One to One Entry

I believe that one to one entry is the way to go for every school.  My district is currently thinking about implementing Bring Your Own Device and I think this could be a difficult process.  One to one is not the most cost effective approach, but it allows the district to provide each student and staff member the same device. Mr. Shockey mentioned that you should look at your district and decide what is going to work within your district and begin with a vision.  By creating a vision you can decide why your district is implementing the change and how that change is going to enhance curriculum and increase student achievement.

In order to implement one to one I think you need to get input from your staff and your students.  Our district is really pushing to implement bring your own device, but I am not sure that they have put together any sort of technology team with teachers on it.  The teachers and students are the ones that are going to be working with the device and I feel they should be the ones to help with the implementation.  I also liked the idea of having a trial period before the actual roll out.  This would allow for a teacher and students to actually work with the devices and see how well internet connection and bandwidth is working within that classroom.
Another advantage that I see with one to one is that it is going to save districts money in the future because they can purchase textbooks online.  I also think this is an advantage for the kids because they do not have to carry a backpack with tons of books, they can carry one device with all their information on it.
    The technology implementation is going to vary from district to district and the type of devices used are all going to be different, but the most important thing to keep in mind when planning the implementation is why you are changing and how is it going to benefit the students. Careful research and planning before you roll out is going to make the change much easier and leave less room for extra costs and embarrassment within the community.

Edtech

I attended a tech camp last summer and created a twitter account during that week in class.  I tweeted classmates and used it during that week, but never continued to use it after the class.  At the time I really didn’t like it and find it very useful for what I needed in my classroom.  I learned a lot of other stuff that week and never really worked with twitter again.  This class is making me use twitter and maybe that is what I needed last year in order to really understand and get use out of it.  After working with it for three weeks now I am really starting to see the advantages and the amount of useful information that you can get within minutes from it.  The amount of information is not the only thing that is an advantage, but being able to see other peoples professional opinion and advice on educational topics is also another great reason to use twitter.  Twitter allows you to connect with other professionals in your specific area, have professional conversations, and exchange great information on a specific topic that you are interested in or need more information on.  

I logged in on a #satchat and discussed vision in schools and I could not believe the different viewpoints that each person on the chat brought up.  There was a lot of people that were tweeting so I found it a little hard at first to keep up and read everybody’s information.  Spam kept interrupting the chat at times and that kind of ended the chat after a half hour or so.  The chat still overall provided me with useful information and allowed me to find a couple good resources for my final paper, which talks about ways to revisit and introduce the schools vision to student and teachers in the building.

I would like to use twitter and be able to get the use out of twitter like my technology director at Amboy High School.  I had a conversation with him discussing the type of video equipment my Multimedia class should be getting for next semester.  Do we buy just one expensive camera and holster or do we purchase multiple, less expensive cameras?  He got back to me the next day with an answer, because he used twitter to get information from other educators in high schools that could provide him with what they are using in their schools.

Enneagram

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The results that were calculated for the Enneagram Type Indicator questionnaire were not surprising to my co-worker or me.  My highest score was a tie between Type 3 and Type 8.  When reading into each type to determine which one is more my Enneagram type than the other I determined that Type 3 “The Achiever” is more my type.

            Type three is described at being the adaptable, success-oriented type.  Threes are attractive, energetic, and highly driven for advancement.  The Achiever is also known for being overly concerned with their image and what others think of them.  Threes are very hard workers and are considered to be very competitive.  Others often view them as being role models.

            I agree with the results of the questionnaire and the description of type 3 fits me very well.  I am a very competitive person, not only with work related issues, but also when I participate in hobbies outside of work.  I am very energetic and always look forward to a challenge.  If there is an opportunity for advancement I am willing to do anything to achieve or reach that goal.

            The achiever is looked at as a role model for others and I think that is a great trait to have when becoming a leader in a school.  Showing others how to be motivated and energetic can help others to stay positive and try to reach their own personal goals to be successful.  Type three is concerned with how other people view them and what people think of them.  This could be damaging to a leader because as a leader you often have to make decisions and choices that others may not agree with and you can’t be worried about what your staff may think of you.

            My level of self-awareness really has not changed since I took the questionnaire.  I think if anything this made me understand in words why I handle different challenges and competitions the way I do.  I am very hard on myself; always striving to do better and I think at times as a mother, teacher, and runner I need to remind myself that I am only one person and to be happy with doing a good job and not always being so hard on myself for not doing the very best of everything.

            In closing, I enjoyed taking the questionnaire and found the results and additional information to be very interesting.  I will continue to be success-oriented, energetic, and hopefully a role model for others as I advance further in my career.  If and when I become a leader I hope to be more aware of what others think of me and learn how to handle that concern the best I can as a leader.