Yesterday, the focus of our session involved planning for successful technology implementation both at the classroom(creating individualized professional development plans for teachers) and school building level (developing a Next Steps Action Plan for ABC Middle School). Some of the points I addressed during our Day 2 Session included:
1. The Next Steps Action Plan for your school building or school district needs to emphasize existing curriculum priority areas and student performance on the TAKS.
2. The Next Steps Action Plan needs to include stringent accountability measures to ensure that tasks are performed on-time.
3. The Next Steps Action Plan needs to become a "living" document subject to change and alterations depending on different environmental variables.
4. The Next Steps Action Plan needs to demonstrate that technology can and should play a pivotal role in improving TAKS scores.
5. A need exists to reconceptualize NCLB so that emphasis is placed on the learner rather than on test-prep. To this end, I introduced the New NCLB:
- Non-traditional assessment strategies
- Challenging learning opportunities
- Learning-based curriculum models
- Bloom's taxonomy in-action
6. A website exists that provides a bountiful supply of links to lesson plans, applets, simulations, and interactive "bell-starters" for immediate classroom use. The URL is:
- http://ww2.ikeepbookmarks.com/lotischools
7. Before engaging teachers in the rubric construction process, it is paramount that teachers first buy into the process. I modeled a simulation called the Clapping Simulation as a way of reminding staff of the importance placed on communicating clear and consistent expectations to students.
As promised, I will be sending this morning a completed Next Steps Action Plan for ABC School to your email address. Please include this document as satisfactory completion of Task #4.
I look forward to your comments.
Chris
