Eric

Castro Year end review for Educational Technologist Position June 15, 2012

Dear Eric, Many, many thanks for your work this year. You have done a great job championing how teachers can use technology to help students learn. Our early adopters have embraced these strategies, and I am hopeful that we can make some strides with members of our community who are hesitant or fearful about using technology with outreach that does not drain all our resources. The Ed Tech evaluation reflects that a strong majority of our faculty feels that you always or often provide them with adequate tech support. Now, we need to provide the scaffolded support that moves even more of our faculty forward with regards to effective technology use. You have provided a steadying presence to the Tech Department; thank you for your work with the tech team. I appreciate your concerns about the need for clarification of your role and responsibilities in the Tech Department, and I will bring these concerns to Patrick Ruff. We will aim for better communication next year. As I have mentioned earlier, your work on the iPad distribution plan has been excellent; it is wonderful to see the faculty and student excitement about using the iPad. I appreciate your taking a leadership role in this area. Now that we have a 1:1 iPad program going at SI, lets continue to think about how we can be cutting edge with regards to our use of technology. I look forward to exploring creative approaches in the future. Carole Review of Areas to continue working on from last year (2011-2012): Continue Educational Technology committee use this grass roots format to spur creative use of technology in the building. Good use of committee for iPads/Friday sessions/Lunch and learns. Effective use of the Committee for iPad distribution. Continue to look for other ways to engage the talents and creativity of this committee. Continue creative ways to get the message re: how tech can be used to augment pedagogy out there i.e., what is next years Lunch and Learns? Great Friday afternoon sessions, beginning of the year workshops. Continue to look for other creative ways to do this. Continue providing as much 1:1 support as possible. Great with majority of Faculty. Try to extend out towards the slower adopters. Get students involved in helping faculty use technology more. Good idea to include a student blog as part of Wildcat Technology. Great idea to have iPad social format sessions with kids. Looking forward to seeing the implementation of these programs. Get going on iPad implementation plan. Truly fantastic job.


Commendations for 2011-2012 Responding to faculty questions and concerns Professionalism and organizational competency Providing faculty with tools to allow them to innovative in the classroom. June & August workshops have been very helpful. Thank you for adding the June sessions. Friday afternoon iPad sessions. Use of social media, including Twitter and CatTech blog which provides great resources for the community. Design and implementation of the iPad distribution plan. o Coordinating logistics o Recruiting and training of teachers to help o Publishing of documents related to iPad program (handbook, lesson plans, etc)

Areas to continue working on for 2012-2013 Implement more ways can we teach faculty about technology. (Blended learning? On-line modules? Self-paced guides?). Continue to use Educational Technology Committee to impart best practices with regards to technology. Work with slower adapters to bring them along with technology use in the classroom. o More outreach? o Targeted support, working with Department Chairs? o Adapt to different learning styles of those fearful of technology use in the classroom. Get students involved in helping faculty use technology more. Continue great work.
Evidence: Classroom Observations, committee observations, discussions with faculty, Administrative Evaluation instrument for Educational Technologist, Social Media archive, attendance list for workshops/sessions.