Six+Courses

Six Course Reflections
As I reflect upon the past 16 months of having been enrolled in the Educational Technology Leadership Master’s program, I can not help but be extremely proud of myself for a having the courage and persistence to make it this far, and amazed as to the amount of insight and knowledge gained into the field of Educational Technology. Having to select six courses that were the most influential in my learning was really quite simple. All of the courses in this program were useful in their own way, there were some that really stood out and provided hands-on learning opportunities that proved to be the most applicable in my actual roles as a Campus Instructional Technologist and as of recent, a district level Technology Integration Facilitator. The six I chose were:
 * 1) EDLD 5306 Fundamentals of Educational Technology
 * 2) EDLD 5333 Leadership for Accountability
 * 3) EDLD 5362 Informational Systems Management
 * 4) EDLD 5363 Multimedia Video Technology
 * 5) EDLD 5368 Instructional Design
 * 6) EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics

**EDLD 5306 Fundamentals of Educational Technology** This course truly provided a wonderful foundation of information and insight into the world of Educational Technology. There were many times throughout the program, I found myself reflecting upon information and referring to articles we had read during this course as references for other courses and activities. The introduction to and emphasis of the various technology techniques for improving instruction and learning through the application of the research on effective schools and on models of instruction were extremely beneficial to have at the start of this Master’s Program and did in fact provide a fundamental foundation from which we were able to build upon. **EDLD 5333 Leadership for Accountability** Understanding that this course is required for the master’s of school administration and principal certification, I know that the information and experience gained through the assignments in this course will prove useful and applicable as a district Administrator in the area of Technology. In my mind, our studies of both short and long-range planning and problem solving techniques of effective school leaders were without a doubt necessary areas of study for any educational leader. At the time I took this course, I was in the position of a Campus Instructional Technologist and a member of our Campus Instructional Team and Leadership Team. These two committees dealt with (in varying degrees) and planned numerous campus initiatives that were based on state and campus data to support and justify their needs. I can remember, watching and listening to presentations from administrators that provided us with endless data, and knew enough to realize that there must have been a lot of work involved to gather the information. However, until this course I had never gone through the process of having to gather, organize, and analyze campus level data myself. Through this course I expanded my knowledge and understanding about leadership and accountability as it pertains to the continuous improvement of a campus. As a result of creating an action plan for an area of weakness based on my campus AEIS 2009 data, it allowed me to critically think about the needs of our students and develop an action plan that addressed their needs. I now have a more profound grasp of the developmental process and purpose of the Campus Improvement Plan and the role that the Site Decision Based Management plays. I am no longer employed with the same school district this year, which means I was unable to review and determine the effectiveness of my action plan. Nonetheless, I have gained confidence in my ability to become a more influential member of a SDBM (should the opportunity every present itself again) and know that I could help develop and maintain campus improvements that are data driven and strictly aligned to the needs of the students. **EDLD 5362 Informational Systems Management** I view this course to be another fundamental (introductory) course, much like EDLD 5306 Fundamentals of Educational Technology, because it provided basic foundational and/or background information. This background information and insight helped solidify my overall understanding of today’s Internet and the impact it has come to have and will continue to have in the field of education. Throughout this course we discussed information and tools that are available on the Internet; what computer networks and Internet are and how they work; how the Internet began and grew; addressed the scheme used on the Internet; how the World Wide Web began; how people can connect to the Internet; and how the internet has impacted education. Out of all the assignments in this course, I found the Model Classroom assignment the most beneficial. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to create my ideal model classroom. My plan was based on a realistic view of what could possibly be attained in 5 years based on where my campus was at the time, where our district plan for technology says it wants us to be, and of course will support both financially and in regards to infrastructure. If I ever find myself in a technology leadership position and given the responsibility of creating a technology plan and acquiring technology resources, I know I will look back on this assignment as a starting point for my wish list. **EDLD 5363 Multimedia Video Technology** For me this course was very demanding. The area of video planning, design, production, editing, and evaluation were by no means an area of strength for me. However, as it happened so many times throughout this program, the timeliness of this course was right on the money. As it turns out, one of the many responsibilities of my newly acquired position as a district level Technology Integration Facilitator required me to create several different videos for district wide publications. If it had not been for the information and activities of this course, I would not have been able to complete the video productions as well as I did. My exploration and comparison of both Windows Movie Maker and Macintosh’s iMovie was incredibly useful. Prior to this course, I had already used Movie Maker, but had absolutely no prior experience with iMovie. My research and hands-on exploration of Macintosh’s iMovie software provided me with the basic skills I needed to be able create my job related videos in a much more professional manner. In addition to creating my own videos, I was also asked to conduct a professional development training that was going to include some aspects of video production in the classroom. Again, had it not been for the hands-on experiences and information of this course, I would not have been prepared to deliver such a training. Now, after having created several video productions on my own, I feel much more confident in my skills and abilities. Here are some example videos I created using my new found knowledge of iMovie and in support of San Antonio ISD's Campus Web Coordinators Power Up Program:
 * An interview with a campus Principal. This video was used as an example Principal's beginning of the year welcome message to be placed on a Campus Webpage.
 * An interview with a Campus Web Coordinator.
 * An interview with Patti Holub, Executive Director of Technoloyg & Integration.
 * An interview with Marcos Zorola, Chief Information Officer

**EDLD 5368 Instructional Design** This course provided opportunities for me to learn about and create effective instructional design for online courses and professional development. Prior to enrolling in this Master’s program, my exposure to any type of online course was extremely limited, and just shy of none at all. Having said that, as I was continuing to adjust to the structure of taking online courses through this program, I really appreciated being able to learn about and study the principles of instruction design. It allowed me to appreciate the amount of work, knowledge and skills that undoubtedly went into the development of this online Master’s program. Through my studies and experience via this Master’s program, I definitely embrace the opportunity to use online learning in my new role as a district level Technology Instructional Facilitator. Why wouldn’t I? After all, online education is defined as, “An approach to teaching and learning that utilizes Internet technologies to communicate and collaborate in an educational context. This includes technology that supplements traditional classroom training with web-based components and learning environments where the educational process is experienced online” (Blackboard, 2000). It is the perfect way of modeling for teachers, how online learning can be used with learners. Being in a district level position within the Instructional Technology Department, I feel that an in-depth knowledge and understanding of both the benefits and disadvantages of online learning will only help me as I help to support future district initiatives in the development and deployment of future Professional Development opportunities. If all of the disadvantages and pitfalls of online learning are known ahead of time and all necessary measures are taken to avoid them, then all of the advantages of online learning can be taken advantage of and would ultimately result in a positive learning experience for both teacher and student. **EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics** The most useful assignments in this course were the ones that forced me to demonstrate my understanding of the principles and applications of graphic design, the designing of a grading rubric for a newsletter, and the creation of a newsletter that met specific criteria for branding and design. Once again the timing of this assignment was incredibly on the mark. My new campus Principal requested that all departments begin to develop and distribute their own newsletters, and just by coincidence, this course was providing me with the information and guidance I needed to met his request. I was also very excited about this, because I knew that the distribution of electronic newsletters by Lead Teachers would also serve as a model for all other classroom teachers. “Teachers use computers to create assessment tools, teaching aids, and supplemental activities as well as communicate to students, parents, peers, and administrators” (Price, 2005, p. 56). As a result, I provided a few informal professional development trainings in which I shared my new learning’s with the other department heads in order to help guide them as they developed their newsletters. I viewed this as a small and wonderful opportunity to “help teachers keep up with new and effective practices in teaching and learning” (Mouza, 2002/2003, p. 272). My knowledge and experience in creating a newsletter has truly come in handy for me in my new role as a district level Technology Instructional Facilitator. One of my many new responsibilities is to provide training and support for all of the districts 97 Campus Web Coordinators. Basically, the CWC’s are responsible for maintaining their campus websites. In an effort to effectively communicate with this very large group of people, I was asked to create and develop a newsletter. The name of the newsletter is, CWC Power Up Newsletter.” It is electronically distributed once a month. It goes without saying that the majority of the information I learned in this course has proven to be the most useful and applicable in my job. Here are a few examples of some of my published CWC Power Up Newsletters:
 * Issue 1
 * Issue 2
 * Issue 3
 * Issue 4
 * Issue 5

**References** Blackboard. (2000). Educational Benefits of Online Learning. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from Blackboard: [|www.blackboard.com]

Mouza, C. (2002/2003). Learning to teach with new technology: Implications for professional development. Journal for Research on Technology in Education, 35(2), 272-89.

Price, B. (2005). Who’s in control of the technology-integrated school? Principal Leadership, 6(1), 51-56.