Skip to main content

Institutional Technology Plan Reflection and PowToon Presentation

PowToon Presentation Link
I have definitely learned a lot about the maintenance and legal requirements of school and district wide technology usage from taking this course. I appreciate all of the work our technology department does in our district to ensure the safety, reliability, and  continuing education with our technology resources! Upon completing my own technology plan, I have the following considerations:
Priorities
CIPA
Understanding and protecting children from dangers online is a challenging and complex task. School districts must equip their students and staff with a proper education on how to be safe online and ensure that the district mandated/encouraged apps or sites are in compliance of CIPA. 
FERPA
So much student data is collected all the time from assignments and assessments, we must be sure to keep it safe and protected. The data collection contains identifiable information that could endanger a child if a data breach was to occur, so it’s safekeeping is of utmost importance. 
Considerations
Technology Department/Staff
The IT department is a hub of information, student data, complications, problem solving, and much more. This is an extremely valuable piece to a school district and must consist of patient, trustworthy, capable individuals who must have a wealth of technology knowledge. Filling the department with able and willing people is a MUST for a successful technology plan for any district. 
Communication Plan Across All Stakeholders
Developing a communication plan that supports a wide range of users is pivotal. In my district, teachers and staff must know how to communicate with the tech department for help and concerns, but so must the members of our school community. This includes the children and adults who make up our school populations. Communicating clearly and effectively with them and coming up with a consistent plan for communication will minimize confusion and irritation for all members, including the tech department. 
Challenges
Budgeting/Auditing 
Technology is expensive. In a district as large as mine, the cost for offering one-to-one technologies for each student is immense. Combine that cost with technology for staff as well as technology to supply the physical school buildings, and the amount becomes almost too much to comprehend. It is important to have qualified staff to calculate the school district budget and price out a fair and necessary purchasing amount when considering new and existing technology costs. 
Technology Procurement/Disposal 
I think it sounds very challenging to decide how and when to buy and dispose of technology. Just recently, our district did a whole technology refresh of all student devices. It was an enormous expense and I’m sure it was very complicated and confusing to figure out how to expense it, what product to update to, who to convince, and so much more. 
Successes
IDEA/EL Support
I think that technology can do wonders for all learners, and especially those who have diverse needs. I am constantly blown away by the assistive technologies that are available on devices and think it’s amazing that they’re so easy to navigate and figure out. I am so excited that we can reach so many more needs within our classrooms with the cool features of technology. 
Professional Development
I am really excited about the possibilities of professional development. I believe that, when done well, consistently, and flexibly, professional development can build confidence in teachers and encourage new and exciting opportunities. When teachers feel empowered, that is when students really have cool new learning experiences. 


Labels:

Comments

  1. Lisa VondrakNovember 30, 2018 at 7:30 PM

    Hi Hayley.
    Great job incorporating visuals and text into your presentation. I was so inspired by the quality of your work that I decided to use Powtoon for my presentation as well. How did you find out about this particular platform? Have you used it in your classroom at all?
    Thanks for sharing,
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction

My name is Hayley O'Reilly and I am a passionate fourth grade teacher in Downers Grove Elementary School District 58. Since graduating University of Dayton in 2013, I have been lucky enough to move back to my home city of Chicago and teach in the same district I grew up in - talk about coming full circle! I earned my masters degree in 2016 in Teaching and Learning: Differentiated Instruction from the University of St. Francis, and am currently working toward my Technology Specialist Endorsement through the same university. As evident from my continued educational pursuits, I am very intrigued by any and all opportunities in furthering education and professional development. I find great joy and inspiration from working with and learning from others. I truly believe that collaboration is the catalyst for new, creative, and innovative ideas. In my classroom, the ultimate goal is to challenge students every single day. When presented with challenges, students always rise to the oc...
10 comments
Read more

Why Should I Flip?

Flipped learning offers many advantages to the teacher and students. Through short video instruction, students can view lesson content on their own time, and spend class time with interactive activities and meaningful interactions with the teacher and peers. In an age where students are so well versed in using digital tools, the hope in flipped learning is that students will be intrinsically motivated to learn and participate in class time. Flipped learning offers many opportunities to support a diverse group of students and connect school to home. What’s really neat about flipped learning is that the student is in complete control of how they view the video. For example, a student who struggles to understand the concept may choose to watch the video several times, perhaps pausing to jot down questions for the teacher the next day. On the other hand, a student who feels confident with the material presented may choose to move onto the next sequenced video to move ahead in the conten...
4 comments
Read more

Engaging eLearning Course Reflection

As I reflect on this class experience, I am really happy with the unit I created! I like that this course focused primarily on the development of one unit, instead a series of smaller assignments. I feel that using this platform helps because I will actually have use for it during the next school year. I also liked that I was inspired to include new tech tools that I may not have otherwise known about into the unit design. By creating and completing this unit on Extreme Weather Events, I feel like I will have a quality unit to begin the school year with for my group of gifted readers. It will be an awesome way to start the year so that they understand expectations that will be consistent throughout the year. I appreciated the peer feedback during our course, and it helped me to refine my products. It also encouraged me to try something new as I was inspired by the units that the other teachers created! We definitely have some talented people who teach in our district and I am honored...
3 comments
Read more