Supporting Learning and Leadership with Technology

Performance learning objective 8 is to demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of leaning and leadership.  Data can be used to improve instruction; was the goal met, was it successful or unsuccessful, did each student gain concepts or knowledge.  To make decisions about academic success or failures, having data will help improve the decision making and also implement new ways of promoting learning especially if you are working with others who are resistant to change.  The activity that will be redesigned is week four assignment in EDU658: Instructional Leadership.

Original Activity

Kindergarten Readiness is important aspect in a child’s life to prepare him to become a lifelong learner.  Celebrating small wins not only will show everyone involved appreciation for the hard work that has been given, but will also help keep them motivated.  Goals given will be obtainable and will be a positive and productive experience for everyone involved (Spiro, Leading Change Handbook: Concepts and Tools, 2009). 

The original activity was to create a change strategy and to implement small wins.  The change strategy was to prepare Head Start students for Kindergarten by working with the public school Kindergarten teachers and using learning strategies that will get the students comfortable with the routine and technology used in the classroom.  To start this process, technology needs to be allowed to work with the curriculum and funds need to be raised to purchase interactive white boards.  Interactive white boards will help children become familiar with the tools and how to manipulate it.  The original activity had great ideas for rewarding small wins and would use data and results to determine if the goals were met, but nothing was established on how to record data or even what goals needed to be met. 

The Redesign

            The redesigned activity uses the principle of Objectivism and Behaviorism because the teachers who are involved will observe the students over a period of time to establish data on whether the knowledge has been obtained.  Since the original assignment did not include a way that data would be entered and organized, Microsoft Excel and TeacherKit.net will be used.  Teacher Kit is a classroom management tool that can help track behavior, attendance, and grades.  Microsoft Excel will organize the information for each skill type and whether the skill is leveled at 1, 2 or 3.  Once information has been entered in Excel, the final point evaluation will be entered in Teacher Kit. 

            The students will be observed and once the teacher sees a skill the child has chosen to do, the teacher will rate the process as 3 for mastery; if the child was able to finish the task on time, with little or no help; 2 for progressing; if the child was able to attempt the task with help, or 1 for not seen.  Not seen will be used for if a child refuses to attempt task.  Once all skills have been measured, the teacher can look to see where the class stands as a whole and also which students need more individualized help. 

            Using the interactive white board, students will that the ability to lead their learning by choosing the skills or games they would like to attempt.  The interactive white board will be used as a technology delivery system which will relate to the Objectivism principle.  “Knowledge and learning are achieved when the abstract symbols that the learner came to know correspond to the one and only real world” (Vrasidas, 2000).  When teaching and learning take place, an objectivist model is where the teacher is controlling the learning process and goals. Also in this model, the instructional strategies are well defined, learning is structured or sequenced in an orderly fashion, and assessment aligned with the goals is conducted at the end of instruction.

Using Teacher kit, each grade for the skills for Kindergarten Readiness will be accumulated under each skills type.  For example, motor skills have 8 different skills to be learned so therefore, motor skills will have 24 total points that can be scored.  Here are screenshots of Teacher Kit: 

The challenges that were present was first using Microsoft Excel Analyse-It.  The tool was difficult to figure out because of the lack of experience with the Analyse-It feature.  After I played with it for a while, I still could not figure out how to organize the data.  I then decided to use Microsoft Excel and the Teacher Kit.  Excel is great for organizing data and the Teacher Kit seemed like a neat tool to use.  I am glad I decided to use both tools because it was able to give a grade to the students, but also track in what sub-skills each student is progressing in. 

Using different technology allows learning to take place differently, but making sure the tool is being used as it should be and that it is able to make a change in learning.  This is why tracking data and academic progress will help ensure that you are making a difference.  Once data is shown, staff, which may be resistant to change, will see that they could also make a change for the better and also take advantage of a tool that would help promote learning.