Self Assessment of Educational Technology Leaders

Self-Assessment of Educational Technology Leaders

Heather Sanderson

June 29, 2019

While completing the Self-Assessment of Educational Technology Leaders there were a lot of areas where I could improve upon my practices. I have been lucky that supplying adequate up-to- date technology has been a priority of our district. All of my students are issued their own iPad. In fact our school now has 1:1 iPads for all K-12 students. I am also issued a laptop computer as well as an iPad. I need to take full advantage of the technology provided and improve my technology practices.

One area I need to improve upon is becoming a leader on technology within my school. For instance there was a section on the self-assessment that discussed the teacher designing, preparing, and conducting professional development activities to present. Our school provides professional development sessions throughout the summer that are led by teachers. I could step up and present a session. I could envision myself presenting in the area of using online games to collect data, inform teaching practices, and improve students’ academic success. I have come to embrace student gaming and have noticed an improvement in my student’s test scores especially among my lower level and special education students. Another area I would like to improve on after completing the self-assessment questions was planning and implementing policies that support district wide professional growth opportunities. This is an area where I can be more vocal. I can suggest what type of technology professional development I feel would be most beneficial to me as well as other teachers at my school. My administration is very receptive to any technology suggestions and I need to contribute my ideas more.

Another area I scored poorly on in the self-assessment was when it discussed installing and maintaining software libraries, as well as developing and disseminating strategies to troubleshoot and maintain hardware and software. While I know how to use much of the technology that is provided at my school, I am not super tech savvy. I usually wait until something is completely broken to inform the tech staff at my school. I need to be more proactive when certain programs are not working properly or seem to be going too slow. We have two full time tech staff members, but the school day is so busy that I tend to put off technology problems until the technology no longer works.

The question on the self-assessment dealing with using distance learning delivery systems made me realize this is an area I would like to improve upon. I have always wanted to make my own instructional videos to supplement the content I teach in class. I think once I complete my graduate degree I will have the time to dedicate to making these videos. These videos are a way for me to reach my students who may have trouble keeping up with my face paced lessons. They would be available to them to view as many times as necessary until they understand the content.

The last area that I would like improve in is the part on the self-assessment that deals with installing local mass storage devices and media to store and retrieve information and media. The way I store my media and resources is sad. I have some things written down and stored in a binder, I have a USB flash drive, I have Google Drive. I never know where to look first. My Google Drive is a total mess. I have never taken the time to organize it properly. I need to make folders to sort the different content topics I teach. I need to delete items that I no longer use. If my resources are organized and stored properly my teaching with become more efficient.