Module 3 Part 5 Bell

What is one strategy you will use to assess the technology needs of your context?  How will you document needs?  What kind of data will you use?

I feel that the first step, no matter what context or location is used for assessment is to create a survey that others could fill out to help determine the needs of that particular school or classroom. The survey would need to cover topics such as: how long you have been teaching, current technologies in use in the classroom, what technologies they would like to use or become more familiar with, interest in attending technology-related professional development,  and how well they think that their current curriculum covers the 21^st century objectives.

 That being said, I began by reviewing the Determining Your Technology Needs link and then I reviewed the Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) Technology plan to begin to think about a direction to work in for the technology assessment. I am having a difficult time trying to decide which way to go about this portion of the assignment. Ideally I would love to be teaching art again in a K-12 setting, but due to relocating to Virginia Beach and the lack of jobs here, I have worked as a substitute for a year and currently I am working as a teacher’s assistant in a Distance Learning lab. In less than 2 months my husband will be transferred to Saratoga Springs, NY and we will be moving again. I do not know where I will be working or anything about the school districts there yet. So I am thinking that now I may need to start to research the area and learn about the school district and the Technology Plan they have in place.

MODULE THREE (L.EVERLEY)

•  Where do the ISTE, NBPTS, and WVPTS "speak" to or promote teacher leadership, particularly leadership for technology integration?

     "ISTE's NETS for Computer Science Educators (NETS•CSE) are the standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge that computer science educators need to reach, inspire, and teach students in computing.

While most people use technology, it is the computer scientists who create and design it. Computer science teachers are engaging and building corps of students who have a computing skill set that is applicable across various fields" (computer science educators). 

      ISTE: "Prepares students and professionals to meet performance-based NETS for Students, Teachers, or Administrators; Give students and teachers the knowledge, experience, and skills to use technology for higher-order thinking."

https://www.iste.org/

WVPTS: Standard 4:  Professional Responsibilities for Self-Renewal

     "The teacher persistently and critically examines their practice through a continuous cycle of self‐improvement focused on how they learn, teach and work in a global and digital society.  The teacher is responsible for engaging in professional, collaborative self‐renewal in which colleagues, as critical friends, examine each other’s practice in order to adjust instruction and practice based on analysis of a variety of data.  Participation in this form of professional dialog enables teachers to discover better practice, be supported by colleagues in engaging in that practice, and significantly contribute to the learning of others as members of a professional learning community.  Teachers contribute to the teaching profession through the implementation of practices that improve teaching and learning."

https://sites.google.com/site/teacherpreparationplanning/wvpts

NBPTS: Proposition 5: Teachers are Members of Learning Communities.

They work with other professionals on instructional policy, curriculum development and staff development.

http://www.nbpts.org

• There are typically three pathways to teacher leadership for practicing teachers: a pathway for teachers who leave their classrooms to move into formal administrative positions as school leaders, a pathway for teachers who remain in the classrooms to develop and share a deeper knowledge base about teaching with their students and colleagues, and a pathway that bridges the two previously mentioned paths, that is for teachers who spend part of their time in a classroom and part of their time taking on additional administrative and professional development responsibilities  If you were designing a program of professional development intended to prepare teacher leaders to take advantage of these multiple pathways, what would it look like? What learning experiences would you include? (New teacher leadership roles — literacy coaches, mentors, and staff developers). 

     I would give teachers opportunities to leave their classroom and have another teacher take over their classroom. I would have them work one-on-one with other teachers and administrators on daily activities as well as school projects.
The learning activities I would include would be; administrative activities, parent meetings, disciplinary discussions, and budget meetings.

• In her interview, Moller discusses the role of the principal in teacher leadership. What have you observed in your experiences? 

          I have no experience in this area because I have not had the opportunity to teach yet. I have only done student clinical's.

• Did you observe principals or other administrators supporting teachers in leadership roles, sharing the responsibility for providing leadership to initiatives in the school with teachers, engaging in what we call "distributed leadership" with teachers or other specialists?

         No.

•  Moller also includes a list of three things she thinks need to occur in the future to promote teacher leadership (near the end of the interview transcript). Think about these three things and whether or not think they would make a difference for your perspective. 

         I think that all perspectives of professional development makes a difference. The principal is a key role in developing and leading their staff.
     

• How do Professional Development Schools (PDSs) and/or PLCs create opportunities for teachers to become leaders? What examples of teacher leadership do you see in your PDS, or what do you think might emerge if your school were to become a PDS? What examples of PLCs do you see in your school organization? Have teachers leaders emerged from these PLCs?

          They focus on what they want their students to learn. They know what their students already know and they improve what they need to reteach. Theses schools have a collaborative culture. They teachers all work together. They also measure their students results based on their intentions. The programs, polices, and practices are assessed to determine how they impact student learning. the staff members receive the results in a timely manner. (unable to answer other questions)

• Share at least one strategy you will use/are using to assess the technology needs of your context (how will you document needs, what kind of data will you use, etc.). 

           I would ask the students about their experiences with using technology and proceed from there to determine what I would use. I did observe the use of a Smart Board during my clinical's. I am confident that students are fluent in the use of technology because it so accessible.

Module 3- Con't. (Part 3)

Moller Interview

As a substitute at a variety of different schools I believe I have seen different leadership qualities among principals.  I have seen principals who enjoy the reduced pressure of being a leader by nurturing teacher leaders.  They take pride in these teacher leaders instead of viewing them as a threat.  Although many changes come about due to these teacher leaders and not because of them directly, they are still able to share in the success.  Teacher leaders seem to be able to come to them with ideas, address concerns together and  implement change with the support of administrators.  This creates on going progress and camaraderie within the school.

Then there seems to be schools where the administrators don't seem to want to give their full trust to teachers and are skeptical of their ideas.  They come off as possibly condescending and give the impression that change comes from the top.  Based on my observations of these types of environments, some teachers are able to infiltrate administration and are trusted to suggest changes without offending superiors and some are not.

Regarding the three examples Moller hopes will emerge, I absolutely agree with the first two.  As someone who spent the majority of my working years in the private sector, I am accustomed to employees being recognized with raises, bonuses and promotions primarily based on performance.  I do not see it as a wise business practice or even an ethical practice to expect a teacher to fully take on additional leadership roles without clear expectations and compensation.  Teachers are not volunteers and they deserve to be recognized with through "predictable and fully-funded avenues" and with "commensurate pay".

Professional Development Schools and/or Professional Learning Communities

Unfortunately, I do not think I have had the opportunity to be involved in a PDS or a PLC.  At the school I enjoy subbing at most, I think they would be a great school to be a Professional Development School and their support for one another feels like it could be a PLC.  They seem to be enjoy trying new things in order to be on the cutting edge (or "commitment to continuous improvement" -PLC Handout).  The way a PDS fosters leaders is by giving them new ideas and encouraging staff to implement them.  This creates leaders stepping up and it also encourages teachers working together a forming, at minimum, an informal PLC.  I believe when teachers feel comfortable confiding with their colleagues and peers, they create a PLC.  Although, it would be more effective and consistent if administration required PLC's within a school so teachers can have more concrete goals and documentation.

Assessing Technology Needs

Thanks to Dr. Morphew, I have been introduced to a great website which not only shares a variety of online tools teachers and media specialists can use but it helps the user with the needs assessment process in order to help them find the right technology tool.  I believe this site can help those afraid of technology, a many other types of professionals as well as a stay at home parent.  You can check it out at http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/ .

Module 3 - Standards & Leadership

As I read the content for this assignment I was struck by the disparity between education today and the educational climate of twenty years ago.  A conversation with a retired teacher helped to evaluate the changes in education.  My friend, Julia, retired in 1995 with more than 30 years of teaching under her belt.  We have had numerous conversations over the years about the changes in education.  As more and more of our mutual friends retire from education we often revisit many of the same issues. 

A recurring theme is the changes in the role of the teacher both in and out of the classroom.  My most recent conversation with Julia revolved around teacher leadership.  To summarize our conversation, she did not fully understand the concept of teacher leadership.  To her way of thinking there were teachers and there were administrators.  There was not a crossover between the two at that time.

The development and strengthening of the various organizations promoting technology, leadership, and standardization have benefited not on the students, but also the educators.  We can look at the various components of ISTE, NBPTS, and WVPTS and discover the various components that encourage advanced training, and technology literacy and integration.

Module 3 - Technology Assessment

I currently work within a post secondary educational environment.  At the Frank & Jane Gabor WV Folklife Center on the shared campus of Fairmont State University  and Pierpont Community & Technical College I work as a Graduate Assistant.  On the surface this requires 20 hours a week in a very non-traditional manner.  There are 8 student employees, 2 part time secretaries and 2 faculty.  Each of these individuals have very different technology skill levels and various levels of computer competency.  I view skill level and competency differently.  I see skill level as hands on the keyboard, ability to make programs work and competency is understanding how and why the program works.  The two are not necessarilly interchangable.  I am considered the in-house technology person and issues, concerns, training, and troubleshooting often come to me, before being referred to the IT department. 

In conducting a technology needs assessment within this environment I would first conduct a formal survey of each of the employees in the building.  While I am familiar with each of their skill levels I would want to know what technology they want to learn and utilize.  This formal survey combined with a working knowledge will help facilitate an assessment of the current technology climate within the Center.

An examination of the mission statement of the Center and future programming goals would enable a realistic technology assessment.  A thorough familiarization with the staff, the goals of the organization, and the current technologies available would enable a thorough technology assessment.

Module 3- Con't. (Part 2)

Designing a Teacher Leadership Program & Moller Interview

By Macy Jackson

I believe the more administrators and teachers understand one another's roles, the better they can work together to improve a school in every aspect.  When reading, "Teacher Leaders' Preparation: Structure and Pedagogy" under the practitioners insights link, there five strands given in an example of teacher leadership training and one of them was content knowledge.  I would want my potential teacher leaders to do some initial research to start off in their quest to become teachers leaders.  This should be through a group effort if there were several teachers participating.  I believe this is an important start because I would like them to spend the majority of their training working with their colleagues in their school throughout the remainder of their training.  The initial improvement in content knowledge or administrative knowledge will help them gain credibility and trust as they attempt to become a leader.

I would want teacher leaders to have a variety of experiences.  They would start by identifying a series of problems within their school by talking with teachers and administrators.  Then I would want them to research ways these problems could be resolved.  Lastly, attempt to assist in correcting these problems through newly implemented long-term practices.

Initially, I would want each teacher to find a problem in administration and problem in a classroom then attempt to fix it, preferably with the help of colleagues or other teacher leaders in training.  I would want it to be an ongoing theme of being a leader in administration as well as in the classroom.  As the teacher leadership training progressed, the teacher could have the freedom to adjust the type of problems he/she chooses to suite his/her abilities/interests.

Module Three (Heather Summers)

• Where do the ISTE, NBPTS, and WVPTS "speak" to or promote teacher leadership, particularly leadership for technology integration?
• All these organizations promote teacher leadership, particularly leadership for technology integration, in the WV teaching standards. Standard 4—Professional Responsibilities for Self-Renewal—discusses the skills and knowledge teachers/leaders need to be able to demonstrate within their classroom.
• There is a focus on teacher leadership in the West Virginia Professional Teaching Standard 3: Teaching. Under this standard, teachers must show the ability to communicate with students in a variety of ways, engage and motivate students in a way to promote a deep understanding of content, and adjust instruction based on the needs of the students and in response to “teachable moments”. Teachable moments are the times when students ask clarifying questions or bring up unique perspectives on the topic being taught or discussed. The teacher then can use that scenario to dive deeper into the topic and expound. Moreover, Standard 5: Professional Responsibilities for School and Community is all about bettering the school and educational system through teacher leadership. These standards show the responsibility of the teacher to his/her community and school, which are the abilities of a teacher leader. It takes teaching above and beyond the classroom, and this philosophy is the essence of teacher leadership.
• The focus on technology in the West Virginia Professional Teaching Standards can be found under Standard 1: Curriculum and Planning. This standard promotes teachers in designing instruction that engages students in meaningful instructional activities that support the WV CSOs and results in intentional student learning. Moreover, this standard states that teachers should use a balanced approach to ensure assessment of learning and assessment for learning to provide feedback for teachers and students in order to improve future learning.

 

• There are typically three pathways to teacher leadership for practicing teachers: a pathway for teachers who leave their classrooms to move into formal administrative positions as school leaders, a pathway for teachers who remain in their classrooms to develop and share a deeper knowledge base about teaching with their students and colleagues, and a pathway that  bridges the two previously mentioned paths, that is for teachers who spend part of their time in a classroom and part of their time taking on additional administrative and professional development responsibilities. If you were designing a program or professional development intended to prepare teacher leaders to take advantage of these multiple pathways, what would it look like? What learning experiences would you include?
• I would use a mentoring program that allows potential teacher leaders to shadow people in particular pathways. The candidate would be shadowing under a person for so many weeks and then will go to the next pathway. At the end the teacher leader should be able to determine what would fit them the best. This way the teacher can experience first-hand the pros and cons to each pathway and how to do the job efficiently and effectively. I believe that after he/she decides what pathway they are willing to do, an administrator/the mentor should check on them regularly the first few months to see how well they’ve transitioned to their “new job”.

 

• In her interview, Moller discusses the role of the principal in teacher leadership. What have you observed in your experiences? Did you observe principals or other administrators supporting teachers in leadership roles, sharing the responsibility for providing leadership to initiatives in the school with teachers, engaging in what we call "distributed leadership" with teachers or other specialists? Moller also includes a list of three things she thinks need to occur in the future to promote teacher leadership (near the end of the interview transcript). Think about these three things and whether or not you think they would make a difference from your perspective.

o    Based on my experiences, I have observed teacher leaders improving and implementing initiatives, and principals supporting them in it. I’ve seen this more so in the school that I’m at now. However, when it comes to sharing the responsibility for providing leadership to initiatives in the school with teachers, I have yet to see principals insert themselves into the change. Mainly, I have seen principals approve initiatives and then let their teacher leaders take over and work out the details. The principals don’t go to the conferences or training that the teacher leaders go through, which causes major conflicts when implementing the initiative.

o    Three things that Moller thinks need to occur in the future to promote teacher leadership is that (1) teachers must be praised for taking on additional roles and the additional work they are willing to do for the educational system, (2) teachers put forth more effort and time—therefore they should be compensated for their time and effort, and finally, (3) improving the educational environment, in order to promote teacher leadership is crucial to the increasing of leaders in the school system. I have experienced the effect of principals piling on more work for teachers who try to do more for the school. Often, teachers get “volunteered” to do pet-projects, because they wanted to do ONE activity that was not in the normal teacher responsibilities, such as a club/activity. Also, some teachers are praised for the extra activities they do, while others aren’t recognized for the loads of responsibilities they take on within the school.

o    I agree with Moller that those three things need to change for promoting future teacher leaders. If it doesn’t change, then I’m not sure who will want to do anything other than instruct their students during the normal work day. I do believe that those three standards will encourage teachers to step-up and be motivators of change. If nothing else, Gayle’s standards will promote a positive school culture among teachers and administrators.

• How do Professional Development Schools (PDSs) and/or PLCs create opportunities for teachers to become leaders? What examples of teacher leadership do you see in your PDS, or what do you think might emerge if your school were to become a PDS? What examples of PLCs do you see in your school or organization? Have teacher leaders emerged from these PLCs?
• As teacher candidates we called the schools that worked with us PDSs. They were the ones on the forefront of trying to improve teacher candidates to become teachers. The host teachers within the PDSs allowed the candidates to take the reins and become the teacher that they wanted to be with supervision and advice. It was a grooming and fine-tuning stage in the learning process.
• PLCs are supposed to be a collaboration of professional teachers on how to locate and improve student learning. Now-a-days we use them as time allotted to have a staff meeting. The meeting involves talking about improving WESTTEST scores and jotting the necessary paperwork to show that we discussed the goals for obtaining this. The rest of the time we talk about what’s going on in the school, what we need to be prepared for, and upcoming events for the math department.
• North Marion is a PDS for West Virginia University and Fairmont State teacher candidates. I often see the teacher candidates getting involve in school functions, whether it is a pep rally or volunteering to help with students after school. They are encouraged to participate as if they were a paid teacher in the school already.
• Our PLCs at North Marion are just department meetings. There is no enhancement or sharing of ideas unless it’s how to improve students’ test scores for the WESTTEST. On occasion we will talk about Math Field Day or Mu Alpha Theta, but that is more an update on how those entities are doing or what needs to be done.
• There has been no teacher leaders who have emerged from these PLCs because I don’t believe we do them right. My department chair leads the meeting and then we sometimes go back to our rooms to work. There is no collaboration and sharing to have teacher leaders emerge.

 

• Share at least one strategy you will use/are using to assess the technology needs of your context (how will you document needs, what kind of data will you use, etc.).

o    Based on the Marion County’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2460, I have learned that the educator stands in the place of a parent or guardian during school hours, and thus, is responsible for all acceptable/appropriate uses of online resources, technologies and the Internet. Students are responsible for proper and ethical behavior when using technology, and must adhere to school policy.

o    According to the Marion County Public Schools Technology Plan (2012-2014), the District has established a recommended minimum level for the 21^st Century Classroom. Some minimum levels for the high schools are:

§   Access to video and voice conferencing

§  Access to school wireless network

o    As well as, Wide Area Network (WAN) between schools with access to the World Wide Web. Content filtering is provided by the District to all schools and departments.

o    I will use this information to show the need for my technology integration plan. However, I am unsure how I can find data (i.e. numbers to prove that there is a need)

Module 3- Leadership for Technology Integration

ISTE, NBPTS, and WVPTS & Leadership for Technology Integration

The ISTE obviously strongly believes in technology integration in schools but I feel they have a progressive view also toward teacher leadership due to the tone on their website.

"Moving forward, teachers must become comfortable being co-learners with their students and colleagues around the world."

And under their Essential Conditions for Teachers the second Essential Condition they list is:

Empowered Leaders
Stakeholders at every level empowered to be leaders in effective change

The NBPTS offers National Board Certification for leaders which nurtures leaders but, based on the information about this certification, I do not believe particularly leadership in technology integration is a primary concern.  Although, I have a premonition they do not communicate specifically technology integration in describing this certification in order to not scare potential NBC teacher leaders off but do instill it in the required curriculum to become National Board Certified.  It would be a great disservice to our students and our profession to not be able to hold a National Board Certified Teacher Leader to a high enough standard to be efficient technology integration leader in this digital age.

The WVPTS states in Function 4A:

The teacher engages in professional learning to critically examine his/her professional practice and to

engage in a continuous cycle of self-improvement focused on how to learn, teach and work in a global, digital society.

The WVPTS states in Function 5H:

The teacher demonstrates leadership by implementing classroom and school initiatives that improve

education as well as by making positive changes in policy and practice that affect student learning.  

It is comforting to me the WVPTS has Function 4A & 5H.  They address self-improvement in a digital society and demonstrating teacher leadership so they are both acknowledged.  But with regards to being a teacher leader in technology integration, they are listed separately buy not together. 

I believe the NBPTS might be the most effective at promoting teacher leaders in a general sense due to the increase in compensation for National Board Certified Teacher Leaders.

Module 3 Parts 4 & 5

•How do Professional Development Schools (PDSs) and/or PLCs create opportunities for teachers to become leaders? What examples of teacher leadership do you see in your PDS, or what do you think might emerge if your school were to become a PDS? What examples of PLCs do you see in your school or organization? Have teacher leaders emerged from these PLCs?

PDS schools offer teacher leadership through National Board Certification, networking of workshops, and other collaborative events.  Examples I see in my school include Student Teaching, workshops for content areas, and co-teaching classes.  Examples of PLCs at my school include: Positive Behavior Support systems and team meetings.  The team meetings are arranged by grade level and include the instructors for that grade.  We discuss certain students who struggle and what would be best for their learning.  We also discuss certain reward systems that would work or not work to improve and promote positive behavior. 

•Share at least one strategy you will use/are using to assess the technology needs of your context (how will you document needs, what kind of data will you use, etc.).

A strategy I would like to use to assess technology needs is determining whether or not it will benefit the learning of the classroom.  Currently, my classroom is small and unable to house a lot of technology, therefore I am unable to incorporate technological assignments.  In the future, I will have to wait and see what I have available and what is important for the learning environment. 

Module 3 Part 3

•In her interview, Moller discusses the role of the principal in teacher leadership. What have you observed in your experiences? Did you observe principals or other administrators supporting teachers in leadership roles, sharing the responsibility for providing leadership to initiatives in the school with teachers, engaging in what we call "distributed leadership" with teachers or other specialists? Moller also includes a list of three things she thinks need to occur in the future to promote teacher leadership (near the end of the interview transcript). Think about these three things and whether or not you think they would make a difference from your perspective.

My experience is perfect for this point in the assignment.  This is my first year of teaching and as with many first years I am sure, it has been a little challenging.  Within the first 4 months of school I had already gotten a few parental phone calls and been summoned to the principal’s office for a meeting with a few of my students who thought I was being an unfair teacher.  The principal backed my situation each time.  Even though it was a tough situation, the principal was able to get my view across effectively and able to resolve the situations with no further comments.  I feel this is how principals should be.  They should support the teachers decisions and if any questions should come up, then the principal should handle them in a professional manor, as I have experienced. Moller’s three points currently do not change or differ my perspective, but since this is my first year of teaching I am sure I will alter my views in the future. 

Module 3 Part 2

•There are typically three pathways to teacher leadership for practicing teachers: a pathway for teachers who leave their classrooms to move into formal administrative positions as school leaders, a pathway for teachers who remain in their classrooms to develop and share a deeper knowledge base about teaching with their students and colleagues, and a pathway that  bridges the two previously mentioned paths, that is for teachers who spend part of their time in a classroom and part of their time taking on additional administrative and professional development responsibilities. If you were designing a program or professional development intended to prepare teacher leaders to take advantage of these multiple pathways, what would it look like? What learning experiences would you include?

My program would include examples of individuals who have completed each pathway.  I feel in order to learn which situation is best for each teacher, it is necessary to allow others to share their experience.  We as a human society should try to learn from each other, and since teachers expect students to learn from them, teachers should be open to learning from each other. 

Module 3 Part 1

ISTE- 5 areas I found when examining the site include: “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity”, “Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments”, “Model Digital Age Work and Learning”, “Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility”, and “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership”  These areas all offer the capability of teacher leadership, and most include the use of technology.  Two points that stuck out the most were the last two.  It is important for teachers to promote responsibility and engage in growth and leadership.  Students should see this within all aspects of learning.  Since we are becoming more technological inclined, it is important that teachers know the proper use and support of technology so students can model what they see.

NBPTS- This program speaks to Teacher Leader and the opportunities available for growth and leadership within the teaching field.  The National Board tries to promote and recognize “school-based” leadership.  The Board feels there needs to be a strong education system and teachers should be leaders within the classroom and school that students can learn from.  National Board Leaders also feel it is important to work with all school personnel in order to achieve a positive learning environment.

WVPTS- Two standards that West Virginia displays include “Professional Responsibilities for Self-Renewal” & “Professional Responsibilities for School and Community”.  These standards emphasize the importance that leaders should always look for ways to improve their skills.  This can happen by the process of self-reflection or looking at the community as a whole to see what actions should be taken to improve. 

Module 3 - Part 5 (V. Clay)

Question: Share at least one strategy you will use/are using to assess the technology needs of your context (how will you document needs, what kind of data will you use, etc.).

Response:
In the past year the state ABE program received a substantial grant to buy technology  equipment. I am fortunate to have classroom resources such as an ipad, a smartboard, an elmo and a kindle. I have had training on how to utilize these resources in my classroom, but I see room for improvement in this respect. It is important that these technical tools are used in appropriate ways, and not just as an extension of what teachers already do. I am interested in using technology as a way to radically change the nature of education, and specifically (in my context), adult basic education. I feel like I, as a new teacher, lack basic background information. One strategy I will use is talking to veteran teachers to find out more information about the changes (both technological & standards-based) that have happened in the past year. I would also gather information about what challenges teachers might face who are less technically inclined than myself. I could gather this information formally via a survey (maybe using SurveyMonkey.com). However, I am somewhat aware that a formal process is already happening in the ABE program, which includes teacher leaders, I work with. I would like to seek out those teacher leaders and “pick their brain” about what is currently happening. Until I have done so, I am unclear about what direction might be beneficial to my program, in terms of a grant proposal.

Module 3 - Parts 4 and 5 (A Lambert)

Question:
How do Professional Development Schools (PDSs) and/or PLCs create opportunities for teachers to become leaders? What examples of teacher leadership do you see in your PDS, or what do you think might emerge if your school were to become a PDS? What examples of PLCs do you see in your school or organization? Have teacher leaders emerged from these PLCs?

Response:
Professional Development School and Learning Communities create opportunities through opportunities for collaboration. The school where I work is a PDS through Glenville State College. In my position, I don't have the opportunity to see many examples of teacher leadership through the PDS. Recently, our county has hired literacy coaches and specialists. I have seen teacher leadership displayed through these teacher leaders.

Question:
Share at least one strategy you will use/are using to assess the technology needs of your context (how will you document needs, what kind of data will you use, etc.).

Response:
As a future (hopefully) Business Education teacher, I realize that technology is an ever expanding field. In order to best serve my students, I will be required to stay abreast of the latest technologies and teaching methods. To stay abreast will require my continuing professional development along with assessing how technologies are used. I will need to determine what my school requires to implement that latest technologies.

Module 3 - Part 2 and 3 (A Lambert)

Question:
There are typically three pathways to teacher leadership for practicing teachers: a pathway for teachers who leave their classrooms to move into formal administrative positions as school leaders, a pathway for teachers who remain in their classrooms to develop and share a deeper knowledge base about teaching with their students and colleagues, and a pathway that  bridges the two previously mentioned paths, that is for teachers who spend part of their time in a classroom and part of their time taking on additional administrative and professional development responsibilities. If you were designing a program or professional development intended to prepare teacher leaders to take advantage of these multiple pathways, what would it look like? What learning experiences would you include?

Response:
While I am not currently a teacher, I have worked in the school system for several years. Most of the complaints I have heard stem from teachers feeling that mandates in how and what they teach are handed down from "the top" by administrators who "forget what it's like to be in the classroom". Given the opportunity, I would create a professional development intended to help teachers move toward a teacher leadership role and work together with administration for the betterment of the learning community.

Question:
In her interview, Moller discusses the role of the principal in teacher leadership. What have you observed in your experiences? Did you observe principals or other administrators supporting teachers in leadership roles, sharing the responsibility for providing leadership to initiatives in the school with teachers, engaging in what we call "distributed leadership" with teachers or other specialists? Moller also includes a list of three things she thinks need to occur in the future to promote teacher leadership (near the end of the interview transcript). Think about these three things and whether or not you think they would make a difference from your perspective.

Response:
As a secretary, I worked for 9 years at the Central Office and the last couple years within a school. My observation is that the teacher/principal relationship is complex. The administration I have worked with have had a variety of leadership styles. I believe that I have seen leadership styles that encourage teacher leadership roles, as well as those that discourage it. The administration that supported teacher leadership roles have had more successful schools and relationships with their staff.

In her interview, Moller lists three things that she thinks need to occur in the future to promote teacher leadership: These include:
More meaningful career ladders for teachers.
Merit pay.
Addressing working conditions.
From my perspective, these steps would definitely encourage teacher leadership. As Moller states, teaching is seen as a "flat profession". We need to move away from that and encourage teachers to strive for more within their profession.

Learning Module 3 - Part 1 (A Lambert)

Question:
Where do the ISTE, NBPTS, and WVPTS "speak" to or promote teacher leadership, particularly leadership for technology integration?

Response:
The ISTE-NETS-T promotoes teacher leadership for technology intergration through Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. This standard requires that "Teachers continously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources." Teachers should participate in learning communities, demonstrate vision through technology infusion and evaluate and contribute through research and professional practice.

In the NBPTS, leadership for technology integration is addressed in Proposition 5: Teachers are members of learning communities. This standard directs teachers to seek and build relationships with the learning community and businesses.

The WVPTS addresses teacher leadership through Standard 4: Professional Responsibilities for Self-Renewal. Within this standard, "teachers engage in a continous cycle of reflection and professional learning while collaborating with colleagues to discover better practice and improve the teaching profession. Additionally, Standard 5: Professional Responsibilities for School and Community addresses Teacher Leaderhing in Function 5. This requires that teachers will demonstrate leadership through implementation of classroom and school initiatives improving education.

Module 3 - Parts 3 & 4 (V Clay)

Question: In her interview, Moller discusses the role of the principal in teacher leadership. What have you observed in your experiences? Did you observe principals or other administrators supporting teachers in leadership roles, sharing the responsibility for providing leadership to initiatives in the school with teachers, engaging in what we call "distributed leadership" with teachers or other specialists? Moller also includes a list of three things she thinks need to occur in the future to promote teacher leadership (near the end of the interview transcript). Think about these three things and whether or not you think they would make a difference from your perspective.

Response:
This is a hard one for me to answer because I am not based in a K-12 school. My experience in a K-12 school is minimal, I have partnered with teachers to provide media workshops in their classrooms, and two years ago I volunteered as an Americorps worker in the local high school 2 days a week, but I have never worked as a teacher in one. During most of my experiences in a K-12 school I worked directly with individual teachers. I did not have any idea as to what the culture of teacher leadership was in those schools. In my work as an ABE teacher, my supervisor does an excellent job of encouraging teacher leadership. One way he does this is by providing opportunities for teachers to travel for trainings in order to learn new trends and techniques. For example, last summer, two fellow ABE teachers attended a special needs conference in the Midwest. As part of the training, those teachers were required to present a workshop to the ABE teachers in our region that covered the information they learned. In relation to technology training, we have several Technology Integration Specialist teachers in our region who regularly teach workshops to their teacher peers and have the opportunity to attend ongoing technology trainings on a national level.

In response to the three things Ms. Moller thinks needs to occur in order to promote teacher leadership, I agree. I think that these three things are common sense thinking that would make a difference. I have always been interested in education, but I made a concious effort as an undergrad (and new graduate) to pursue alternative, non-school based, teaching opportunities. One reason I am not a teacher in the K-12 system is because I have always been concerned with job satisfaction in the public schools. For right or wrong, I have always perceived the school system as a top-down bureaucracy that does not appeal to me. I think the “measurement of and attention to working conditions in schools” and that results would be taken seriously would go a long way to changing the perception of the school system in this country. That perception change, paired with an opportunity for teachers to “advance” in ways that aren’t purely administrative and see their salaries increase as a result of added responsibility and training could also improve teacher retention and recruitment, along with job satisfaction.

Question: How do Professional Development Schools (PDSs) and/or PLCs create opportunities for teachers to become leaders? What examples of teacher leadership do you see in your PDS, or what do you think might emerge if your school were to become a PDS? What examples of PLCs do you see in your school or organization? Have teacher leaders emerged from these PLCs?

Response:Professional Development Schools create opportunities for teachers to become leaders by integrating leadership into the school day. Teacher leadership is demonstrated on a daily basis by involving every classroom and teacher in new teacher training. In addition, it encourages teacher leadership by simply being a model of effective teacher collaboration. Professional Learning Communities create teacher leaders by building a collaborative culture that give teachers a voice in their curriculum implementation. PLC’s are continuously evaluating the effectiveness of their collaborative teaching and contributing creative solutions to improve their teaching. Although I have not experienced either a PDS nor a PLC (although I think I would appreciate, benefit and welcome them into my professional career), I have always worked best with a group of people to “throw ideas around with” and I like the idea of formal, collaborative assessments and benchmarks for teacher effectiveness. I don’t know if my local k-12 schools have anything of this nature, but when my son was in Kindergarten in a different school, they had just implemented once-a-week, early dismissals in order for the teachers to have group planning sessions. I now assume these were PLCs, and as a parent I liked the idea that the 3 kindergarten teachers met once a week to talk about classroom planning etc. In my current position, I am the only full-time ABE instructor for the county, although there is another ABE instructor that works 7 hours a week. We are both new to the job, and the few times we do have time together are always super productive and helpful for both of us. We have both expressed interest in having time that was set aside for us to do joint curriculum planning, unfortunately budgetary constraints combined with are an issue. 

Module 3 - Part 1 & 2 (V. Clay)

Question: Where do the ISTE, NBPTS, and WVPTS "speak" to or promote teacher leadership, particularly leadership for technology integration?

    ISTE developed the National Education Technology Standards for teachers (NETS-T) in order to set a standard to evaluate teachers in the digital age. The NETS-T is a standard for “learning, teaching and leading” in technology education and was developed to evaluate the skills and knowledge teachers need in 21st century learning.
    The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is an additional certification teachers can earn that are based on national standards for excellence in teaching in 16 subject areas. The NBPTS addresses teacher leadership through its 5th core proposition: Teachers are members of learning communities. Which includes collaborating with other teachers, building partnerships with community groups and other professionals, working on curriculum and staff development and engaging with parents. Although I found little mention of technology integration specifically, I found the NBPTS Core Proposition 2: Teachers Know the Subjects They Teach and How to Teach Those Subjects to Student; to be a place I would hope the certification process would address technological integration. The NBPTS also referenced videos that showcased NBPTS standards in practice, to be used by principals and other administrators as a benchmark for teacher evaluations. However, I did not think this was an appropriate model of technology integration. I found this to be an example of "amplification" of current practices as addressed in the "Technology as an Agent of Change in Teacher Practice" reading.
    In the West Virginia Professional Teaching Standards (WVPTS) teacher leadership is promoted through Standards 4 & 5. Standard 4, Professional Responsibilities for Self-Renewal encourages teachers to engage with each other for critical feedback in order to “contribute significantly to the learning of others as a member of a collaborative team.” Standard 5, Professional Responsibilities for School and Community, promotes leadership by encouraging teachers to work collaboratively with each other and their communities in order to bring about positive changes in the school. Technology Integration is a key component of Standard 1, Curriculum and Instruction. This standard calls for integrating 21st Century skills, which heavily includes technology and digital literacy.

Question: There are typically three pathways to teacher leadership for practicing teachers: a pathway for teachers who leave their classrooms to move into formal administrative positions as school leaders, a pathway for teachers who remain in their classrooms to develop and share a deeper knowledge base about teaching with their students and colleagues, and a pathway that  bridges the two previously mentioned paths, that is for teachers who spend part of their time in a classroom and part of their time taking on additional administrative and professional development responsibilities. If you were designing a program or professional development intended to prepare teacher leaders to take advantage of these multiple pathways, what would it look like? What learning experiences would you include?

Response:
This question is very unclear to me. I am new (I started in September) in my position as an Adult Basic Education instructor to be fully aware of existing pathways for professional development beyond the basic workshops and trainings I am encouraged to attend. I am additionally not versed enough on how accessible these three pathways are in a K-12 school to have an idea of what the shortcomings of the current professional development systems are. I have several questions I’d ask in order to ascertain this information. How is professional development encouraged at the moment? Is there time in a work-day set aside for professional development. What incentives exist for teachers to earn professional development beyond the core requirements for ongoing education? What other professional demands do the teachers in a school system have place on them already (i.e. extracurricular clubs, after-school responsibilities, sports etc.)? I suppose if I were designing a program, it would take all these questions into consideration. For instance, providing time built into the school day for professional development, as was outlined in the PLC standards reading, is critical. This could mean altering the school day’s schedule, or allowing for a half-day once a week. Also providing incentives for professional development, such as salary increases, is an important feature I would include in my design.

Module 3 Part 4-5 Hayhurst

How do PDSs/PLCs create opportunities for teachers to become leaders?  What examples of PLCs do you see in you school?  Have teacher leaders emerged?

PDSs/PLCs create opportunities for teachers to become leaders by giving them the chance to collaborate with colleagues, universities, and administration.  PDSs also allow teachers an opportunity to become a mentor to a teacher candidate.  Both of these opportunities involve opening lines of communication between teachers to talk about instruction, strategies, research, and what is best for their students and school.  Being a mentor to a teacher candidate is a great opportunity to guide a new teacher to become the kind of teacher that the schools want.  They have voice in the way their future teachers are trained.

I saw PLCs in my host school through the weekly grade team meetings.  Once a week all the teachers from one grade get together to collaborate; the specialist teachers come into the classroom teachers room and take over instruction for a while so that the teacher can attend the meeting.  At the meetings teachers talk about lesson topics for the next week and ideas for activities.  They would all coordinate projects for their students.  While I was there the students had an ecosystem project they all presented on one day, and later a significant person report they presented.  The entire grade would make the whole day about these projects, which turned out really nice; the students did a great job on them.  At the meetings the teachers also discussed the school's strategic plan and would come up with SMART goals for reading and math; the entire grade would establish a goal for each subject and then come up with a plan of action that each class would implement.

During these PLCs I did see leaders emerge.  There were always one or two teachers who would take charge; putting together the research or coming up with strategies and offering to show the other teachers how to use them.  We had one teacher who was very technology savvy.  She was always finding programs and apps that were very effective in the classroom, and she was always eager to help the other teachers learn how to use them.

What is one strategy you will use to assess the technology needs of your context?  How will you document needs?  What kind of data will you use?

I am starting a long term sub job, so I plan to use that school and grade level for the focus of my context.  My strategy is to survey the other third grade teachers about their thoughts on the technology of the school; what technology are they currently using, what technology they would like to have access to, how do they think that technology would improve student learning, how often would they would use it.  If I have the opportunity after I give the survey I would like to sit down with some of the teachers and discuss their responses in more detail.  I also want to talk to my students about their thoughts on the technology they use in the classroom; what are they using, do they find it interesting/beneficial, what technology would they like to use. 

Module 3 (Parts 4 and 5) Swiger

How do professional development schools and /or PLC’s create opportunities for teachers to become leaders?  

PDSs or PLC’s create opportunities for teacher leaders due to the collaborative model framework. One example of a PLC that I’ve been part of consisted of teachers meeting during the school day and substitutes were provided to allow classroom teachers to meet for a full day.  These meetings were quite successful (due to administrator support and common goals) and at the end of the day you felt a sense of accomplishment.  Our agendas consisted of comparing instructional methods, book studies, creating assessments, mapping the curriculum, writing grants, and the opportunity to “just talk” to colleagues. I’ve also been subjected to watching videos (of my choice), and reporting to a whole group (PLC) with a brief summary. While watching these videos, the time was logged and stamped, and this was reported to your administrator, so professional development credit hours could be noted.  These videos were not allowed to be viewed during your regular school work hours.  I believe teacher leaders emerge from PDSs and PLC’s when consistent, job-embedded professional development occurs and consistency is expected from administration.  The Professional development should based on teacher and student needs, the teacher’s knowledge base and interests, the school’s curriculum/planning goals, and opportunities to meet frequently. Also, teachers must lead these meetings and share responsibilities.  It’s pretty amazing what actually occurs when teachers get together and discuss the real needs and issues for their  classrooms. You learn that your colleagues are chock full of information and more than willing to share.  I’ve witnessed teachers from PDSs leading staff development sessions, presenting at conferences, and mentoring new teachers.  I am the PDS coordinator at Fairview Middle School and this position has led to a collaborative network with FSU faculty and the FSU PDS Partnership.  Due to the overwhelming support from this network, I've been able to grow professionally, fulfill leadership roles, and garner the motivation to enroll in the Digital Media and New Literacies program.   

Share at least one strategy you will use/are using to assess the technology needs of your context (how will you document needs, what kind of data will you use, etc..)

I plan to revisit my school’s five year plan and technology focus. To document needs in relation to context and data, I will administer a google survey form for faculty members and students to complete. The survey will allow participants to document needs and what they want to be able to do.  Some example questions may include:  How do you presently use technology in your classroom?  What technology do you have available for instruction?  What technology would you like to have available for instruction?  How do you think additional technology would help you achieve your instructional goals? What kind of support or professional development should be offered to help achieve your technology goals? Some of these questions may be constructed to obtain quantitative as well as qualitative data.  If I’m focusing on a particular classroom, or the entire school, I should create a survey for students as well.  A student survey would consist of the same types of questions, but reworded for student responses.