Schoenbrun Reflection 2

As a school administrator and instructional leader, what instructional technology would you expect to see in the written, taught, and tested curriculum of a school or school district striving to meet the needs of 21st century learners?

In the written curriculum I would expect to see curriculum guides that are web based and accessible to teachers on any computer. These guides would include lesson plans that could be adjusted based on the needs of students, assessments, and/or a need to add multi-modalitiy activities. This may include the use of curriculum mapping tools such as Atlas Rubicon. I would also suggest the use of grading programs such as Easy Grade Pro or using information systems such as First Class to help monitor student progress and provide assessment data to drive instructional decisions. Many schools are using information systems such as PCR to also monitor student progress. I would also like to see the inclusion of online resources such as National Council for Teachers of Mathematics webiste to allow teachers to access national standards, researched best practices, and lesson plans that model the best integration of technology.
In the taught curriculum I would expect to see relevant technology specific to different subject areas. For example, the language arts, social studies and science curriculum should include opportunities for students to research using the internet appropriately, the use of tools such as PowerPoint, Digital Storytelling, Photoshop or Web 2.0 tools like Letterpop to produce products from learning opportunities. I would expect to see inclusion of Assistive Technology tools such as a Pen Scanner for reading, Word Q predictive technology for Dyslexic students, or text to speech software. I would recommend that teachers used the NETS-S as a guide and provide opportunites to use collaborative tools such as blogs or Wiki's to "interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a veirtey of digital environments and media." (ISTE NETS-S) I would expect the taught curriculum to include the use of word processing, spreadsheets, and data management tools such as Microsoft Word, EXCEL, and/or ACCESS.
For the tested curriculum, I would demand the use of tools that would help to dissaggregated the assessment data to help identify areas of concern and to drive the development of interventions and instructional initiatives as a catalyst for continual growth and improvement. This could include the use of EXCEL or a web based program that provides a structure for teachers to interact responsibally with data such as the Maryland State Department of Education website for the MSA data. What I would want to see basically is a tool used to help teachers make sense of the data to inform instruction and also to evaluate the assessment tool itself.

What instructional technology would you promote to differentiate instruction for all learners? Consider some of the Web 2.0 tools discussed in Week 3 and some of the tools/ applications suggested in the UDL discussion.

Based on our discussion some of the tools I would promote using are the brainstorming tools that help kids organize thier thinking. This is especially helpful for the visual learners but also the struggling students. These Web 2.0 tools include bubbl.us, mindmeister and kidspiration. I would promote the use of websites such as Windows to the Universe that provides leveled reading activites so all the students can be studying the planets and recieve respectful assignments. Plus, it also includes the readings in Spanish. I would promote the use of Wiki's and Blogs to record information on topics of study such as Egypt, create dialogue between students based on a prompt, to post support materials such as video clips or websites that would support learning, and to display student products. I would promote the use of the National Virtual Manipulatives to support math instruction and provide visual respresentations of math concepts. I would promote the use of Podcasts for teachers to upload instructions or record descriptions of activities or concepts. They can also be used for students to record thier ideas and thoughts that can be included in a digital portfolio. I think using tools such as Flickr and The Library of Congress websites to find visual images can enhance learning and allow more students to become engaged with the topic. I would also highly recommend the use of the UDL Toolkit. I have started to use this tool with my 6th grade math teachers. We are trying to brainstorm ways we can incorporate more multi-modality approaches to the learning into the curriculum for our struggling students. The toolkit has helped to frame our discussions and target our thinking. We have already come up with 3 new approaches using the NVML, purchasing new hands on manipulatives and creating our own neumonics with visual cues attached. I feel that this is an amazing tool.