The course outcome far exceeded my expectations. The use of technology to improve student motivation and achievement was the theme of most of the articles and research. The assignments and readings were much more engaging and informative than I expected.
After reading the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology and analyzing Texas Star Chart Data I now understand the meaning of all four areas of the Texas Star Chart. Having to utilize campus data to create a presentation and post it on my blog was an engaging experience. It was the first time I had uploaded a PowerPoint presentation to the online sharing service Author Stream.
The course also allowed me to create my first wiki to be used for an online meeting. I agree with David Warlick when he says that "Wikis are [...] the perfect tool for people who need to collaboratively develop and maintain useful documents" (Warlick, 2007). By just putting information on a wiki and inviting others to contribute you spread the word and develop a dialogue. A wiki allows participants to access the information and contribute on their schedule. “Busy people often see meetings as a waste of time and effort, especially if they have to stop what they are doing to travel to a meeting place” (Solomon, 2004). There is no traveling required to attend the meeting, which is important in this economy. Each member has a chance to share his or her ideas. Members are held accountable for their contributions because all changes are tracked.
This course provided me with a plethora of knowledge about the responsibilities of not just an educational technology leader but also the school principal. I now have an understanding of what types of questions a principal will have about integrating new technology tools in the classroom. According to Price, the principal serves as the middle man between teachers that have strategies for using technology and the techies that plan how technology will be organized to accomplish the strategies (Price, 2005).
References
Price, B. (2005). Who’s in control of the technology-integrated school? Principal Leadership, 6(1), 51-56.
Solomon, G. (2004). E-communications 101. Technology & Learning, 24(11), 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60.
Warlick, D. (2007). The executive wiki. Technology & Learning, 27(11), 36-38.