Final Blog

I distinctly remember setting up this blog about 2 years ago. I was filled with excitement and anticipation for what was to come. After completing the skills survey for the first time, my excitement and anticipation changed to concern that I wasn’t as computer savvy as I thought! As I got past the initial set of questions, the skills listed were like Greek to me! Honestly, I considered looking into a different program. My husband is actually the one who convinced me to stick with it, and I’m glad he did! By the end of that first class, my mind was wide open to the endless possibilities the web offers. I wasn’t just impressed with the possibilities, but I grew to understand the significance of integrating technology with education. It was at that moment that the paradigm began shifting for me.

This program has helped me to recognize that technology without purpose is cumbersome and ineffective. Sharing with my colleagues the need to engage students through technology was a challenge at the start, but I've gotten more convincing as time has gone on! I’ve become a resource for the people in my building, as well as, some other ITL’s in the district. Use technology with purpose has become my motto.

One of the most memorable lessons I am taking with me from my experience is the Change Game. The politics and strategy that goes into planning for and implementing necessary changes has been most useful to me during this time of crisis for my district. As a leader in my school, I have been able to apply my new found understanding to help facilitate the changes that are/will be affecting the staff and students in my building.

It has been so fulfilling to be able to take what I’ve learned and feel confident enough to implement it with staff and students. It is because of this that I feel so fortunate to have participated in a program with such practical application. I am a person who must find and understand the purpose of everything I spend time and energy on. I was able to be successful in earning my ME-IT from Cardinal Stritch University

599- Week 3

This week I attended my monthly ITL meeting. The purpose this month was to complete a facilitator boot camp. One of the things that came up during this professional development was a discussion of how to handle change. Again I am reminded of the Change Game! The reality of next year really hit me. I realized that my school is getting a new principal, a new secretary, and losing all of the out of the classroom support positions. It's time for me to work with the rest of my support team to come up with provisions for when we each return to the classroom next year. It deeply saddens me to imagine how our wonderful little school is going to function.

I am thankful for the experience of this MEIT program! I'm building my resume with useful skills that will hopefully open the door to new opportunities. For now, with all that I've learned over the past couple of years, I am able use these skills to help the staff and students in my school to become more technologically literate.

599- Week 2

I am appreciating this culminating experience more and more everyday. I've spent time this week really adding needed tidbits to my project. I am beginning to put together the tutorials and surveys that will be used. I am creating the surveys using Google Forms, which I have only played with in a previous class. I was quickly reminded of the ease of Google Forms. I am interested to see how the staff at my school respond to the use of this online survey. I am anticipating reluctance, but I am prepared to monitor the results and send gentle reminders as needed.
I am concerned, though, that with all of the unrest in our district, teachers are beginning to see less importance in the success of my efforts. It doesn't help my cause that my new principal, unlike the one who just retired, has absolutely no interest in technology nor my efforts to improve it's use in our school. She hasn't stopped me from doing anything, but her lack of concern is slowly allowing for other staff to be less motivated. I am getting daily reminders of the Change Game from last class!

599-Week 1

This week I have spent time focussing on refining the SMART goals for my final project proposal. Meeting with Louis really clarified this process for me. I realized that I had the wrong idea about how to write SMART goals. Initially, I was under the impression that I had to write a goal that was specific, another that was measurable, and so on. I now inderstand that each goal should include all SMART aspects. Although it was a "duh" moment for me, I am glad to know that my goals will be easier to fix than I had imagined. Using my revised SMART goals, I have been adding needed details to my plan. Louis drew some comparisons to the Change Game that we played last class. Considering what I learned during that process, I have decided to use Google Forms to survey the staff at my school to give them input into my project. This will help to ensure that the changes that are made will be meaningful and useful to them. I have already gotten key people to agree that the change I am proposing in a necessary one.

565- Week 6

My definition of leadership has certainly been reinforced during this class. I understand better than ever that being a leader, both administrative and teacher, involves being a courageous change maker. Not only are leaders instrumental in spearheading change, but they must be politically savvy and knowledgeable enough to facilitate the change process successfully. The Change Game was a fantastic way to re-enact how education initiatives are played out. I mustered up even more respect for the delicate balance that leaders have to maintain.

Our textbook expresses the about "improving education from within". I very much agree that this notion should be a large part of the solution plan, although there are other factors that contribute to the success and failure of education. My contribution is to participate in needed change, be a team player, and lend my strengths where needed.

565- Week 5

This week, my team continued to play the change game thinking that we had to get everyone on board before moving on to the next activity. I learned that sometimes you have to leave people behind to move forward. Those people will have to either get with the program or be left behind. Progress doesn't mean that everyone will agree. Some people are just going to be resistant to change until they accept that there is no way around it. If most people are ready to move forward, it is important to continue.

With the school district I work in struggling to improve it's failing status, coupled with the budget crisis raging forward in Wisconsin's education system, I find myself faced with constant change. Playing the game has helped me to gain a new perspective regarding how I see myself fitting into this change process. I've been able to identify the varying stages that I've gone through, as well as, the stages others in my school and district waiver between. Currently, I am totally in the practice stage. I understand how much change is needed to improve education for the children in my community. Some of this change is has been forced upon us by DPI, and some has been initiated by my school based on our in-house needs assessment. Regardless of how the change has been initiated, I am committed to thinking of ways to shift the paradigm.

565- Week 4

I found the change game to be quite frustrating. I have never had much tolerance for the politics of education. I don't appreciate the bottom line being dollars and cents rather than what's best for children and those who teach them. I am interested in how this game is totally played out. I understand the complexity of the process a little better after playing on Monday, but it was disheartening to finish our first year making, what seemed to me to be, little progress. The feeling of just spinning our wheels was a little too close to home. Reading about the change process in education has helped to give me a new perspective on the change game. Considering the phases helps me to envision a better systematic approach. It took us almost the whole year to realize how valuable collecting data and talking to the stakeholders is as a starting point.



With the budget and education crisis we are in at this time, I have found the School Change Toolkit to be helpful for analyzing new developments as they present themselves. Actually, the more I learn about the systematic organization of education, as well as, the process and power of strategic planning, the more freightened I become for our children and our community. I found the following thought to be particularly hard-hitting. "...too much change at once, especially too much unexpected change with consequences people don't fully understand, can result in failure." (School Change Toolkit) Change is definitely needed in my district, and with education in America as a whole. However, education in Wisconsin is being forced to change too quickly. Being driven by the lack of money, I don't see how many of the changes are beneficial for our children. One of the thrills of teaching, for me, has been the "on top of the world" feeling I get having the opportunity to impact the lives in my classroom and school. With the current and impending trauma to the district's budgent, I fight the temptation to feel deflated and helpless. I appreciate the leadership training we are receiving. I pray that I will be able to use it to the fullest as we fight this battle to save our future.

565-Week 3

Who Moved my Cheese is brilliant! What a fantastic dipiction of the different characteristics leaders have to manage. With all of the changes taking place in my school district, I was really able to relate to the characters in a significant way. Each of the characters reminded me of teachers I work with, or have worked with.

I found the Tune In article very intriguing. First of all, I never really considered myself to be so near in age to the millenial generation. It is interesting to remember that as I was growing up, I often thought of the class behind me as being drastically different. I understand that the line between the generations is not that clear cut, but an interesting memory non the less. I'm curioius to know what the author's views are on the gen-y group, as they were not mentioned. Secondly, the article shared a thought that the millenial generation could likely be the first generation of life-long learners. This generation's willingness to change when needed is a vital when faced with the challenge of appealling to today's youth.




clash of generations

What do we what? JUSTICE! When do we want it? NOW!

Check out my pics from Madison today! They are all on Flickr (to your left). What an awesome experience. This event has truly demonstrated the effects and impacts leadership can have, be it good or bad.

565- Week 2

MPS has an application that is available to all employees, the Data Warehouse, which houses all kinds of data about every school in the district. The data stored here includes attendance, assessment, discipline, enrollment, support services, staff, professional development, and students. There is even data about the quality of the data provided! I believe this is a fairly new tool that has been introduced, or made more accessible, in the past few years. I like that this information is made so readily available for teachers. As we discuss the importance of data for the purpose of school/district improvement, it is vital for that data be made available to the people on the front lines. As a matter of fact, I don't think it is a bad idea to share that information with students, as well.

I have participated in data retreats at the first school I taught at. Being a charter school, the teachers were a part of the retreat, discussing the successes, failures, enhancements, and new directions regarding student achievement. Now, as a teacher in a large district, my only participation is listening to the principal summarize it. The WINSS site is new to me. I had a great time sifting through the information for my school. However, my mind kept wandering to thoughts of how confusing, or misleading, this information could be for the many people, including parents, who don't understand own to look critically at it.

565- Week 1

I have recently taken on a new position at my school. I am no longer in the classroom, but have been placed in the Implementer position. So, the leadership role I play has shifted significantly. As a classroom teacher leader, I was active in several school committees and made extra efforts to collaborate with my grade level partners. As an implementer, I continue to participate in those committees and more, as well as, having to interact with all of the teachers, rather than just my grade level. Working with all grade levels, I often model 'care-frontation' when faced with the challenge to motivate the staff.

I haven't completed all of the assignments yet, but I have enjoyed the reading and the TED talk. The text mentions the struggle many teachers have when appointed to leadership roles without having prior training. I've seen many teachers either sink or swim while stepping in to fill a vacant leadership position with little support. The teachers who've risen to the occasion have been people who, like the TED speaker discussed, view leadership with a sense of responsibility, rather than a sense of entitlement.

555 Reflection #3

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter! I am excited to get input on my culminating experience proposal. My professional confidence has really gotten a boost from this program. At the start of this program, I never imagined using what I've been learning in my present job position. Now, as I reflect on my experiences, I find myself with a new focus. My culminating experience proposal is the perfect example of this. I used this opportunity to evaluate the technology needs in my building and design a project that will really make a difference.

This week I will be putting the finishing touches on my portfolio. I added a piece of creativity to the homepage using a Wordle word cloud. This is a fun tool I've used as a follow up to lessons. I have my students explain what they learned in the lesson, all the while typing their key words. The Wordle site takes those words and arranges them, enlarging the words depending on how many times they were mentioned.

555- Reflection #2

This portfolio experience has been a valuable way to review my MEIT experience. This past year+ has gone by so quickly that I hardly realized how much we've done! The most exciting revelation I've had recently is that there have been useful tools and skills from each course that I've been able to immediately integrate into my teaching. (Talk about authentic learning experiences!) It has been helpful looking at others' portfolios. Some of my classmates have added some creative details that make their sites interesting to look at. I especially liked the idea of using quotes, as some used on their homepage.

The most challenging part of the portfolio thus far was writing the vision statement. I have a tendency to be wordy at times. After considering the comments from my classmates and instructor, I think I've gotten a better handle on simply saying what I mean, doing away with some of the "poetics".

As for my Culminating Experience Proposal, I have decided on a project that is close to my heart. I have taken on the challenge of working with the staff at my school to get them proficient in the NETS for teachers. Through the MPS TLC(The Learning Community), my project will be to train the staff to use the school's section of the TLC. Once the staff have accomplished daily use of this tool, I will set up a student online learning community for the teachers to use with their students. I am very excited to get started with this, upon approval of course!