The document summarizes an instructional leadership course focused on educational technology. It outlines the course topics covered in each of the 5 weeks, including the Texas technology plan, data collection and analysis, digital natives, and online safety issues. For the final assignment, students were asked to reflect on what they learned in the course and how it will influence their role as an educational technology leader. They were to write 150-word responses to reflection questions and post them to an educational blog.

1. EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: The Technology Link
Week 5 Assignment: Due by the end of Week 5.
Overview
Throughout this course, we have examined the role and responsibilities of an educational
technology leader in the 21st century information landscape. In Week 1, we looked at
educational technology in terms of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, the Technology
Applications TEKS, and the Technology Applications Inventory. Our focus in Week 2 was on
using data to make informed decisions and gathering data on educational technology through
the Texas STaR Charts. Week 3’s focus was on the needs of the “digital natives” we serve,
online learning communities, and expectations for educators. In Weeks 4 and 5, we discussed
online safety and the social, legal, and ethical issues confronting today’s digital-age educators,
students, and parents.
For your Week 5 assignment, you will consider the outcomes of this course and the extent to
which the outcomes will influence your role as an educational technology leader in your school.
Follow these steps to complete your Week 5 assignment:
• Reflect on what you have learned in this course.
• Assume a school leadership role as an educational technology campus facilitator or as
the district educational technology director. From that vantage point, compose a 150-
word response to each of the guiding questions provided, the equitant to a 750-page
paper.
• Write reflectively instead of in question-and-answer style and post in your blog.
• Submit your blog address to your coach after you check the validity of the address.
• Submit your reflections by the end of Week 5.
Submit your assignment by 11:59 PM on the seventh day of Week 5.
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2. EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: The Technology Link
Rubric
Use the following Rubric to guide your work on the Week 5 Assignment.
Does Not Meet
Tasks Accomplished Proficient Needs
Expectations

Course Reflection Student composes Student composes Student Student does not
reflection on each reflections on six or composes five or submit the
question of eight seven of the less of the assignment. (0
provided; reflections questions provided; reflection points)
demonstrate extensive reflections questions,
knowledge of course demonstrate and/or
content. This adequate knowledge reflections
document is posted to of course content. exhibit a lack of
the student blog and This document is understanding of
represents an posted to the student course content.
800-1,000-word paper. blog and represents a This document is
(Maximum 8 points) 600 to 800-word posted to the
paper. student blog and
(7 points) represents a 600
or less-word
paper.
(6 point)
Assignment Responses are Responses are Responses do Student does not
Mechanics relevant to course relevant to course not reflect submit the
content; no errors in content; three or knowledge of assignment. (0
grammar, spelling, or fewer errors in course content, points)
punctuation. grammar, spelling, or lack clarity and
(Maximum 7 points) punctuation. (6 depth, and/or
points) include four or
more errors in
grammar,
spelling, and
punctuation,
including APA
errors. (5 point)
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3. EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: The Technology Link
Week 5 Assignment: Course Reflections
For your Week 5 assignment, you will consider the outcomes of this course and the extent to
which the outcomes will influence your role as an educational technology leader in your school.
Follow these steps to complete your Week 5 assignment:
• Reflect on what you have learned in this course.
• Assume a school leadership role as an educational technology campus facilitator or as
the district educational technology director. From that vantage point, compose a 150-
word response to each of the guiding questions provided, the equivalent to a 750-page
paper.
• Write reflectively instead of in question-and-answer style and post in your blog.
• Submit your blog address to your coach after you check the validity of the address.
• Submit your reflections by the end of Week 5.
Post your course reflections to your blog site. Please respond to the following
reflection questions:
• What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes?
Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
• To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you
do in your school? Why or why not?
• What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
• Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or
discouraged you?
• What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership
skills, and your attitudes?
• What is the educational value of blogs and blogging to the 21st century learner?
• What are the concerns of blogs and blogging in education?
• How can you use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders?
My Blog URL: http://mguerra4.blogspot.com
My Blog’s Name: Higher Learning Minds
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4. EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: The Technology Link
Instructional Leadership – Week 5 Assignment
Maria Adriana Guerra
EDLD 5352 EA 1167
Friday, December 18, 2009
New Point of View in Instructional Technology
Instructional Leadership EDLD 5352 course has taken me into a
world I knew existed but thought I was far from reaching. Little did I know
that this course would focus so strongly on technology and technology
applications. I had envisioned a course where I would research on
leadership skills and classroom instruction. As the course began I found
myself in familiar territory but not very brave. As I read, I gathered more
information that got my brain working 24/7. Reading other teachers
experiences with technology encouraged me to want more for myself and
my students. Eric Jones explains, in Strategies to put Instruction Ahead of
Technology, how to get started on teachers first by providing for them
useful training on technology based lessons. Jo Williamson and Traci
Redish back up Jones’ research in facilitating the necessary training for
teachers who in turn will model and guide students through a diverse 21st
century instruction. I understand my goals and vision related to technology
but now have the tools and training to plan and execute.
Students like to see information in short bursts and in an engaging
fashion. On line programs such as Brain Pop and Helpprogram for Math
are engaging and relevant to our students learning. It delivers instruction in
short animations with lots of music and sounds. It gives real world
examples for each area of learning. Webquests allow our students to
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5. EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: The Technology Link
“explore” a topic on their own with a little preplanning by the teacher. It
gives the feeling of ownership of their own learning back to the students.
The integration of technology professional development is never at
an end. This is an ongoing process. We need to adapt to the new and
change the old. Just as students are already skillful in the use of many
technological devices/applications, we too, as educators need to be ready
to guide them to better use them. Our administrators are our leaders, and
with this in mind, they are our role models. The use of technology such as
power point presentations, e-chalk, blogs, movie makers, face book,
webcams, math helpers, you tube, and wikis are the applications of today
but are we ready for what is already here tomorrow? All involved in
education should be trained and be able to model effectively the use of
technology in order to guide and improve our student’s performance.
There are many useful technology applications out there. In this
course I learned about many that administrators and teachers may use. I
wanted to use them all before I forgot how to incorporate them to my
lessons. It wasn’t possible. There is not enough time in a day to allow the
browsing and handling of new websites. I was ecstatic about the blog
creation and the slideshare. I have used this information as part of my
instruction in my class. My students were eager to learn and were thrilled
about the assignment. I didn’t, however, have the opportunity to examine
twitter or wiki. I believe these would be a great asset to both me and my
students.
As any new beginning, I had trouble with the blog set up and the slide
share. The directions on how to achieve this were helpful but they did
leave out a few items that would have saved a lot of time. However, I
learned through my mistakes, and with the help of a very close friend I was
able to problem solve. Time is an enemy of work. I have the will to pursue
and research but work related and home responsibilities lessen the
opportunity of exploring.
I know now that I have the capability to lead others in unchartered
waters. I see administrators in a whole new, brighter light. I don’t have a
campus under my wing but I have my team and my students. The
research and training acquired during this course has enabled me to reach
out in cyber space and use what is available to me. FREE is a lovely word
especially when it is useful to teacher’s instruction and 100 % learner
based. I used a free site to implement my 7th grade mid-term for both
Technology Education and Career Investigation courses.
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6. EDLD 5352 Instructional Leadership: The Technology Link
The assignment for the mid-term was to follow the directions that
guide in the creation of a blog. The second part to the assignment was to
reflect on the work and projects done in class in the last 6 weeks. The third
part of the assignment was to give their personal opinion about their
experience in their learning. I was pleasantly surprised to read many
students’ responses. Many students went over and beyond and started
getting creative with their blog’s presentation and comments. They took
upon themselves to get their peer’s URL to check on eachothers work.
They felt empowered in their learning. They weren’t the quiet bored
students filling out a standardized test or assignment; they had motivation
and hunger to create the best blog.
My deepest concern is that my student’s safety from cyber predators
and cyber porn is vunerable. Linda C. Joseph explains it best in her
Keeping Safe in Cyberspace article when she expresses the importance of
technology use communication. It is our duty and our student’s parent’s
responsibility to train our children to be aware of the dangers in cyberspace
and to take advantage of the many amenities that our internet offers.
Opening the line of communication via internet broadens the
feedback needed to improve our mission and goals. It is through a Blog
communication that the phrase “two heads are better than one” leads the
way to a better academic tomorrow.
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