Activities and Reflections

These are the Activities and Reflections I completed throughout my coursework

Description of Activity	Reflection (150 words or less detailing what you have learned from this activity)
Action Research Project: I teamed with my peer teachers to increase the level of technology use in our lessons and classroom. The team met on a daily basis and I was able to create and collaborate with my peers on new technology-integrated lessons and projects.	My Action Research Project allowed me to practice my leadership skills and utilize many of the items I was learning in my course work. This was a great opportunity to highlight my technology skills and to work on improving all the other leadership skills I will need in the future. Working with my peers also solidified my decision to move into a job position where I can assist teachers incorporate more technology into their classrooms. I see this as the future of education and I have a unique ability to work with adult in a manner that makes them successful at improving their own technology skills.
Create and lead a staff development covering the topic of the Instant Challenge portion of Destination Imagination. This was a fully interactive staff development using various pieces of technology.	I did not know that leading an hour long staff development would be so difficult. This experience taught me that teaching a class of children is much different that teaching adults. I spent a significant amount of time creating and refining the presentation. I also learned that how to coordinate the available campus facilities and the participants.
Create a class Google Site to keep students and parents informed. Create an information pamphlet about the class website in English and Spanish to send home to parents.	My class Google site is a great way to disseminate information to my students and to keep parents informed. I have received positive feedback from many parents and they appreciate being able to monitor what their child is doing in school. To reach many of my Spanish-speaking parents, I initially received help from different colleagues. But, then I discovered a neat utility that would automatically translate my page when parents came to it.
Create technology videos and upload to YouTube to be distributed to the staff.	I have created many quick training videos about different pieces of technology. The point was to make the videos and create a little library for the staff to use later. So far, the videos are a success. I get frequent requests to create a new video about different features of our software.
Joined the committee responsible for implementing the new career readiness and soft skills software (WIN) across the district.	I was lucky enough to be chosen for this committee and it has been a great experience working with various staff throughout the district. We have to consider the needs of the various campuses and ensure our plan will be successful for everyone. I have been able to lead the area of technical expertise since I have a background in network administration and database design.
Create a class video project and share with others.	With the success I was having with my own tech videos, I decided to create a lesson and teach the skill to my students. I required them to find some piece of technology they enjoy using and to create a training video on how to use it. They had to create a script, find actors, film the video using various resources and finally edit and upload the video for others to critique and use. The students enjoyed this project and many of them have continued to make more videos.
Utilize online resources to collaborate with other educators to promote lifelong learning.	I have been an avid online forum user for a while and there are many forums that keep me informed about my hobbies. Last January I dove into the world of Twitter and I was amazed at the resources available to educators. I have since learned how use hash tags #edtech, #edchat, and #txed to collaborate with peers across the globe. I use Twitter a personal PLC and I actively promote it to other teachers and students.
Reviewed and evaluated purchases of additional software, equipment and supplemental materials for CTE class.	As a CTE teacher, I am now responsible for a sizable budget. I am also responsible for locating a reviewing all the software and equipment I need for my class. As this is new to me, I have collaborated with several peers and reviewed how they manage their budgets and the processes used to purchase and maintain their equipment.
Research and utilize online resources to teach technology.	I was able to find several online resources to teach my students about the history of technology, in particular the history of programming computers. I was able to use sites like CodeHS and GameMaker to show them how coding languages have changed and what to expect in the future.
Provided instruction to teachers on online grade book, attendance and discipline program.	I have learned that it is important to go back to the basics, even with existing teachers. Many teachers have been teaching for a long time and are still uncomfortable with technology. Patience is key.
Assisted new teachers in utilizing the technology tools available in their classrooms and on campus..	In my role as a CTE teacher, without the stress of a state test, I have the time and freedom to explore new technologies and learn to use the technology tools to meet the needs of others on my campus. I have collaborated with several teachers to see what they are struggling with and then I try to find resources that help them.
Shared and utilized Copyright Lesson Plan as they apply to music downloading and copyright infringement with high school technology teachers.	I am always looking for fun ways to get a serious message across to our students. This is a lesson I found that I shared with some other teachers in my department so that students can understand the importance of copyright laws.
Worked directly with staff to assist in implementing Google Sites, Edmodo, and Schoology – answer questions and troubleshoot issues where needed.	Our school district chose not to renew the license to Blackboard, which left the teachers to find their own learning management software. I was able to assist several teachers  setup different software to meet the needs of their classrooms.
Created lesson plans on utilization of a Google Sites and Google Docs for a collaborative inter-classroom activity.	I created a project for my students that required them to work with students in different classes and different periods. I intended the project to reflect the real world scenario where they have to collaborate with people all around the world. It was a fun project and my students are able to effectively work with collaboration utilities like Google Sites and Google Docs.
Developed and implemented curriculum for Principles of Information Technology classes. Wrote Scope and Sequence and Year at a Glance (YAG) with CTE teachers	The district is updating the curriculum for the CTE courses and I have been an active part in creating and updating the information about my class. I have also worked with the other CTE teachers to ensure that our classes are vertically aligned.
Utilized and promoted online test taking websites (testmoz.com) and Google forms to gather, analyze data and examine results.	Teachers are always looking for better and quicker ways to create and grade assessments. I was able to find different online resources that met my needs and I was able to share that with my peers. I also showed them how I used the systems in class and worked with them on how they would utilize the technology. With testmoz.com specifically, I was able to contact the owner of the website and had him create some new features that met the needs of our campus.
Worked with the Special Education department via annual Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meetings to review schedules for students to evaluate and ensure they have appropriate placement in CTE classes including technology classes.	It was great working with all the Special Education staff and students to discuss their plans for the future and how we can integrate CTE classes into their high school coursework.
Attended bi-annual long-range technology plan committee meeting to discuss district technology needs.	This was a great experience in working with other district technology and general education teachers, administrators and community leaders in developing a technology plan for our district and being proactive in this planning process to ensure our faculty and students have the technology resources they need for academic and career readiness skills.
Review and compare the data from the old CTE software (Kuder) to the new software (WIN) and analyze how to better utilize the systems to improve students soft skills.	This was a great opportunity for me to learn more about soft skills and to review the different systems the school district is utilizing.
Attended session to review how Response to Intervention (RTI) is implemented in other districts and how the program utilized in my district. Implementation of program such as this will hopefully assist in increasing our test scores, specifically in our special populations.	RTI is new concept to me and this training session was a great way to learn about the process. It was interesting to find out that many school have been using this model for years and that we are building upon their experience.
Developed a pamphlet inform parents about my class and to get feedback about the technology use at home.	This was a quick activity to create, but took some time to go through the responses. I found it very interesting that many of my students did not have broadband internet access at home, but could use cell phones to access the internet when needed.
Sponsor the Girls of Technology Club. This club is designed to promote and support young women in their desire to enter the predominantly male dominated fields of engineering and technology. I have scheduled field trips to see Microsoft and brought in speakers from Research in Motion, the makers of the Blackberry smart phone, and Fluor Engineering.	Sponsoring a club is quiet intense. I can understand why teachers receive a stipend for all the extra duties they take on. I wish I had requested this stipend before I accepted the job, but I enjoy working with the girls and helping them advance in their education. This club has taught me many different leadership skills, like budgeting money, inspiring others, collaborating with peers and the outside community, and organizing school services like bus transportation and food services.
Review the job description and evaluation criteria for the CTE job I would be taking.	After teaching math for six years, I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into by changing from a core subject to an elective CTE subject. The job details and evaluation are basically the same on paper, but are hugely different in practice. There is a bigger importance placed on collaborating with the community and businesses in CTE.
Interviewed a close friend that had recently retired after 30 years of teaching.	My friend was a great resource in helping me through my first few years of teaching and she is now a great resource to figure out how education has changed. She taught business, marketing and DECA and she has some very interesting perspectives on how technology has affected education. She stated that the current use of technology had actually decreased the amount of information she was able to cover in class. She said that basically the students are constantly distracted, even when they are good students and actually working on their projects. The students spend time waiting for computers to start, checking email, and checking grades. All of this lost time adds up.
Lead an activity with my 12th grade students. They were to research and discuss ethics in college and the work place.	This was a fun activity to prepare my seniors for the world they would enter in a few short months. I am very worried about a few of them and fear that they will learn after they have been fired once or twice. But, most of my students know how to behave ethically in the outside world, even if they choose to act different at home.
Strive to be more positive and encouraging with peers.	Teachers are often negative and it is sometimes difficult to see the positive side of things. I was able to maintain a positive attitude for much of the year, especially when working with my team teachers on integrating technology. I found that new technology is more easily accepted when my tone during the entire meeting had been positive.
Attended or view several School Board Meetings.	I was unable to attend many board meetings in person, however the board meetings recorded and broadcast. I was able to see how the board discusses funding issues of schools, the hiring of contractors for new school construction, and school, teacher and student award ceremonies. The process was interesting to watch.  I was impressed how the board followed Robert's Rules of Order, which made the board meetings have a calm flow that was conducive to the decision making process.
Assist in the modification and development of the Engineering and Information Technology programs of study and the course flow for each.	My campus revamped the course flow and class names of our programs of study. This was a great opportunity to see how these programs vertically align and how the name of the course can affect the budget of the school. The course we have pull from CTE and general electives, with CTE having a bigger budget. By renaming a class from Computer Science to Video Game Design, we were able to better align the program while also gaining more money in our budget.
Conduct classroom observations using the clinical model.	I was able to conduct three observations and debrief with my Principal for an hour on what I observed. This allowed me to see what an administrator is looking for in a PDAS evaluation.
Attend a workshop on motivating low performing students	This was a day-long workshop over motivating low performing students. I learned that students become self-defeating and that teachers should highlight the small successes to show these students they can be successful at anything. By highlighting the small successes, their self-esteem and motivation will build and they will tend to try more and work harder on difficult tasks.
Substitute Vice Principal for a day.	My Vice Principal was ill one day and asked me to substitute for her. I was able to put on my suit, get to school early and assume the role of a VP. I was very nervous, but I was able to successfully deal with 10 different student discipline issues, lunch room monitoring, one after school supervision problem and various other tasks throughout the day. I was busy all day and barely had enough time to eat. At one point, I was the only administrator, out of four, on campus, and I was only a substitute. I left for the day after everyone else and went straight to bed.
Collaborate with administrators, teachers, students and parents about the issues that affect teaching and learning.	My campus has a very proactive atmosphere and we are constantly trying to pinpoint the issues that are affecting our students to come up with ways to solve them. Some of the problems we have been able to help, for example, by offering additional busses after tutoring. While other issues are out of our hands and we try our best to support the students however we can.
Review and participate in the interview process including application, certification, background checks, and questioning techniques.	I have been able to review the interview process both as an interviewer and interviewee. It is quite interesting to know the types of questions that can and should be asked and what information to pull from the answers given. There are legal constraints on the types of questions, but with some decent word-smithing, almost any information can be obtained.
Reviewed and implemented the procedures to inventory and install a computer lab.	This was a pain staking task that I had to accomplish three days before school started. I walked into my computer lab assuming it would all be setup. However, in the corner of my room, was a stack of 28 computer and monitors, a box of keyboards, a box of mice and a 1000 foot box of Ethernet cable. I spent the entire weekend going through my inventory to ensure I had a record of all the asset tags. Then I installed all of my computers and made my own cables. I then had to reimage all of the computers with new software. Much of this work continued after the school year started. Luckily my students all have laptops, so I was able to hold class as normal.
Involved as a member of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association and various online communities that promote and support education.	These organizations are great opportunities to collaborate and discuss the most current issues with other teachers. I enjoy being able to work in partnership with these educators to ensure our students are aware of all of the opportunities available to them especially in CTE.
Collected various educational, instructional and collaborative books, DVD’s, and online materials to broaden my knowledge of administration, CTE and Business Education areas of study.	Throughout my seven year career as a teacher and especially during my study in graduate school, I have been able to obtain and collect many various instructional materials to support and enhance my role as a teacher and instructional leader. During my time in graduate school, I have discovered and enjoyed many readings that will only serve to help me as a future administrator and I know I will refer back to many of these materials in the future.
Met with Assistant Director of CTE to discuss the maintenance needs of my computer lab.	I was able to discuss the process for installing network cable outlets throughout my lab to connect my computers. We discussed the forms and the money that would be needed to make this happen. The cost seemed high and the time frame is very long, but the process has been started.
Scheduled transportation for the Girls of Technology Club to attend a conference.	We like to give the young women in the club I sponsor an opportunity to attend conferences and events highlighting the importance of engineering and technology careers. I was able to find an event and I had to schedule the transportation of the students. This was not a tough process but I did have to coordinate with the event staff and our bus depot to make sure our students arrived at the right location and on-time.
Scheduled food for a luncheon for the Girls of Technology Club.	We also like to bring in guest speakers for luncheon with our students. I was able to schedule two ladies from Research in Motion, to come talk about patent law. Since this was a luncheon on campus, I had to coordinator with food services to make sure our students were fed and that the food met the proper nutrition guidelines.