This project has been a wonderful learning experience for me and for the other participants. The first change I would make for the future that comes to mind is the timeline. I was rather eager to get things started, and thought it would all fall in to place quickly. I did, but it didn't. We are already behind and we are only in the beginning stages. I did not allot extra time for hangups, or bumps in the road. Also, I am lucky to have had the support of the board for this project. Without it, many aspects of this project would not be possible. However, it has been very difficult to schedule times where we can all come together. They seem to think that meetings during the day are possible, forgetting we are busy at work in the classroom. Also, the last thing teachers want to do after school is attend a training session on Study Island, and talk about our progress with it. So scheduling has been a challenge.
It is unfortunate that our technology is so outdated here. This has caused such a snag in our progress. If I were to do it all over, I would definitely break this project up into smaller chunks. The first being technology inventory and updates. Only after that is taken care of should we continue progress with the Study Island program implementation.
What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?
First and foremost, for any other beginning teachers: Make friends with your building principal, board members and superintendent ASAP! Having established relationships with these high-profile members of the district has made this project so much easier for me. Having known me for awhile, they are confident in my ability to complete this project, and allow me some leeway to share my ideas and plans for the future. With this, comes pressure to deliver the ideas I have presented, but it has made working on this project at lot easier.
Second, technology is so important in education. As education technology masters students, and classroom teachers, we need to educate our parents and community members on the importance of technology upgrades in the district. We had to really reach out and make our voices heard in order to raise funds for a technology update. Many did not realize how behind the times we were until we made it known throughout the community. Keep your community up to date with the school and their needs. This will help with improvements in the future.
In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?
Even through all of our ups and downs with this project, we are thrilled with the progress we are making, and look forward to continuing with this venture. We have been using a software-based reading program called Read180 by Scholastic in some of our classrooms. We have had a lot of success with this, and are looking to branch out and utilize it in more classrooms. This will take on the same process as Study Island. We are currently working through the kinks with our technology and computers in the classroom which will benefit both Study Island and Read180. After we get Study Island up and running, we are going to look into presenting a proposal to the board for funding for purchasing more Read180 licenses. We will have to come prepared and be able to showcase the success our small group of students have shown, and how the rest of our students could benefit from the program. Much similar to my techquest proposal for this class. (Thanks to my experience with that, I will be on the Read180 proposal committee.) We look to have all of our teachers attend a Read180 conference in the summer of 2011. Scholastic holds an annual seminar/professional development for their program users that lasts 4-5 days. It includes training, and individualized breakout sessions that relate to specific program functions that you can use for different grade levels. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, we can have Read180 up and running the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.
The professional training will really make the difference with this program. It would have been nice to have it for Study Island as well. Also, by the time we focus on Read180 we will have the majority of our technology snags out of the way. All of the classrooms should have updated computers and the computer lab will be re-vamped as well. This will allow for us to focus on the program and get things rolling without having to worry about the other first. The upgrades have been a lengthy, tedious process, but will be well worth it in the end. I am really happy with the progress we have made so far, and look forward to the end result!
Hi Ashlee,
ReplyDeleteWow, it sounds like you have a much more challenging situation there in your school!
Not having up to date computers must be so frustrating - and certainly hinders your plans to introduce new software. I'm sure you can't wait to have all those computers replaced!
It's great that you have a good relationship with the board and you are fostering a good relationship with the community. i think nurturing a relationship with parents in particular is so important in not only getting funding but in helping parents understand why and how their children are using technology at school, especially technologies the parents themselves have never heard of or maybe don't think as applicable in an educational setting. Parents education on digital literacy is something I think our school really needs to focus on too. I would really like to start using blogs with my Grade 4s but obviously we need to have meetings with the parents first.
It sounds like you have a lot on your plate for the next couple of years, you being so instrumental in both the implementation of Study Island and Read 180. Good luck with it all- I know you are highly conscientious and committed so I know you will do great (as long as they get you some new hardware!!!)
Will keep in touch and would love to know how it goes.
Sarah