CEdO Program Review

This week the blog assignment is to review what we have learned over the last 18 months and discuss if the program has been worthwhile.

It is hard to tell in words how much I have learned during this program. It has dramatically changed how my department and school operates. From switching to Google Apps for Education to the many websites, resources, and management skills I have learned more than I can express.

Many of these classes came at the perfect time. Online Facilitation came when I was exploring online professional development for our teachers. And Leadership and Planning came along just as I was learning of my new position at Messmer.

For the last 10 years I have been the Director of Technology for Messmer Catholic Schools. This year has been a year of transition. Our president has been calling on me to lead some big projects that are not technology related. About three weeks ago our president asked me to take a bigger role in the school and named me Vice President.

So, as I finish this program, I am leaving the field of technology. I still plan to be involved and will be pursuing the Instructional Technology Coordinator license from the State of Wisconsin. I have already started the classes and this summer will be completing the program.

I cannot say enough about this program. It was definitely worthwhile. This is something I was not interested in pursuing until John Sklar talked me into it one summer. I am glad I signed up. It has made huge differences in how I lead, research, and conduct projects at work. I have enjoyed working with all of my colleagues in the program as well as all of the professors. This program took me from my limited view of technology and opened up my mind to alternative ways of thinking, researching, and delivering technology to my school.

There are areas that I want to explore more that were not at all included in this program. I plan on exploring the world of mobile apps in the classroom as well as writing and programming my own apps. Once I am finished with my license process this fall I will take up this project. I have some great ideas on how mobile apps can help our school communicate with its stakeholders.

I have really enjoyed working with everyone and wish everyone good luck in the future. Take care.

Culminating Experience - Week 2

Feedback and information. That is what this week has been about. Between face to face meetings, online discussions, and survey results I have been bombarded with data. It has been an interesting process. There has been some really important feedback. There has also been some feedback based on personal wants and not necessarily what is best for the students. I have had to go through this data and prioritize the requests. Everyone wants something and not everyone is going to get their requests fulfilled.

I will be taking the next week to look over the data and requests. I am hoping that next weekend I will be able to start putting a schedule together. I have downloaded all of the minute sheets so I know the requirements. I very nearly have all of the data I need to make my schedule.

Now comes the hard part…squeezing everything into a 8-3:15 school day.

Culminating Experience - Week 1

My culminating experience is one that I have been looking forward to for some time. At the beginning of the school year, our grade school principals made changes to the elementary schedules that caused some major problems when it came to reporting, GPA calculation, and meeting minute requirements. As a result, our school president asked me to look at developing a schedule that could be used at both grade schools.

This new schedule had to address certain shortcomings of the current schedule. The biggest challenge was that the two schools share teachers. So, in addition to prep time, I also had to figure in travel time between the locations, about a 10 minute trip.

I have been thinking about this project all winter and am now ready to move forward. I think I have a good plan in place and I should be able to accomplish my goals in the given time.

Writing the proposal for the project really made me realize how much time had to be put into this project. I have done schedules before but have not had to write down all of the steps involved.

As this project moves forward, I will be taking tips from the change game that we played in our last course. I have lots of talking to do and lots of questions to ask before putting together something that will solve the majority of our issues. I have never been one to back away from a challenge. I cannot wait to get started.

Leadership and Planning - Week 6

I really took a lot from this course. It made me look back at changes that I have been a part of while at Messmer. In many ways, it reinforced my method of implementing change. I have not treated all changes the same way. Only a handful of them were widely discussed with different stakeholders. Others were decided between me, the principal, and the president. The method was determined by the scale of the change. Small, school level changes were done with smaller groups (like our fall registration process). Larger changes (implementing block schedule, switching to Google Apps) were a much longer, thorough process, involving many different people.

I have noticed many people in my schools being teacher leaders since starting this class. Previously, I considered them people who go above and beyond what was required, not necessarily viewing them as teacher leaders. I now have a little different view of what they do and how they affect others. We have some really strong leaders at all of our schools, which is encouraging.

My opinion of my leadership potential has not really changed. I know I can lead but I am the type who likes to work in the background and not really be noticed. I don't even want credit for the changes I put into place. I want to spend my time making sure the change goes smoothly. I have confidence in my leadership abilities. Now, with a change in my position at Messmer, I will no longer be able to work behind the scenes. That, in my opinion, is a change for the better. An announcement will be forthcoming on my new appointment. Stay tuned!

As far as improving education from within, I think communication is the key to improving. I need to make sure I keep talking with others, being in the technology field, I also need to make sure that I provide as many forms of communication as possible. The more ways we have to communicate the more we will communicate. Communication improves how people view the school, the students, the administration, the parents, and the mission.

Leadership and Planning - Week 5

Holy cow! What a tough, frustrating game. Just when you think you were making progress your next move gets shot down. I have been involved in a number of changes at our school, from a new student information system, to personnel issues, to a new schedule at the high school. I know that we talked a lot with different groups during all of these changes but I don't remember talking as much as we were required to talk during this game. It was very disappointing that, at the end of three simulated years, we didn't get very far.

I know changes take a long time. I have mentioned before that our school is going through some major changes in personnel after the departure of our principal/vice-president of 22 years. Our president has authority to fill this position. He is taking his time and thoroughly thinking things through. These changes will affect everyone at all of our schools. His decision have the potential to reshape our school and change its direction for years to come.

One more week in this class and I can honestly say I have taken a lot away from this course. As I transition from technology into administration I will need these skills to be successful. This course came at the perfect time.

Leadership and Planning - Week 4

Well, the Change Game certainly was interesting this week. I think our group felt pretty frustrated when we were denied moves for going too fast or not getting enough information. It was good to see that we were in the same place as the other groups when the hour was over.

After the game was over I took some time to think about the change process in our school. I should have applied what I know to the game. Instead, I tried moving too fast. I compared the game to what we recently went through with changing our high school schedule.

For years we had a straight 8 period per day schedule. A few years ago we looked into alternative schedules including modular, block, and rotating day schedules. We surveyed schools, talked with students, staff, board members, and parents. We gathered all of our data and presented it to the administration. They then took the information and did some more data gathering and research before making a decision. That process took almost 2 years.

After it was decided that we would switch schedules we had to plan the change. We setup professional development days and days when we tested the schedule with students. That feedback was gathered we were able to tweak the schedule to fit our needs. The beginning of this year was the implementation of the schedule. We have been reviewing it and taking feedback along the way. We will also ask for teachers to complete an end of year survey. This information will help us further refine our schedule.

Now, I need to apply that method to the game next week.

Leadership and Planning - Week 3

So, after reading the Tune In article, I remembered that I was a member of Generation X. I remember hearing that term in college and I didn't think much of it. After all, I was never really into Pearl Jam or Nirvana, was not a latch-key kid while growing up, and certainly did not reject the rules. I just didn't seem to fit that group.

I look at the description of Millennials, and I see that in some of our newer teachers. They are really team-focused and generally upbeat. We are now working on taking a few of the stronger people and mentoring them for leadership roles within the schools. Hopefully, we can make them into long-term faculty at our school and they can become our future leaders.

I really enjoyed the Who Moved My Cheese video. It was fun matching up people I know and work with to the characters in the story. As I spent time with people today I found it hard not match them to one of the characters.

For the next couple of classes we need to be online early. I am looking forward to the lessons and wonder what could be in store. Talk to you all next week.

Leadership and Planning - Week 2

Data. It has become a really important part of how schools operate in today's environment. We have spent a lot of time in the last year looking at scores and focusing on data driven instruction (DDI).

We recently invested in some software to help us analyze and compare scores. We will be able to quickly look at scores of standardized tests, school tests, term grades, and more. We will also be able to look at data based on gender, grade level, ethnicity and compare scores to absences and disciplinary records. We will be able to use this data to not only check our proficiency in different areas but we will also be able to watch trends so we can see who is at risk of dropping out so we can step in to help. This part of the program will look at live attendance, disciplinary, and grade data so the results may change day-to-day.

This is a new process this year and the software is going to be put into place this spring. Over the summer and into next fall our teachers and administration will be spending a lot of time sifting through data and looking to fill holes in our curriculum. This will be a big project and one that will hopefully make a positive difference in the performance of our students.

Leadership and Planning - Week 1

How do I lead in my school? Well, that is a question that is changing for me on a daily basis. For the last 10 years I have been the Director of Technology. I have been in charge of many large projects and initiatives. I have led our staff through changes to our student information system, changes with technology in the classroom, and professional development sessions regarding a number of different topics. I have improved many processes and procedures along the way like student registration, parent/student/teacher communication, and more.

Over the past 6 months, I have been asked to lead in different areas. In the last issue of our alumni newsletter, the Messmer Today, I was added to the list of administration for the first time (inside of the front cover). This spot has always been reserved for the very top leaders of our school.

I am now being asked to take over the disbursement of our Title funds, oversee additional personnel and departments, and taking on some larger, long-range projects. It is an exciting time and I am enjoying the changes. It will be interesting to see where this goes from here.

Professional Portfolio Experience - Week 5

After weeks away from class, it is time to return. I took the opportunity over break to work ahead on the assignments. I was able to finish my standards, my artifacts and review of the courses I have taken, and gained approval for my culminating experience. It is nice to be ahead for a change.

While completing the assignments I had a chance to reflect on what we have all accomplished. It is hard to believe that we are almost finished. It was fun to look back on all of the assignments we have completed. I spent a lot of time looking my Posterous posts and my perfect computer assignments.

I also took time during the break to ponder my next steps after this program is finished. I have decided to go for my DPI license for Instructional Technology Coordinator. I have already enrolled in my first class and hope to complete most of it by the end of 2011. There is a lot to do but it will pay off in the end.

The time for relaxing is over. Time to get in the right frame of mind to finish out the program.

Professional Portfolio Experience - Week 3

The portfolio is coming along nicely. We are now getting into some of the areas that are taking more time and thought to complete. This week I was focused on standards. I had a tough time finding standards. As my job changes from technology to administration I wanted to find standards that reflected my new position. I did many searches for administrative standards. Finally, I was able to find the right search terms to come up with some results.

What I found was the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. I also found some standards for administrators from New Jersey. Many were similar so I focused on the standards from California.

As I looked through the standards I picked 5 that were important to me. I also had to have artifacts to back up the standard. I was able to use a project from our statistics class as one artifact but the others came from past administrative projects I have done in the past at my school.

There is lots of work yet to be done but the end product will be a great review of past work and preview of future direction.

Professional Portfolio Experience - Week 1

Well, after over a year of taking courses, I can feel everything coming together. This course, along with the next two, signal the end of the program is near. While in the first lecture of this week's class I felt, just for a minute, an overwhelming feeling come over me. I looked at the work to be done in this course I felt some panic. As time passed, I looked at the assignments and some portfolio examples I started to relax. While this will be an important project, most of the work is not difficult, but it will take some time.

It took me a while to find some examples. I did find the Googlio site after some searching. I did find it difficult to find quality online portfolios. I did find some but they were either incomplete or just plain bad. I would love to see a site that is a directory for online portfolios, similar to those for online lesson plans.

I am looking forward to constructing my online portfolio and looking back on what we have accomplished over the last 15 months.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 6

My district is just now exploring online learning. We are in the beginning stages of a blended style. We are going to start with existing students and classes at grades 6-12. The initial step will be to extend the classroom outside the physical building. This will give students 24/7 access to the necessary data for their class. All course information will be conducted through this portal. As things progress, after school discussions, chats, assignments, and more will be done using the portal and Elluminate. After teachers and staff get acquainted with the system we will start having students, mainly juniors and seniors who are on track to graduate and students who are ill or suspended, participate in live classroom sessions. Our goal is not to create a separate virtual school but to give more access to our current students.

My students are learning 21st century skills daily. I believe it is my job, as Director of Technology, to give students the opportunity to experience things they will encounter outside of school. Using things like LMS, iPads, iPods, laptops, and many web based services like blogs, wikis, podcasting, and more, will give them a good head start on what they will probably encounter in college and the workforce.

I understand the legislation but I am concerned that additional regulations and court action by the union will hamper the progress of virtual schools. I work in a school that participates in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (I know, a political hot potato, which many public school teachers disagree with, but that is not the discussion). I have seen what legislation has done to good schools in this program and am afraid that the same thing could happen to virtual schools. Choice and virtual schools can be as successful, maybe more successful, than public schools, if given the opportunity. I fear that the opportunity may not arise.

On a final not, I really enjoyed this class. It was very interactive and meaningful. I am hoping to be able to use these skills in my job as I provide professional development to faculty and staff.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 5

Whew! This week is finished. All that is left is to put the final touches on the group project. Seems like there has been a lot of work in this class compared to others. Not that this is a bad thing, just an observation. This class has been probably the most beneficial of all in the program. I am looking forward to putting some of this to use.

I finally got my 15 minute presentation out of the way. And, of course, I was worried about nothing. It went fine, the discussion was good, and I had plenty of material. I could have gone another 30 minutes on what I had prepared. Glad it is finished.

This week has focused on collaborative learning and groups. My experience with this has been mainly positive. For the most part, all of the collaborative work has been evenly split among the group and we have produced real quality material. There was one class where I took the lead and asked for participation from the group and got no response. I was responsible then for finishing all three group assignments myself. That was frustrating but I was not willing to take a zero for the assignments.

I am not so sure about the socialization aspect. I think social networking is fun but I struggle with this in an educational setting. I see how it can work but I can also see how one could lose control of the situation. I think that schools using a LMS are in a better position than those using places like Facebook and other public social sites. The LMS can be better controlled and does not allow for outside interference.

Now, off for a couple of days for Thanksgiving then back to work on week 6 assignments.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 4

With my teaching experiences so far, almost all of my lessons have been teacher centered. Now, that being said, I have not taught in over 10 years. Technology was different back in 1998. I would certainly do things differently now. At the time, the only student centered lesson revolved around students creating their own music on a computer and keyboard. Even that process has changed.

While working on this module I am finding the authentic assessments to be the hardest part. I do understand the concept but am having some difficulty applying it to my lesson.

I am also finalizing my discussion points for next week. I am still nervous about not having enough material to cover the time. I am hoping my prompts are good enough to generate some really good discussion.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 3

This week I chose Access and Equity as my discussion topic. Why? Well, I have experience in a number of different types of schools. I grew up and taught in rural schools, my wife works in an affluent, suburban school, and I now work in an urban school. All three settings provide challenges when it comes to online learning. My school is looking at implementing hybrid classes within the next 12 months. I am always looking for ideas and discussions around access and equity, especially for my urban students.

I have not yet taught an online learning course but I am currently planning some courses. My first course is a tutorial on the gradebook we use at school. I am going to offer this to our teachers who want more understanding of the gradebook functions. I am hoping to go live with this training at the end of the first semester, provided our online environment is setup and ready to go. My greatest challenge will be to make sure everyone is involved and comfortable with the online environment. My goal is to get our teachers to participate in the online format so that they will use it for their classes. It will be a long process but it should benefit everyone.

Planning for this synchronous discussion has been difficult for me. I am not comfortable speaking to groups of people (small or large) so this is taking me out of my comfort level. I do believe that this is something that I can do successfully if I can overcome my nerves. We will see how it goes.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 2

Many of the tools that are used in our class will be things that I would incorporate into my teaching. My learners will be adults between the ages of 25 and 55. Methods like prompt discussion and initiate participation will be important so my students will have a good example to use with their classes. My job, along with help from others, will be to prepare our teachers for teaching a hybrid class and to facilitate in an online environment. Keeping younger students engaged will be important so the class is not lost. I think effective communication and feedback will also be important to keep the students interested.

I think some of the things I would incorporate are things that I taught to teachers this summer. Creating video responses using Eyejot or using Voicethread to create a presentation may be used. I also think that just responding to questions on the Elluminate whiteboard and participation in class will be effective tools.

I did like your initial contact. It was not only inviting and set a good tone, but it was also clear on where to go, how to access the data, and what to do and by when. There was only the minor problem with the logins but that was quickly fixed and communicated. This is certainly the most organized and the best format that I have experienced in the program so far. This will give me some great tools to pass on to my teachers.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 1

This is the first week of a new class. It has been hectic with no break to finalize assignments from the last class before starting this one. So far, though, the class has been helpful and will help enhance my online teaching skills.

I can relate the examples of online learning to my daily experiences at work. We are trying to get some teachers to do a blended class and there is some resistance. This comes mainly from a lack of understanding of how to relate to the students in an online environment. Some of the resources that I gather in this will hopefully help them through the process.

So far, I have had no problems using the management system or using the discussion boards. Once we got past the initial login problem last week it has been pretty straightforward. I do like how it is organized and how easy it is to find our assignments.

I will be using Elluminate on a regular basis soon. We are testing some new software from Pearson called Fronter. This is a new LMS environment that is very popular in Europe. In this program Elluminate is a built-in module. We will be using this software for blended classes, for professional development, and for holding administrative meetings. This will be playing a big part in our future communications.

I tried something new in these modules. I actually took one of the quizzes on the gallery tour. This is not usually something that I do but I wanted to test my knowledge on a topic that I was not really familiar with. This gave me an idea to possibly use this method with our staff. After a professional development session we could use a tool like this to see if they understood the material.

Looking forward to next week's class.

Decision Making - Week 6

Well, I finished my last assignment last night. I am glad to be done with this class. I will admit, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I did learn a lot about statistics and I understand it more now than I did when I was younger. Maybe it is more of a willingness to learn it this time instead of just taking the class as a filler math class in college.

I found some interesting data on the Archives web site. I was not sure what to look up then I found a search for military records. I looked up data on my Grandfather who was a World War II veteran and a prisoner in a German camp for a few months. I was able to find information about his enlistment such as where he enlisted, his term of enlistment, and more. I was also able to find out some information on his time a the German camp. It listed his date of capture, where he was held, and his status (released/rescued). This topic was something he never talked about but I have always been fascinated with. Even though the amount of data on him was minimal I did learn somethings.

I am looking forward to our next class already. Learning how to facilitate an online class will be helpful to me in the future. I am working with some software now that has Elluminate built into its interface. I plan on offering professional development to our teachers and staff starting in the Spring. This is coming just in time. Hopefully I will pickup some good tips to help me plan and manage my classes.

Decision Making - Week 5

This week we took a look at Google Trends. I have heard of people looking at this site before to see the latest hot topics on Google but I had never gone there myself. I liked that users can search keywords and see traffic on that topic over a period of time. Also, to be able to go back to that period of time to see the news and blogs posts related to the topics was nice. Overall, I think it is a good basic tool to gather information. As far as using it in a business setting, I do not think that this is an appropriate tool. There is not enough information given here to make wise business decisions.

As for the statistics part of the class this week, I found the work on z scores to be helpful. I am still a bit confused as to how to calculate it properly but a little more work on it and I will understand it just fine. I will also be glad when we are finished with this class. It has not been difficult but it has been quite a bit of work. Looking forward to moving on to the next class.