4.0 Professional studies in educational computing and technology leadership prepare candidates to exhibit leadership in the identification, selection, installation, maintenance, and management of computing hardware and software and the uses of computers and related technologies throughout the curriculum.

| 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 |

4.1 Research and Theories.

Candidates will identify and apply educational and technology-related research, the psychology of learning, and instructional design principles in guiding use of computers and technology in education.

4.1.1 summarize and apply principles and practices of educational research in educational technology.

Q410, Research in Educational Technology offered insight into research practices in the field of educational technology. Various methods of research and evalution were addressed and in the context of the researchers educational philosophy. The class focused on paradigms of research, such as constructism, emancipatory, and postpostivist and I explored my personal philosophies in the context of how research can be conducted in the field of educational technology.

Critique of Research Article
Research Proposal

4.1.2 summarize major research findings and trends related to the use of technology in education to support integration of technology in a K­12 environment.

Many of the classes in the Educational Technology program focus on the ongoing research of technology in education. In order to effectively integrate technology into a curriculum in such a way that it facilititates learning and is not there "for technology's sake". The majority of the research concludes that technology should be used as a tool, and not as a central focus. I have reviewed many articles in the educational technology field that focus on this ongoing research.

4.1.3 apply theories of learning, teaching, and instructional design and their relationship to the use of technology to support learning.

I have applied constructivist theories of learning in my own curriculum by creating lessons that require students to solve problems and create their own knowledge base. I have shifted my teaching strategies from a directed instruction approach to a constructivist approach in order to facilitate student-centered learning. My coursework at the University of Missouri has given me insights into how a constructivist approach, coupled with directed instruction can result in meaningful learning among students.

Philosophy of Learning

4.1.4 describe social and historical foundations of education and how they relate to the use of technology in schools.

I feel that I have had the unique experience of being in a transition generation in relation to technology. When I started teaching nine years ago, computers were not that common, they weren't necessarily a household necessity. I remember the surprise of the other teachers when they learned that I had a home computer. Nine years ago, the internet was not what it is today. Since then I've seen major changes in how technology has changed education. I now have three home computers and a computer in my classroom. I routinely use the internet to develop lessons and research scientific topics. The district is planning on implementing a system that will allow us to track attendance and grades through the computer's server, rather than by hand. My experiences within the education system and with emerging technology has provided me with an extensive background in the historical foundations of education and technology.

4.1.5 identify research related to human and equity issues concerning the use of computers and related technologies in education.

I have read many articles relelated to human and equity issues. Articles that relate to policies on technology and student use have influenced the integration of technology into my own curriculum and into the development of the school's technology plan.

4.1.6 design a research project that includes evaluating the use of a specific technology in a K­12 environment.

I developed a research proposal to analyze the educuational value of computer based lab simulations. This proposal included background research, an analysis of the problem and research methodology for answering the research question. The focus of the research is computer simulations for dissections as it has a real world appllicaton to my teaching field. My school district has considered replacing traditional laboratories with simulations in order to cut costs and avoid ethical questions regarding dissections and the use of animals in the classroom.

Research Proposal

 

4.2 Instructional Design and Product Development.

Candidates will evaluate authoring and programming environments for use in the classroom. They will apply instructional design principles to develop, implement, and test interactive multimedia instructional products using authoring environments.

4.2.1 use and apply more than one computer authoring and/or programming environment.

I routinely use authoring programs such as dreamweaver and frontpage. This document was created with dreamweaver. I have also had experience with adobe acrobat and flash.

4.2.2 describe the characteristics and uses of current authoring environments and evaluate their appropriateness for classroom applications.

My experience with various authoring programs provides me with a good foundation for determining their appropriateness in a classroom setting. Some programs are user friendly and can be easily taught to students without the program being the central focuse. Other programs, such as director and flash require such user training that they are not appropriate to the classroom, unless the central focus of the class is to learn these applications.

4.2.3 describe the characteristics and uses of current programming and scripting environments and evaluate their appropriateness for classroom use.

I have used various scripts in creating online documents, such as javascript, PHP, and CGI. I feel confident that my experience with these devices gives me insight into which scripts and programs would best suit the goal of presenting and authoring documents. I can determine the appropriateness of the scripts for classroom use based on ease of use and the extent of which the scripts require user-end expertise. Copy/paste free scripts are more appropriate in a classroom setting than a lengthy instruction on how to create unique scripts.

4.2.4 apply instructional design principles to the design of screens, text, graphics, audio, and video in instructional products under development.

I have designed many handouts for students and staff that have an instructional purpose. I have also created graphics and other interacting documents for websites, including image maps and interactive buttons.

4.2.5 describe and practice strategies for testing and evaluating instructional products designed.

Evaluation was a central focus of "Intructional Systems Design". I researched various means of evaluating instructional products, and performed a specific evaluations on an instructional workshop I developed and implemented in my own school district. In addition to this, I routinely evaluate workshops and inservices I attend to fulfill my requirements for recertification.

4.2.6 apply instructional design principles to develop substantive interactive multimedia computer-based instructional products.

I have designed workshops for peers that are desgned to improve their use of technology and the world wide web. I am currently working on a mini-tutorial to help teachers create classroom pages for the school's website. As I manage the school's website, having some specific guidelines for creating pages is important for the web sites overall design.

 

4.3 Information Access and Delivery.

Candidates will implement information access and delivery resources in K­12 schools to support the curriculum.

4.3.1 identify and use information access and telecommunication tools to support research and instruction throughout the curriculum.

I routinely use telecommunication tools to access information for the science curriculum. This includes web browsers, email clients (applications and web-based) and require my students to use the class drop box to submit assignments.

4.3.2 use and implement distance learning delivery systems including computer, audio, and video conferencing.

The entire program of study through the University of Missouri is web-based. I have experience with learning delivery systems such as blackboard and webct. I have installed and used media to enable audio and video applications, such as realplayer, windows media player, quicktime and shockwave. I have also installed these features on the computer lab networks.

4.3.3 create multimedia presentations using advanced features of a presentation tool and deliver them using computer projection systems.

I have used powerpoint to create presentations for workshops. As a technology committee member, we worked collaboratively to produce the powerpoint presentation used for freshman orientation.

Power Point Presentation - TechnologyPolicies (.ppt format, click to advance)
Microscope Instruction (.ppt format, click to advance)

4.3.4 install, configure, and use local mass storage devices and media to store and retrieve information and resources.

I have experience with storing data onto floppies, zipdisks, and rewritable cd roms. I have access to the school's server resources and also store class materials in a public folder on the school's server for other teachers to access.

4.3.5 describe issues related to selecting, installing, and maintaining WANs for school districts.

Though I have little experience with the installing of hardware for WANs, I do have experience with working with networks. The school is entirely networked, and printers and other devices are shared among departments.

4.4 Operating Systems.

Candidates will install, customize, and configure the operating systems of computers and computer networks in school settings.

4.4.1 identify and describe the major operating systems associated with computing platforms found in K­12 schools.

I have experience with windows and macintosh computers. My network at home has both computer types and feel confident that I can navigate both systems. Because of my unique home network, I also have the experience of creating a network that can function for both platforms. Peripheral devices for my home network, such as printers and a digital camera are compatible with both systems and files can be transferred between the three computers.

4.4.2 identify and manipulate preferences, defaults, and other selectable features of operating systems commonly found in K­12 schools.

My personal experience with computers gives me a good foundation in how to select specific features on the operating systems of both macs and pc's. I can manipulate preferences so that media are associated with applications, start pages and layouts can be adjusted and even minor preferences such as background color or images. I know how to create shortcuts (for pc's) and aliases (for macs) to improve the ease of accessibility of programs. I know how to organize applications and adjust memory to improve the overall speed and reliability of the operating system

4.4.3 use and manipulate networking software to effectively manage the operation of a LAN.

I have installed software for peripheral devices that are located on my home LAN. I also have experience with installing and configuring routers so that my network shares an internet connection. Part of the process for configuring a router is setting the preferences for the built-in firewall.

4.4.4 evaluate, troubleshoot, install, and maintain computer operating systems for classrooms and laboratories.

I am in charge of the physics/biology lab network. My duties include installing new software, upgrading software and fixing problems, such as printer malfunction and network connection problems.

4.5 Software and Hardware Selection, Installation, and Maintenance.

Candidates will identify and implement software in both classroom and administrative environments. They will investigate issues related to school and site planning, purchasing, and technology integration.

4.5.1 identify and describe software used in classroom and administrative settings including productivity tools, information access telecommunications tools, multimedia, hypermedia tools, school management tools, evaluation and portfolio tools, and computer-based instruction.

I have experience with a variety of software related to classroom management, general productivity, and personal pleasure. I have compiled an extensive list of my experience with these various applications and can determine which application is best suited for a personal, professional, or classroom goal.

Program Experience

4.5.2 investigate and recommend purchasing strategies and procedures for acquiring administrative and instructional software for educational settings.

I have personally assisted in the process of software acquisition for my department. This process includes evaluation and analysis of costs of upgrade and site licensing.

4.5.3 describe evaluation criteria for software and identify reliable sources of software evaluations.

My district requires teachers to fill out technology proposals to acquire technology resources such as software, hardware and peripheral devices. I have submitted many of these proposals which often include a thorough summary of the sofware, how it will be used in class and an evaluation of the trial version. I've found that the better written proposals are the ones that get approved, so I spend a good deal of time writing proposals and including reviews from outside sources. To date, all of my technology proposals have been approved.

4.5.4 identify and implement methods of installation, maintenance, inventory, and management of software libraries.

I have installed a multitude of software both at home and at work. The number of applications, and the varying platforms I use make it a necessity to manage and organize software. In addition, the necessity of reinstalling the operating system when computers fail has prompted me to keep organized back-ups of these programs so that they can be reinstalled also. I currently have a box of zipdrives with back-up programs for the macinstoshes, a CD booklet that contains back-ups for my PC and space on the school server to store back-ups of documents. When a computer fails on the network, I have a very specific system for repairing the computer and getting the computer back to where it was before the failure.

4.5.5 develop and implement ethical and legal procedures for maintaining software libraries.

I am very cognizant of legal issues regarding software and copyrights. Because of my technology expertise, many teachers ask me to install software onto their computers. Before doing that, I ascertain the type of software (shareware, freeware, licensed) and make sure that it is legal to put the software on the computers.

4.5.6 identify and classify adaptive assistive hardware and software for students and teachers with special needs and locate sources to assist in procurement and implementation.

I am aware of programs available for special needs students and have assisted in installing these applications in classrooms where they are needed. I have also recommended the purchase of software and hardware that will improve the accessibility of the library computers for special needs students.