Week 4 CEDO 599 (the final blog for this cohort)

     This week we were supposed to look back over our blog and see how we have grown in technology use, understanding and application.  When I first started this Cohort I had felt that I was technologically savvy when it came to using technology in my classroom.  I had been using a Moodle site that was available to me through MPS that included the work we were doing in the classroom and any extra resources that I felt that the students could use.  The main problem that I had with using this site was that there was not much student buy-in to use the site outside of school to either make up work or preview what we were going to do in the future.  The main users of the Moodle site were parents who were checking on what work was supposed to be done in the classroom.  Part of the reason that I applied for the MEIT cohort at Cardinal Stritch was to be able to more effectively use technology in my classroom.
    This cohort process has opened my eyes to many applications that I had no idea existed.  These applications have made it possible for me to give my students more options for projects based on their different needs.  This programs best feature is my increased ability to differentiate instruction for my students using some of the technological tools that I have learned about in this cohort.
     Another great aspect of this MEIT cohort program that I experienced was to be able to meet some wonderfully creative and dedicated people who are looking to better the learning environment for those around us.  I was surprised at first by the number of people who were not in k-12 classroom teaching positions in the cohort, but have really appreciated their perspective.
    One of the things that I wish was able to happen was having a culminating activity with the cohort as a group.  The activity could be something such as using technology to increase morale and cohesiveness (using either paint ball or laser tag).  My main regret with this program is that I was not able to meet some of the incredible people in the cohort in real life. I hope that we do not lose touch.

While Blog Surfing This Past Week........

I found one of the best quotes I have ever seen other than those of Martin Luther King Jr.  The quote was:

 Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue to get what you have always received. If you want different results in your life or your work, all you have to do is change your mind.” An unknown Author.

I found this at  Carrie Paine's blog.  

Carrie Paine

CEDO 599 Week 2 Capstone Project Timeline & SMART Goals

This week after meeting with our professor, we were supposed to not only flesh out our project, but also to come up with a timeline for the completion of our project. This is one of the most difficult things I have had to do during this MEIT program. I know how to build sites, but to be able to plan how long each part will take in order to do a good job is the difficult part. The first site I made public was a robotics website that dealt with the basic physics of how a combat robot would work. This was built in 2001, and when I was done with my research, contacting people for permission to use their photos and also figure out how to create a site using HTML I have a feeling that 100 hours of work went into my site. With the advances of WYSIWYG site creation, I am sure the creation of the site will not be the major issue. Deciding on the applications and making sure there are how to FAQs or video so that people who are not familiar with the applications can use them will be the most time consuming part of this project. Making everything flow well and make sense will also consume lots of time since I am very picky about how things look. Here is a link to my timeline and SMART Goals. Let me know what you think.

CEDO 599 Week One

This is the first week of the last class in the MEIT cohort from Cardinal Stritch University that I have been part of for the last two years. In some ways, I am happy that I will soon have my Masters Degree (if I successfully complete this capstone project). I am somewhat at an impasse at this moment. I would like to be able to include most of the programs and applications that we have used over the last two years, but I know that will be too time consuming to be able to complete. I was thinking about creating a web page that could be used as a resource by my students (present, past and future) to integrate technology a bit more into their learning. My next task is to run this by my instructor and hope that it is a idea that is approved.

Week 6 CEDO 565

Good leadership is much more than someone telling others what to do. This class has made e reevaluate my ideas and thoughts on what leadership fundamentally is. It's not just a position, it is much more than that. Leadership can happen at any level of an organization, not just from a person who has the title of leader. Even though we have taken a leadership quality survey, I really had a hard time seeing myself a leader with regards to my peers in addition to my students. But I guess with my peers, I do lead in different things. There is a reason that people come to me when they are having trouble with technology. There is a reason that people seek me out to fix things that are broken (not only items, but even implementations of ideas). I have always seen myself as somewhat of a Renaissance handy man. If there is something that needs to be fixed, regardless of if it is technology or something else, I have no problems in attempting to fix it. I also have no problems in recognizing when fixing something is beyond me (either due to ignorance on my part or lack of time or equipment). So in all, I have learned lots about leadership, how the stress of leadership can cause some of the "goofy" actions of those that lead (usually due to feeling like they are banging their head against a wall) why leaders tend to ask the same people to help them over and over again and how I function as a leader at my site. Instead of having a "useless theory" class like many have had in undergraduate, this class really has led me to understand more about leadership, both good and bad.

Week 5 CEDO 565

This week we culminated our simulated attempt to create a systemic change. Thankfully my group found much more success (even with me still having random disconnections from Blackboard). This not to say that we did not find frustration, but we did find a better insight into what some of our administrators might have faced in the past and how those who continually have to find a way to improve student achievement over the resistance of some of the staff. We also found that a sense of comaraderie while attempting to deal with the frustrations of attempting to get the buy in to be successful in implementing change. In the reading, I was reminded that I am not the only one who has high expectations of challenging students. I know that I need to start with the basics of what I want my students to do later on and then build them to the level where they should be or beyond. I am reminded that most of my students want to learn. In some instances, it only takes minimal success to get them to be highly motivated students. But I need to be able to provide them with a education that allows them to find that success while still challenging them. The line might be fine, but the majority of students are able to meet my expectations. I actively invite others to observe my teaching in order to get constructive criticism as well as thoughts about what I do well. I often attempt to see how other teachers run their classes for ideas that I would be able to use in my own class. Most of my colleagues are open to people observing their classes, but usually are less resistant since I am looking to use ideas that would help my teaching. If I am asked for ideas for the teacher I visited, I attempt to first stress the positive before suggesting any changes. I also make sure that I know the outcomes I would expect from any changes I would suggest. So far, this has been the most illuminating chapter of the book for me since it has been showing me that even though I am not perfect, I am doing the right things in my goal to improve myself as an educator.

Week 4 CEDO 565 Systems Improvement

This week we had one of the most frustrating experiences that I have had in this Masters of Education - Instructional Technology program. We attempted to emulate a school/district improvement plan. The main problem that we felt utterly flummoxed when every decision ended up with a non-positive result or no movement towards our goals. We were either blocked by administration or by "co-workers" who were not willing to attempt to change anything in order to progress towards a better more effectual teaching and learning environment. The chapter that we read in the book was regarding climate and morale in the work area and how these variables can effect the teaching and learning that can happen in a school. With a positive climate and environment administrators are a positive resource for the classroom teachers, classroom teachers are more willing to try new things and students are more comfortable asking for help and trusting their teachers and the other adults in the building. If there is a negative climate or morale, staff is less willing to help each other, students can not trust their teachers, and administrators are seen as the opponent of both students and teachers. When friction builds up, the workplace does not function well. A school that has a negative climate and morale is exemplified by the picture below.

Week 3 CEDO 565

This week we looked at several things.  One of the things we looked at is being able to approach the problems that we face as part of the ever changing dynamics of being a teacher.  Being reminded to not dwell on the past and "how it used to be" instead of dealing with the realities that we have can be best seen in the presentation "Who moved my cheese?"
Who Move My Cheese {Time To Escape The Rat Race} by ewonwhynes

This presentation really shows that in many cases, people don't do well with change, but those who are the most successful do not dwell on the past and attempt to find the next way to be successful.

The next thing that we looked at was a short video that explained that when leading, you need to think of the organization (or organism) as a whole while thinking of the solution to a problem.  Even the most elegant solution is worthless if it diminishes the organizations ability to function (or organism).  Below is this video embedded.

Week 2 CEDO 565 Using Data to Improve Schools

This week we were talking about using data to drive instruction so that student achievement would improve.  To gather this data, we need to use assessments.  For a classroom, both formal and informal assessments are able to be used to help address the needs of our students.  One of the formal assessments that we can use to help classroom teachers is the MAP test.  The data generated from this test shows us specific weaknesses and strengths of our students so that we can address these within our instruction and creation of groups in the class.  To find out how a school is doing, only formal assessments are able to get enough non biased data to be able to assess the schools performance.  In MPS, we use the MAP tests and the WKCE test.   These tests gather data on the reading and mathematics abilities of our students and the knowledge of science and social studies of 8th graders.  For a teacher to access the data from these tests, he or she needs to have a login and password for  NWEA or use WINSS to be able to see test data from the WKCE.  The nice thing about WINSS is that there is more data than just academic data on the WINSS system.  Using this data, administrators and teacher leaders are able to address problem trends that might be developing in the school in order to be proactive for the good of the school community.

Teachers as Leaders

This week we were looking at how teachers can be effective leaders in whichever situation that they find themselves in.  One of the things that was used was a "framework" of leadership.



This framework really showed how different people lead (either well or poorly). I was impressed by the was I could easily understand these concepts. I was somewhat unfamiliar with the way "political" was used in this framework initially, but now am more confident in this version of the word. I am also able to see where my leadership strengths lie and where I need to improve.

Really...

Really, I'm working on my grad school stuff.  (now if I only had access to google sites. :-C )

Creating a Professional Portfolio

These last few weeks I have been attempting to create a professional portfolio.  The main problem that I have been finding is to attempt to try to find artifacts that would best show my growth within the MEIT program.  I wish my original blog had not been deleted, since I had done my best to use the blog as the beginning of my portfolio from the earliest classes.  Se la vie, I will be able to find the artifacts in my Google Docs.  I have been impressed with some of the sites of my classmates.  They are incredibly gifted.  There is a reason that I find that I learn more when I listen to them as well as the professor that is leading the class.

SMART Goals, Vision Statements and Mission Statements

One of the things we did this week was to talk about creating SMART goals.  Specifically, this means that we need to start with our planning for activities with the end results in mind.  SMART is an acronym that stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.  If a teacher is keeping these key words in mind while planning lessons or activities he/she would be able to make sure that the activities don't attempt to do too many things in too short of a time.

Vision and Mission Statements are important in order to keep the teacher remembering what is important to them.  In the day to day running of a classroom, sometimes the big picture is lost among the plethora of concerns that come up or are places upon us.  On the whole, a vision statement states what the major goals of the teacher are.  For example, my main goal as a teacher is to do whatever I need to do in order to help my students find success while still be an ethical and moral person.  A mission statement is something that gives a brief explanations of some of the steps that he/she is going to do in order to get closer to reaching or to reach the major goals he/she has within the next three to five years.

I have a feeling that creating the Vision and Mission Statements will be something I can do since I know what my goals are.  I just need to put them down "on paper".  Being able to modify a Google Site in order to be able to present my ideas effectively.  For the most part, the Google Sites are nicely customize-able, but sometimes they need tons of work to look good.

The standards that I am using as a basis for my portfolio are the National Educational Technology Standards. I chose these partially due to the fact that they are straightforward, and they align with my goals.  I took a look at the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Science, but gauged them as too unwieldy and bulky to use as the basis for my portfolio.  My portfolio (such as it is so far) can be found here.

Beginnings of a Professional Portfolio

This week we were assigned to start looking at what we would need to consider and have in a professional portfolio.  This seems like an immense challenge that I hope to be able to be worthy of.  With the limitations that teaching, coaching, attempting to raise two kids and take care of a disabled wife, while dealing with some new health problems that have sneaked up on me, I am finding that even the best time management plans are not worth the paper they are diagrammed upon.  Something is going to have to give, but I am hoping that it is not going to negatively effect my family or my schooling or my ability to perform my jobs.  However, I have a feeling that I will be able to direct my professional development to best meet my goals if I place these goals someplace visible where I can remind myself of what I want to achieve.

Virtual Schools Legislation in Wisconsin

I understand the Virtual Schools Legislation in Wisconsin and am concerned about the cap on enrollment.  If students who could benefit from an online mode of education are not allowed to pursue their education in this way, how is the cap helping?  As a public school teacher, I might have some reservations for private schools getting public funding, but a public online charter school should be able to get funds as easily as other public schools and easier than private schools.


I understand the Virtual Schools Legislation in Wisconsin and am excited about the fact that parents are not expected to have a DPI license in order to teach their children.  Parents are their first teachers.  If they are not encouraged to support the education of their kids, apathy will soon grow and then you will have some of the problems you find in some of the brick and mortar schools.