I tell all of my students that there is only one thing that separates us from other animals and that is our ability to reflect on ourselves.  I have been keeping personal journals since I was about sixteen years old.  I have several volumes (diary books) filled with information about specific moments in my life and things that are happening around me.  I find it interesting that reflection is the one thing that determines who we are.  In creating this PLP I looked back on the original plan and discovered that most of the goals that I had set for myself were still relevant and applicable.  I decided that there were a few more to add and I did this on the final page.  One of the things that I still struggle with is setting up a personal, collaborative learning network.  I am just not a big fan of sites like Twitter.  There is so much going on that is not related to what I want that I just don't have the patience to sift through it all.  I like my RSS feeds as they keep me current on all of the news and information coming out in technology.  I like the Facebook format; being able to post and read posts while not being overrun by a ton of other things.  I still need to decide on where I want to focus my time, as I have so little of it.

Speaking of little time, devoting time to personal development is another area I struggle with.  I have a house, three kids (who are busy), a wife (just as busy) and two jobs that demand most of my time.  More and more it seems like personal gets put on the back burner.  I will have to work to find ways to meet these needs as well. 

I know that I will not be teaching the same way I did last year as a result of the things that I learned in these courses.  I have already begun to set several things in motion that will change the way my district uses some of the tools we learned.  I tried to focus on and choose a few tools to get good at so that I could speak intelligently about them to others and share what I have learned with them.  I believe that the tools I have chosen to focus on will not only benefit me, but my peers and students as well. 

This has been an interesting six weeks and I hope to make some big improvements in the way I teach technology and with technology.  I will be posting my goals in my classroom as a reminder to myself where I want to go in the next year  and to model goal setting for my students. 

I believe that teachers shape the future.

 There are things in life that seem so abstract or immense that we struggle to wrap our minds around their construct.  
Close your eyes and imagine the universe.  Do you see it? Can you see it all?  Now imagine that you can see the very edges of the universe...can you?  Can you imagine what lies beyond the edges of your imagination?  Hard to fathom.  Almost makes your head spin trying to stretch your mind to grasp it all.  
 
I believe that this is what it is like being a teacher.  We try to imagine the boundaries of our students' futures, to dream vicariously through their eyes while trying to offer some tangible grounding in the present so that they don't drift away from
us.  Their futures; moving, swirling and shapeless voids of opportunity mixed with anticipation, passions, optimism, talents and dreams, all colliding in precious moments of hope.  

I believe that this is the role of the teacher: somehow we must capture these abstract raw materials and fashion them in order to shape the future of each student.   We must watch the swirling chaos and provide it just enough form that it can adjust to time, pressure and change.  We don't know what the future holds so we must be careful not to form it too much or to push for
something in our likeness.  We must do what is hard: transform our students into people who can think for themselves, question the answers and stand strong in the unknown.

I believe that technology will become even more pervasive than we ever could have dreamed.  As teachers we need to be able to facilitate this transition.  I don't think that teachers should be entertainers.  We have more important things to do than to perform for an audience who doesn't know that they should expect so much more. You can be a digital native, born into a world of technology, and still not understand how it works or the importance of technology.  Our students need to be able to find information, collaborate with peers and find creative solutions to real-world problems.  Our students need so much more than
entertainment.  They need teachers who understand that success is built on a foundation of knowledge in many different things.  Gone are the days of specialization; now is the time of information.  Students need to have a strong foundation in all subjects from math and science to government and ecology.  We need to be able to bridge curriculum and transform our pedagogy to
meet our students' needs.  Technology offers students the flexibility to succeed in this ever changing and fast-paced future.

I believe that it is possible to develop lessons that are rich in content, delivered in a clear, effective and engaging manner and can be presented in a quality format using technology as the medium.  Pedagogy is not merely the act of teaching; it is the art of matching content to need. Our students' needs are changing and schools and teachers must adjust to meet their needs.  Technology allows us to meet the needs of diverse learners and match content to foster achievement.   Assignments like book reports can be developed and produced depending on a student's interest and need.  Podcasts, vodcasts, movies, power point
presentations, cartoons and many other forms of technology can be used to produce the same result and allow each student to creatively communicate their understanding of the material.  
 
I believe that all students have something to contribute and technology gives a voice to those who may not otherwise have
one.  Creativity unlocks the imagination and gives way to communication.  I often envy those who can use words and language to say things that truly touch others.  Song writers who capture feeling and entrance thousands through their music and words; poets who bring to life the simple and make us dream; leaders whose words can inspire a nation when all hope seems lost--these are the faces that we see looking back at us in the classroom.  Technology gives them the tools to reach out and touch others in ways we cannot fathom. We are the keepers of the tools.


Like the TPACK model, I believe that mistakes are not the end of learning, but one of the things that makes succeeding more challenging and interesting.  Mistakes are not the end of the learning process, they are just beginning.  TPACK teaches that there is no right or wrong technology, just good implantations (matchings) and bad.  I use technology in my classroom every day, but before this series of courses, I never considered many alternatives to popular technology.  My job has been to teach kids Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Publisher, etc.  I created my lessons around technology.  I believe that TPACK teaches us that technology is a process not a tool.  It would be like teaching an auto mechanic to use a wrench instead of helping them understand how the electrical system works.  I believe that I need to be teaching the big ideas of technology, not how
a single program works.  
 
As a technology leader in my district, I believe that it is my responsibility to introduce my peers to TPACK as well as educate them in the different forms and uses for technology in the classroom.  Teachers are expected to find time to research new technologies and implement them but they have no method or real means to do so other than trial and error.  I believe that it
is my responsibility to share technology with my peers and show them how they can develop personally and professionally in the digital age.  Programs like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Weebly can help them engage in professional learning networks as well as develop an online professional presence that they can use to collaborate and motivate others with.

I believe that failure is not an option.  Students must be taught to view failure as a time for looking at the process, re-evaluating their course of action and plotting a new course to success. Teaching students that failure is not the end, but part of the process is critical for developing deep thinkers who, through creativity and evaluation, can solve complex and challenging problems.  Perseverance is not something that you are only born with, but something that can be taught and should be taught.  I believe
that high expectations are challenges that develop the greatest of minds and bring out the best in students. 

I truly believe that great teachers shape to future through direction, positive experiences, building strong minds, cultivating creativity, teaching students and each other to use the tools of the future to build critical independent thinkers.  We must create 21st century learners.  Learners who collaborate, innovate and create. Technology is the key to unlock success for these learners.  Technology offers different expression and interpretation of information, it allows us to close the gaps that separate us from each other and it allows us to share our ideas with the world.  Our students are not passive participants in this future that we shape.  They are the leaders of tomorrow, the innovators who will one day take up the reins when we no longer understand the world around us. This future has a face and has a name...we call them students.  Teachers shape the future.

Group’s Common Statement:

Our group took a serious look at the Group Leadership Project.  Using the TPACK framework, we decided that in order to make this a truly interactive and engaging tutorial that could be facilitated online and reused at our peers convenience, creating a website was the most effective delivery method.
 
The Weebly website is our tutorial and its content is divided into several pages: copyright, fair use, creative commons, links and feedback pages.  By dividing the information into pages, our tutorial can be taken in sections so that our peers could complete the tutorial in pieces as they had time.  This also allows for the content to be reused more than for a single professional development opportunity and our peers could revisit the site for information as they had questions throughout the year.  By using this format, we tried to create a product that would endure and be useful not only for the professional development time, but be an effective and constant resource.  We also used Jing and Quicktime to share what you can find on each page of the  website.
Please take a look at our tutorial website on copyright, fair use, and creative commons at http://copycreatefair.weebly.com/

What tool did our group use to deliver the PD tutorial? Why?

After a lengthy discussion, our group decided (as stated above) that a Weebly website would be the most effective delivery method.  Doing a screencast presentation just did not seem engaging or interesting enough to truly capture the essense of this assignment.  Weebly allowed us to use various forms of other media and technologies within it to create a varied and interesting completed project.  Weebly also allowed us to create a product that could be a stand alone resource for our peers when they need it in the future.  The ability to review the information when needed as a refresher or reminder makes this format more enduring over time.  Also, Weebly allowed us to segment out the PD tutorial into smaller pieces.  This makes it easier to navigate and find just the information that you are looking for instead of having to watch an entire presentation or video just to find one piece of it.  This makes it more likely to be used as an ongoing resources than other delivery methods/mediums.

What did you learn during the development process of the final product?

One of the most interesting things that I learned during this process was how easy Weebly can be used to collaborate with.  All three of us were able to work on Weebly at the same time.  We were able to add information and make changes on the final product at the same time without interrupting the work flow.  The only restrictions that Weebly has in its creation process is that two people cannot be on the same page at the same time.  Since we were all working on different pieces of the project, this was not an issue.  When we were ready to have our page reviewed, we simply swapped pages.  This allowed us to all work on the project during the same time period and as long as we communicated clearly, things went smoothly.  I think that being able to work on, dicuss, review and edit this project at the same time was critical to the success of the final project.  I don't believe it would have been as good as we believe it turned out to be if we had not set a common time to work on this project "together."

We also benefited from varying perspectives on the content and by being able to use our different teacher (grade level) experiences.  By having different points of view, I believe we were able to create a more well-rounded final product.  We all were able to communicate our perspectives, be heard and use these variations in the project.  Again, having a common working time was critical to this as well. 

I also learned that having a flexible medium, like Weebly, allows for greater effectiveness in addressing different needs.  Since the Weebly format is so flexible, we were able to use many different forms of technology to create this project.  Everything from pdf documents to online quizzes were able to be used.  This allows for addressing different learning styles as well as being able to more effectively engage the audience we chose--teachers/our peers.  The Weebly format also allowed for endurance of the tutorial training.  We were able to address longevity and time management in this tutorial.  Teachers could complete the turorial in smaller pieces when doing the initial PD training as time allowed.  Also, if half way through the school year a teacher had a question about Creative Commons, they were able to go back to the tutorial and revisit this section without having to do the research on their own or ask for the information again.  It went from being a stand alone tutorial to a lasting resource that could be used at the time of need or desire.  Our peers had the benefit of being able to access the information again and again whenever they needed or wanted to.  This is critical to the success of any PD training.  Instead of getting information one time and moving on, it was there to reference anytime.  Really, how many times have you sat through a PD training and only half paid attention only to discover later that you needed the information but did not know where to get it. 

What would you do differently if you had at develop a similar product again?

One of the things I would do different is to give a pre-test to my intended audience at the staff meeting prior to the PD training.  This would allow me to assess and deliver the information that they need and to narrow the topic to the information that the group wants.  I think that this would help to reduce the amount of information that is directed at them during the time of the PD.  If, for example, the entire group has a good handle on what copyright is but their scoring shows a need to understand what creative commons is and what it does; you could focus on that specifically or put more of and emphasis on that area in the PD tutorial.  Knowing what your audience needs and wants increases the effectiveness and the engagement in the tutorial. 

Obviously, this is a wicked problem that involves a complicated social context with a variety of people being involved.  I believe my first target audience must be the people who will be responsible for creating and implementing the use of the Weebly website--the teachers. 

TP Knowledge
The solution that I have chosen for this wicked problem allows me to create a consistant technological solution across curricular framework and subject matter.  By using Weebly for addressing this problem, I believe that it will allow for each individual teacher, who inputs information into the website, the flexibility to create their own particular "flare" to their vocabulary instruction.  Weebly will take different and varied presentations for information that may not be available in other formats. A website solution also addresses the needs for UDL in that it can use audio, video and different forms of media to present vocabulary while addressing the students individual learning needs and preferences. Teachers will be able to chose the pedagogical approach that works for them in their classroom and move their information to the website.  It will not matter what your teaching style is or your approach to teaching, you can upload the information, in many different forms using a website, This will then allow students to access the information from one location no matter the subject area and no matter the teacher.

TC Knowledge
This technology allows students to have access to vocabulary for all subject areas, for every teacher all centralized in the same location.  In the end this helps teachers streamline the learning of vocabulary.  Parents, students and anyone else who might have questions can all be directed to the same place.  Websites allow for content accessiblity 24/7, which other forms of technology may not offer.  Websites are also not limited to the school building; it is not something that can be forgotten in a locker; and it creates a level of transparency for parents.  Again, websites allow for many different mediums of presentation when addressing content.  For example, some forms of vocabulary lend themselves well to one form of presentation.  The next unit in the same class may have vocabulary that truly needs a completely different type of presentation.  All can be accommodated here.  With a website, teachers are not tied to one format for displaying and conveying information. 

PC Knowledge
One of the most effective theories on the teaching of vocabulary comes from Marzano.  He outlines a six-step process for vocabulary acquisition.  The first step is teacher explanation, which can be revisited whenever necessary for individual students when it is available on a Weebly.  Then, students are expected to create their own explanations of the vocabulary (puting it into their own words).  They can do this with on-line journaling, Jings, power point presentations, keeping it new and interesting for students and ultimately being uploaded by the instructor to the Weebly for other students to access as they review vocabulary.  Next, students need to create graphic or pictographic representations of the vocabulary.  On a Weebly teachers can give students access to a number of graphic organizers, links to graphic representation software like a Wordle, etc.  Step four is a  review using comparison activities which can again be completed in a variety of ways in the Weebly.  Student discussion of
vocabulary terms, step five, would be another possible Weebly activity through discussion boards.  Finally, Marzano advocates the use of games, those links and documents could be included in the Weebly as well.  Weebly offers the best overall, well-rounded approach to this wicked problem. 

This was a very interesting set of videos.  Ironically, being a technology instructor, I have many of the same questions and concerns that were expressed in the videos.  I tried to address a few of these, deleted them and then tried again.  Instead of trying to do that first, let me just list the things that stuck out from the videos and then I will address many of them. 

1.  We are distracting ourselves to death
2.  It is impossible for the human brain to "multi-task"
3.  No one knows what the effects of the Internet and being wired constantly has on the human brain
4.  Online addiction is an addiction and has the same sysmptoms as other "risk behaviors"
5.  Kids are loosing thir ability to think deeply about a subject and loosing their analytical skills
6.  There are physical problems that come with the always connected behavior
7.  We are creating an "instant gratification education" society
8.  When does multi-tasking hit the level of diminishing returns rule
9.  Gains and losses (e.g. oral to written) we have always lost something when we make technological advances, it is just part of
      the deal
10. There is a belief that if we do not keep up that we will be left behind.
11. Games and online identities give people the chance to lead alternative, vibrant and vicarious lives outside themselves
12  50% of children believe they have actually swam with whales even though their experience was only virtual
13. I was reminded of a Star Trek episode while watching the military drone pilot piece of the video
14. Distinction is a new idea
15. 90% of American teens are online
16. Teens use the Internet as a form of self-expression, complain about parents, connect with each other,socialize, etc
17. Teens are constantly connected
18. "We have to be interactive."  My thought: isn't human interaction by definition interactive?
19.  This generation are naturals on the computer.
20.  The Internet is the new area of pretend for most teens and pre-teens.

These were the things that I got out of the videos.  I don't want to talk about all of them, but I will highlight a few.  First, I thought that it was interesting that reserach studies proved that multi-taskers were less able to focus on a single task and performed worse on tasks overall than those who did not consider themselves to be expert multi-taskers.  This confirms for me my feelings about the need for us to create and allow multi-tasking in the classroom.  Multi-tasking is not a skill that is more effective than completing one task at a time.  It is rather a form of distraction in which tasks are split into small pieces which divides the individuals attention.  This division creates an inability to completely focus on a single task or maintain a train of thought through a complete task.  Multi-tasking is not as beneficial as everyone believes it to be.  This is how I have felt about
multi-tasking for years.  We have created a false belief that we are somehow able to equally split our attention among tasks and complete them simultaneously without loss of quality.  This is proving to simply not be the case.

Second, we talk about teens and kids being "naturals" on the  computer.  I find this really difficult to believe especially since, in my experience, kids really know very little about computers. They are instead able to impress adults with their ability to click and find things on the Internet.  This is not a natural skill on the computer.  The Internet is easy, computers are hard.  My students come in not knowing what the pieces of the computer are, what code is, what file structure is, what networks are and etc.  These are  the basics of computers.  Understanding how computers work is way different from figuring out how to find a website and download a song or picture.  Take this analogy: kids are natural with hammers.  If this is the case, then their ability to strike a nail and join two pieces of wood together would be naturals.  However, understanding building is completely different.  I would not
let them build me a house simply because they could swing a hammer and drive a nail.  If being a natural just means that they grew up with it, then every kid should be master builders, writers, readers and so on.  This is not the case.  The belief just
does not fit.  Kids are not naturals, they are just observant enough to gain some superficial experience and can mimic tasks to get an outcome on the Internet.  
 
Finally, I believe that there are things that we as parents and educators are responsible for.  One of them is ensuring that our children are not exposed to situations that could result in harm.  Children are under our care for one purpose: they have little experience with life and need guidance and protection from themselves as well as others.  The Internet can be an extremely valuable tool for education, but can also be a terrifying place, full of pitfalls and dangers.   We have to make sure that we are teaching our students to be responsible online and to keep themselves out of danger.  The FTC and FBI report that teenagers
are the fastest growing target group for identity theft.  Then there are the obvious: online predators, cyber-bullying and staking. 
Let us not forget that we need to be there to help our kids and students avoid making their own mistakes on the Internet.  Mistakes like sending questionable images of themselves to others, posting pictures of themselves partying, sending messages they might regret and a ton of other possible scenarios.  Growing up online has created an entire new area of concern for the wellbeing of our kids and expanded the threat boundaries beyond our neighborhoods.  We need to remember that growing up online does not mean that we have to accept that this is a requirement.  Teaching computers and technology is critical for student success, but that does not force me to allow a free for all just because it is all there.  As my students age and mature in high school, they should be exposed to more as they can handle more.  We should not be so eager to let our kids grow up too fast just because "everyone is doing it."  
 
This is our challenge as educators: finding the technology that will engage students, effectively allow them to express their creativity in completion and presentation of the assignment, and to do so without exposing them to unnecessary


 

Looking at the list of leadership levels, I can honestly say that I have sat on all of the different levels in my short career.  Two years ago I had to the opportunity to sit on a multi-county panel that discussed and revised the current 8th grade assessment given in the counties represented.  This group did have State-level representation at the meetings.  I would not say that this was a State committee, but I have served on State committees before ( three years on the EBT card advisory committee).  I served on the Moodle migration advisory committee on several occassions with the county ISD's.  I am currently the chairperson for my districts Technology Committee, I sit on both curriculum and school improvement committees as well as serveral school board-level committees including finance, technology and building and grounds. 

If I were going to reflect on anything in the leadership area, it would be the first few levels.  I think as an individual I could spend a bit more time focusing on my development.  I get many periodicals that relate to upcoming technology and the latest, greatest new software, hardware, tools and equipment; but I mostly am responsible for examining them for the staff and recommending and researching them for others' use.  Some of the things that I find apply to me as well, but that is really not how I view this task.  I am looking to find resources for my fellow staff-mates.  I would like to spend more time looking for technolgy and uses of technology for myself.  I have set a goal for myself in my personal growth plan to spend time on myself in the future.  I intend to become a better leader as an individual.

Classroom and grade level content area leadership is an interesting area for me and my counterpart.  Like most school districts, the high school staff determines a great deal of the content that will be covered.  There are strong expectations (both spoken and unspoken) that my students will learn specific skills to prepare them for the high school teachers (not high school, but the teachers).  Some of these areas might include being able to type at least 30-40 words per minute and fluency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc).  Students are given little or no direct technology instruction at the high school level.  Teachers expect that students will be able to do the projects that they assign them without having to be taught the programs.  II am a firm believer that computers is about learning how to learn software.  Learning a new program should not mean starting from the beginning like you never turned on a computer before.  No, it should mean that once you learn how to use software, that you can open and learn any new software with minimal time investment.  This is the type of leadership that I am working on developing at the classroom and content area level.  Content area leadership is something that takes time.  I continue to be part of the discussion, but expect change to remain slow.

Leadership is an intersting trait.  I have seen leadership come from those who stand in front of crowds and scream at the top of their lungs and in the unspoken actions of a lone buddhist priest.  Leadership predetermines choice, but choice reflects leadership.  I have discovered over the years that leadership is often determined by the observations of others.  We can sit in all the meetings that we want to, talk about affecting change or advocate for others, but in the end it might just be how someone else sees you act.  I have also found that schools are notorious for being resistant to change no matter the degree of leadership exhibited.  Schools are often extension of the districts people and in town big and small, nothing happens outside of what we "used to do."  Affecting change takes time, planning and networking.  This is a huge time and personal resource investment for individuals to make and often compromised by the status quo affect.

Overall, leadership is something that develops over time.  It is extremely unusual for anyone to become a change agent overnight.  There are simply too many old guards in place to impede the progress.  We must start with the areas that we can control first: individual and classroom leadership.   Once we gain respect for these areas and are seen as affective experts in our field, then we can begin to lead in the areas that are higher up in the list.

Three Words....

I have highlighted the UDL changes in this document in yellow.   The other highlights represent the exsisting elements in my lesson plan for UDL.  Pink is representation, blue is expression and green is engagement.