Week 1 Assignment, Part 2

When taking technology application surveys, I feel as though I have a slight advantage over other teachers because in the district in which I teach technology and assessments are focused on throughout many staff developments. I use technology most everyday and my students are expected to incorporate it throughout their studies at home.

Looking at the surveys, it is clear that I have mastered all the domains. In the 1st survey, the only domain that gave me any trouble was the Solving Problems domain where I only mastered 14 out of the 18 possible questions. The responses that were “no's” involved the issue of “resolving information conflicts and validate information through research and comparison of data”, “using interactive virtual environments, appropriate to level, such as virtual reality or simulations”, use technical writing strategies to create products such as technical instructional guides, and “design and implement procedures to track trends, set timelines, and review/evaluate progress for continual improvement in process and product”. I answered these questions as “no” because these items are not part of the curriculum that I am currently teaching or have never had the opportunity to learn or be a part of a team learning how to do them.

I had a good experience in information acquisition. I agree with this reflection, because I feel that I can navigate this area of technology application. As far as what I am supposed to do with the information gathered, is another story. I feel like the survey was helpful to identify areas of need.

The SEDTA survey was quite extensive. It was similar to a survey we completed on our campus. It is amazing how quickly technology has found its way into our schools. When I started teaching I was using overhead projectors and VCRs. Today I find myself applying laptops and projectors towards many lessons and responding to e-mails on the go. The overheads are now collecting dust while the ceiling mounted projectors are capturing the attention of the students. This survey shed light on the integration of such technology in my own teaching style.