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.