EDLD 5398 Internship for Principals and Technology Leadership Reflection

  

  As I reflect on my journey through my Educational Technology internship, I watched the program change from a certificate only to a combined program with Educational Leadership.  This change did not hinder me from learning skills for the 21^st Century.  I was excited about learning how important it is for the leader to research, model, evaluate and use technology resources on a daily basis.  As a leader, I am responsible for steering the course of our 21st century schools by making a personal commitment to get training and mastering the knowledge and skills required from an educational leader. I explored the eight Technology Facilitation Standards by demonstrating knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology by providing assistance to teachers in staff development such as Smart Notebook 10 and PD360.  It is important school personnel to building knowledge of technology operations and concepts through ongoing professional development.  In course EDLD 5306 Concepts of Educational Technology, I learned how to summarize key ideas of each section of the Texas Technology Plan and how to describe each strand of the Texas Technology Curriculum. I gained insight in my personal leadership strengths and weaknesses and technology literacy and skills by completing seven assessments. I modeled Web 2.0 tools to assist teachers in developing appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of all learners.  Another reward tool I learned was how to set up e-communication accounts to use throughout the Educational Technology Leadership Master’s program.
    After completing EDLD 5366 Digital Graphic Desktop Publishing, I had gained knowledge about how to utilize software applications to create an animation project and how to plan and create a logo while incorporating color and layout consistently to create a digital newsletter.  This course was rewarding because I had fun developing my animation project using Scratch.  In EDLD 5362 Information Systems Management, we focused on understanding the numerous ways to integrate information systems into student learning, classroom practice and educational administration. I was able to identify and discuss information systems tools and applications used in educational environments and how information systems impact a school or district technology plan. I gain some insight into my school district SIS by interviewing our campus ITS about the total cost for the program. The next course that helped me expand my technology skills was EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology. I discovered how to collaborate with others to solve a scenario-based group project using Web 2.0 tools and other technology applications. We developed lesson plans using Universal Designed Lessons (UDL), wrote a digital book, and shared it through a Google Site. The last course that empowered me in developing my technology skills was EDLD 5363 Multimedia Video Technology.  During EDLD 5363, I created a podcast tutorial of Microsoft Window Movie Maker a video editing software program and an Audacity for audio editing software program. My team created a PSA on texting and driving with each member choosing a role such as director, script writer, videographer, video editor, audio editor, producer, and/or publisher.  Producing a public service announcement as a team was gratifying because it provided me with some knowledge and understanding about how students can produce a product from this global world.
      After completing educational technology courses analysis, I understand how important it is for me promote technology in my classroom.  These courses helped to advocate for all educators and learners to have the technology infrastructure to help them connect to the global world, their community, businesses and other schools.   I look forward to continuing my learning about Web 2.0 through ongoing professional development and sharing these skills with my students and peers.    Having the opportunity to take three courses in School Counseling and Special Population made me aware how important it is for a school leader to understand the appropriate roles of the Professional School Counselor (PSC) using the ASCA guidelines.   Also, these courses made me understand the school counselor’s role as a student advocate, leader, and researcher to identify and address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for all students.  I was able to analyze and illustrate how to design, implement, manage, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program.  I analyzed and applied ethical and legal considerations specifically related to the practice of school counseling.  Finally, I learned how to describe the organizational cultural competence of the learning environment to develop a plan for improvement.