EDT 634 - Blog Post 4 - Project Management

In this blog post I will give my reflection to the project management podcast for EDT634. When I think of a project in my mind it is on going. Regarding project management the is a wrap up and closure to a project for a project manager. Especially regarding technology it would seem that you are continually revising or updating a project. This statement surprised me. 

An example of a technology roll out for me was regarding an update to a grade book system. This roll out I guess was assumed to be transparent and therefore needed no training. Well for me I never had training to begin with and became frustrated again when I had to muddle through to figure out setting up new classes. Another teacher expressed that we did not have access to some options and when she asked it was like she saw something she should have never seemed. For me it is management no caring to see if training is necessary. 

Pitfalls for my technology adoption plan would probably be not knowing what will happen right after giving students the computers. There is always unexpected hiccups when new technology is rolled out. But if the hiccups are bad enough it may lead to a sour feelings about the project. I think a very slow roll out would be one way to avoid frustrating a lot of students and teachers. 

EDT 634 - Blog Post 3 - Equitable Access to Educational Technologies

In this blog post I will give my reflection to the equitable access to educational technologies presentation for EDT634. One of the most common digital divides I have witnessed is one based on age. Most of my students are of the an older generation (40+) and have been displaced from their workplace and are having to go back (or go) to school to learn skills for the new information age workplace. Up till this point in their life they have not really needed to rely on technology and were not taught it during their previous education. They also have not found it necessary to have computers or internet access at home. Therefore when they come to my school I am teaching them skills they have never needed before. It is much different than teaching younger students who have been using technology throughout their education and life. 

The Grand Haven school district is trying to provide all students with access to computers with their 1:1 initiative. I am hoping they will provide teachers access to training so they will learn how these new devices can be used in their classrooms. As the presentation described it is not enough to provide students with computers and internet access but we must teach them how to use them in was that will provide them with skills need to for this information age.

In regards to the Grand Haven school district I would consider us as one of the "haves". I think we are lucky to have a community willing to support and help fund our technology plan. I am hoping that the district will not rush the implementation and will do a great job so it is not a waste of money. It has become a redundant theme in this class but I strongly feel that if professional development is not made the number one objective then there is little chance the program will be successful. 

EDT 634 - Blog Post 2 - Interview on funding technology

In this blog post I will give my reflection to the funding technology podcast for EDT634. In this podcast Lynn Wietecha from Lawrence Tech was interviewed regarding funding of technology in both K12 and higher education settings. There were a few things I learned that I found surprising or maybe did not consider before. The first thing Ms. Wietecha talked about that got my attention was the amount of of the operations fund that goes to salaries and benefits. With only about 15% left over for everything else it is no wonder schools have difficulty adding and maintaining technology. I know in my son's classroom they have 5 desktop computers and one didn't work most of the time or periodically they had issues with the Internet access and I thought why don't they fix this. This helps me understand. The other thing that surprised me was the cost of toner. With all our technology advancements we can not come up with a cheaper way to print documents? One big difference for printing in K12 vs. higher ed is that in higher ed you can charge students for printing to offset the cost for toner. 

I think the differences in technology in K12 vs. higher ed is that in higher ed I don't think it is considered a option. There is more of a need in higher ed to attract students and the pool of students is broader and to attract students globally you want to have the best tools for them to receive an education along with the best teachers. In K12 I think we are still in a place where technology is still an option. I don't think it will be looked at as an option for much longer but having the funding to provide will still be a struggle. 

If I were heading up a bond proposal is to provide the community in many avenues why this money is so desired. Without the funding we are not going to be able to provide our students with an education of problem solvers that is being demanded in the world today. They will need to be able to access and use technology appropriately and this will need to be taught in our schools. I am so thankful our district did pass a continued millage to help support the funding of our 1:1 program. 

EDT 634 - Blog Post 1 - Organizational Learning

In this blog post I will give my reflection to the Organizational Learning podcast for EDT634. In this podcast the Executive Director of Technology, Instructional Technology Coordinator, and Union President for the Teachers Group at Huron Valley School discuss how important getting stakeholder buy-in is when implementing new technology in the classroom. I was quite impressed how this team felt that teachers, principle and parents were all important stakeholders. They knew if they did not get the teachers on board very early that failure was a very good possibility. There approach to getting teachers is to begin with the "teacher leaders" these are teachers who are comfortable using technology and will likely be the first adopters. Then through word of mouth and showing all teachers they are there to support them and help them they are able to get buy-in from the teacher group. While teachers may be the most important stakeholder, in my point of view, I was impressed by the way this district felt parents were an important stakeholder too. This is not one I would have thought of but now see how this group is very important. Our simulation earlier in this course did not include parents and wonder if it should be updated to include this group. If parents are not on board and don't understand why technology is being integrated they will not provide the students with the support at home. With part of the students work is done outside the classroom we need to make sure they are being supported in and out of school. 

The team at Huron Valley approach new technology from the view of the people involved and not a specific technology. They spoke about how they help teachers, especially those who are the teacher leaders learn the ability to find new technology specifically mentioned were apps and teaching the teachers how adapt technology in the curriculum to support the 21st world of thinking, to use their buzz word. Instead of teaching them how to use a specific app. They can then get feedback from teachers what is working for them and what is not and pass this on to other teachers. I think it is important to get this help and then these teachers can share with their colleagues what they are doing and maybe those who are more hesitant might feel more comfortable trying it. 

The collaboration at the Huron Valley district is impressive. They do not come at it as a top down approach, we know whats best, but instead support their teachers, get their input, and teach the teachers skills instead of how to use a specific piece of technology. 

Huron Valley schools approach to include all stakeholders and making the teachers, principle and parents important stakeholders probably makes them approachable and open-minded. The technology team seems to take a wide view looking at the people, the curriculum, and technology. They do not seem to be a specific technology driven. They understand that technology is important for students to learn and use but it is not the number one thing, it is a tool to provide a problem solving curriculum. A great example how they do not try to force technology on the teachers is their initiative Inspire U, they made sure to provide the teachers with enough information to help them understand why this is important and how it will help the teachers. They made a video "commercial" explaining it and had members of the union team speak about Inspire U. Not only did they provide them with information but also provide a stipend to encourage the teachers to try it. In the end they said they had about 50% participation. They have also learned to look at simple things as the name or how the initiative is proposed so you do not get turn off immediately. They realize that projects have different time lines. One project might be rolled out to all in the beginning or a slower approach may be taken. I think this give the stakeholders a feeling that the technology team is on their side and will be there to support them. I imagine they welcome change at this district and there is little feeling that the technology team feels superior and they are going to tell the teachers how to teach but they are more likely seen as a team member that is going to help and support them make changes that are necessary in the 21st classroom. 

The Huron Valley District could be a model for other schools. It seems as if they have tuned their procedures as they have learn to understand that the stakeholders are the important factor in this situation. They seem to understand the teachers point of view and how things are changing for teachers today. Not only do we have this technology segment that they need to learn and incorporate but the whole classroom is changing from traditional to learner centered. Sometimes students understand how and why technology would be appropriate because they have been on the digital side of the gap between students and teachers. The teachers did not learn with technology and have not had to teach with technology so it is a big transition for them. Huron Valley understands they need to provide support and help the teachers understand how and why this is a good thing. I imagine the teachers feel respected here and that may not be felt in many other schools. 

This is a great podcast and I appreciate hearing from people who are working in educational technology and how things are working in the real world. Thanks to everyone who participated.