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I found some forward looking goals in a technology plan on line. Under each goal was a list of strategies to reach that goal. It seemed to me that creating a list of goals and strategies and then making sure that our technology plan addressed each one would be a good way to revise our technology plan. (These goals are below.) What do you think? Do you think a goal is missing? What strategies do you think would needed to be implement to achieve each of these goals? (I put these goals on the our technology wiki page. Add your goals and strategies to this page to share them with everyone. Make comments using the discussion feature located on a tap at the top of the page. Alternately, you could post your comments on the page or send your goals, strategies, and comments using email.)

Goal 1 Use technology to engage and motivate students by providing authentic learning tasks to enhance the development of: collaboration, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. 1.1 1.2 1.3

Goal 2 Integrate technology into the learning environment (classroom) by providing access to students and staff members. Encourage the use of contemporary technologies as (real world) tools of the trade for both students and staff members. 2.1 2.2 2.3

Goal 3 Enhance the quality of instruction by incorporating information sources and access to other learning communities previously unavailable to students and teachers with an emphasis on shifting from a content delivery to problem solving model. 3.1 3.2 3.3

Goal 4 Develop plans for transition to a technology-based learning environment and away from teacher centered to student learning. 4.1 4.2 4.3

Goal 5 Implement a content management system (like joomla or drupal) and a course management system (like MOODLE) to securely and easily manage/host the educational content and collaboration of students and staff. 5.1 5.2 5.3

Can anyone succinctly put the idea below into goal number four? Teachers need to focus more on teaching students how to identify information relating to an issue, find information about the issue, evaluate its worth, and use/remix this information to create new knowledge. Teachers need to get away from simply presenting information for students to regurgitate. (One more thought. In the future, I think that if a student can “cheat” on doing an assignment by using Google and cutting and pasting, then this indicates I am giving the wrong kind of assignment. One that is too simple or low on Bloom's Taxonomy and on the level of regurgitation..)


 * Comments: A lot of this is what I've referred to as the need to engage, excite, empower and entertain students and change the learning environment from teacher-centered to student-centered and learning by discovery. So of course, I like it.** **I'm unclear on goal 5 because of my lack of technical skills and what's required. Maybe if we achieve the first 4 in enough classrooms, then adding 5 will make sense.** **I believe we need a core group of teachers committed to accomplish the above, just to get started. I don't think it matters how many. We need a control/test group to start, so we can evaluate and refine in order to present to the faculty at an upcoming in-service.** **Did I answer the question? Just my thoughts...Steve

Goal 4: This is the tough part. teachers must be willing to learn what's available to them, AND THINK IT"S IMPORTANT to integrate into their plans. If they want to do the same thing the same old way, then they're not part of the solution. I'd guess that if there are some immediately useable classroom websites to jump start the use of the internet, or some software,etc. then that would make a transition easier. Maybe we need to back up and define/explain student-centered teaching...but that could be close to professional quick sand. No one likes to be criticized, even constructively or indirectly. Hmmm. SH

Maybe if we think about how to transform the classroom into working groups of 2 - 4 with pre-printed instructions that they must complete to move to the next step (internet?) Similar to my program, they must complete vocab or an outline and get signed off before starting the fun stuff (work). No one said it had to be new technology. How could others apply this? What if there are sites for chemistry, novelas, poems, experiments, weird science,etc. that could be used to reinforce a lesson, but only after the team gets the initial written lesson completed (the carrot)? I'm just throwing stuff out...I'll quit. SH

Oops...one more thing. I think it would be really cool if our kids could collaborate with kids around the world on the same subject or better still the same assignment. SH**