EDLD 5306 Fundamentals of Technology Reflection

Fundamentals of Educational Technology course introduced the basics of

technology integration into the curriculum. The key focus was on the Texas Long

Range for Technology, STaR Chart, new technology TEKS standards, and the impact it

had on Digital Natives/Digital Immigrants. I had an idea of wanting to begin on this

program because technology and curriculum has always caught my attention. However,

this class opened up my eyes and gave me a clear starting point of what technology

integration really means.

I found that the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology was an initiative to provide

technology access to all teachers and students 24/7, ensure that all teachers are

provided with technology staff development, and infrastructure is established(Long

Range Plan, 2006). This document became the basis of wanting to inquire more about

technology in the school settings. It made me realize that our own district has a

technology department diligently working on all this items according to the TLRP.

However, it is something that is not really seen or pushed as much as it should. The

initiative exists to convert the district into a 21st century district with the Texas Long

Range Plan for technology. The learning opportunity I found from this was to share the

information with my technology contact, teach the importance, and encourage teachers

to integrate technology.

The learning experience was realizing that a majority of my colleagues were Digital

Immigrants and a minority Digital Natives. According to Prenksy any student born into

the digital area is considered a Digital Native (2001). So the next logical step was to plan

how to help them transition into using more technology. The perfect opportunity came

from analyzing the teacher’s data from the STaR chart. With this tool, the teachers were
required to fill out the survey and determine their availability of technology and level of

usage. This is very beneficial in part because it gives the principal an idea of what

levels of technology need improvement within the school aside from the fact that it is

used to check on TLRPT progress (E-Rate:Tech Plan & STaR Chart, 2010) . I loved the

opportunity that I got to create an informational page to describe each section of the

STaR Chart. I feel it not only helped me, but the fact of sharing the project with several

colleagues made them looked at the STaR Chart as something worth completing as

oppose to before where it was just one more waste of time for them. I was eye opening

to note the strong points of our campus and the weak points concerning the use of

technology according to the STaR test results.

The approach to complete the assignments began with self-research, pointers from

the academic coach/professor, and at times consulting with my campus Technology

Contact. The material seemed easy to learn simply because it was interesting to learn

the need of technology integration, the need to develop infrastructures, and the need

for preparing the teachers. Communication with classmates emails from the academic

coach, and reminders from the teacher made the learning process simple. My overall

learning I believe was a product stated in the reflective end of course assignment.

The life learning skills picked up include the knowledge of the Texas Long Range for

Technology and how it is essential in any school setting to prepare teachers and offer

students opportunities to use technology as part of their learning process. I now

understand the fact that with encouragement Digital Immigrants can adapt into using

technology as a useful resource in the student’s learning process. The challenge is to

work with these teachers and encourage to not be afraid of technology and all the

doors it opens. My on-going project is still working on teacher collaboration through

the use of technology. Since we all have work and really don’t meet as much as time
allows, the idea is to collaborate on lesson plans, assignments, and etc using online

resources. It is simply one of the many impacts Fundamentals of Technology had on

me.

References:

Texas Education Agency.  (2006). Long-Range Plan for Technology.  Retrieved on June 6, 2009 from

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/etac

Prensky, M. (2201). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: Part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.

George, C. (2010, June). E-Rate:Tech Plan & STaR Chart. Texas.