaging. Some of their students were showing great improvement and the students loved school. The problem is, the students of TEP Charter School were scoring no better on state test. How effective can we be when the testing doesn't not align with the way we are being asked to teach? ====

====The material for this week was some of the best for me. The videos were very enlightening. It was finally good to see concrete examples of technology being used in the classroom. Through the videos I was really able to see the benefit of having a class blog. I created one some time ago, but I have not done anything with it. That will now change.====

====The ideas that were shared in the readings regarding cooperative learning were also very intriguing. I have never thought of any of these things prior to reading about them this past week. The information about how to arrange students in groups was invaluable. I will start to incorporate some of this information into my classroom this week. The only problem is that it can appear to be overwhelming because of so many different things that one can do. Our teaching schedules are busy and trying to incorporate the new things we are learning can become so overwhelming that nothing ever gets done.====

====Week 5 was one of the best weeks of information. There were some very useful things presented in the readings of this week. Probably the best thing to come out of week 5 was the idea of an effort rubric. I will immediately create one of these. Do to it being so late in the school year now, I don't know how quickly the students will respond to this. I think letting the students see the relationship between their effort and their test scores is invaluable.====