July 17, 2006

Literature Review-Educational Blogging

The Web has introduced the world to ever changing tools of communication. Today, students, parents, teachers, and administrators have access to technologies that were unfathomable fifty years ago. The educational field seems to be the sector in our society that lags behind in technology, especially when we look at the public realm. Teachers are left with little time to explore new integration techniques for technology. The focus of core curriculum is state standards, No Child Left Behind, and standardized testing scores. So how do teachers use the Web as a content management tool without the effects of learning curves and time constraints? The answer lies within the creation of a Web communication tool known as a blog.

What Is a Blog?
The term blog is short for Web log. The basic function of a blog is one of a Web site and a journal combined (Kennedy, 2003). In the educational realm it can be used for teachers to post syllabi, course information, assignments, reading material, project tips, personal information, and related links. For a teacher, the classroom management functions a blog can provide are limitless. Students have the ability to post their work to the blog in journal format, as a graphic, or as a multimedia project. This communication tool allows for instant dialogue and feedback between the classroom teacher and his/her students or between the students themselves. Students can interact outside of the actual classroom and continue discussion or post comments when class is dismissed (Glogoff, 2005).
Web sites versus Blogs
Time, prior knowledge, and publication abilities are the key negotiators between a teacher creating a Web site or a blog. Learning how to use software programs such as DreamWeaver or memorizing hundreds of tags in HTML to create Web sites can be time consuming and overwhelming. Blog software is a content management program that is built to be a “personal publishing system”. Knowledge of HTML is not a required component (but can be helpful) and most programs are designed to be as easy to use as word processing applications, but with additional collaboration and communication features (Kennedy, 2003).
Most teachers who create and post a Web site do so for personal relations purposes. It offers the ability for the teacher to communicate with students and their parents. A teacher can place assignments, announcements, educational links, a course outline, and even student work on Web site. However, teachers are limited to only publishing written work or images on a class Web site (Valmont, 2003). A blog would allow for all the same elements of a classroom Web site, but would grant access to group communication (the teacher is not the only one that can “speak”). This would provide an opportunity for learning to continue outside the classroom and the ability to publish all types of student work.
Blogs in the Classroom
Blogs provide an arena where self-expression and creativity are encouraged. Students have the ability to access their class blog anywhere and anytime an Internet connection is available. In the classroom community, students can have a personal space to read and write, share ideas, ask and answer questions, and develop peer relationships (Huffaker, 2005). As a teacher, the issue becomes how to let go of the “control” in the classroom and make it student-centered where the teacher is the facilitator who creates opportunities for learning. Modeling becomes a valuable technique to engage students into the communication process of blogging. An important aspect of this approach is to see the act of blogging as something fun, expressive, enjoyable, conversational, and poetic (Campbell, 2005).
Blogs can be multidisciplinary. Reading and writing can be used in a variety of curriculum, not just language arts. Students can express not only their ideas in any subject, but post images (art or social studies) or multimedia projects (business, social studies, physical education). Blogs can be used to promote reading and writing, to showcase the work of students, or to exchange ideas among students, teachers, or school administrators (Huffacker, 2005).
Literacy
Technology has added a new type of literacy called digital fluency. This type of literacy refers to the way people become comfortable using technology as they would any other natural language. Some scholars suggest digital fluency will be another prerequisite for sociability, lifelong learning, and employment opportunities (Resnick, 2002). The execution of a classroom blog enables the teacher to bring together technology and literacy as students learn to communicate both visually and verbally on the blog. The use of educational technology promotes the type of literacy traditionally encouraged in learning, as well as the digital fluency needed to prosper in the digital age (Valmont, 2003). With literacy being such an integral part of state standards, No Child Left Behind, and standardized testing, students will have most likely improved their reading and writing skills, gotten some insightful feedback from others to consider, and have even exercised their reflective and critical skills through classroom blogging (Campbell, 2005).
The Politics of Blogging
If blogging is such a motivating classroom tool, then why are there so few teacher blogs that allows for student publishing online? The barriers are permission and server space (Kennedy, 2003). Most school districts do not want to have a space online where students have “free reign” to post thoughts, ideas, or pictures without some level of approval or monitoring system. If students are limited because of permission to publish, then they will probably not participate. Anytime a teacher decides to incorporate technology into the curriculum, some consideration needs to be given to student Internet accessibility. If your school district has a Technology Plan and/or Acceptable Use Policies, then as a responsible teacher it should be examined to make sure the classroom blog does not violate any of the school districts policies (Valmont, 2003).
Examples of Teacher Blogs
Dan McDowell’s ahistoryteacher.com hosts curriculum guides, WebQuest, class Web pages, teacher workshops, and a biography. McDowell, a history teacher at West Hills High School in California, uses blogs for both AP World History and CP World History. In both classes, projects are focused on topics such as the Civil War, World War I, The Holocaust, and the Industrial Revolution, just to name a few. His projects are focused on posting and comments to the class blog and using Wikis.
Blogs can also be used to help teachers incorporate blogging into their particular curricular area. Pattie Belle Hastings at myWebspace.quinnipiac.edu not only uses her blog for the computer science classes she teaches, but she also uses it to display examples of blogs across the curriculum. This blog provides a function for her classes and it allows other teachers to use her blog as a reference.
Blogs can be an effective tool for teachers. The Entry Year Teacher/Mentor Blog, for instance, uses a blog to “document, reflect, plan, mentor, analyze and to communicate between new teachers and mentors, providing guidance and support (Huffaker, 2005).
Conclusion
Convenience and accessibility make blogs an excellent tool for teachers. Unlike most classroom Web sites, a blog is created to be a dynamic space that allows for expressiveness and originality. Blogging creates a venue where learning is not limited to the classroom. Students and teachers can access their class blogs whenever an Internet connection is available. Students can publish their work whether it is a journal entry or a multimedia project. The accountability of publishing work lies with the student, and the teacher no longer has a stack of papers to keep track of. By creating such a forum, teachers can incorporate literacy and digital fluency into their specific curricular area. As more teachers begin using blogs, studies should be conducted that parallel using Web logs with reading comprehension and improved writing skills within the educational realm.

References
Campbell, A. (2005). Classroom Blogging: two fundamental approaches. Retrieved June 15, 2006, from Dekita Orchard Web site: http://dekita.org/articles.
Glogoff, S. (2005). Instructional blogging: Promoting interactivity, student-centered learning, and peer input. Innovate 1 (5).
Huffacker, D. (2005). The educated blogger: Using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom. AACE Journal, 13(2), 91-98.
Kennedy, K. (2003). Writing With Web Logs. Retrieved June 15, 2006, from Technology & Learning Web site: http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/02/blogs.html.
Resnick, M. (2002). Rethinking learning in the digital age. In G. Kirkman (Ed.), The global information technology report: Readiness for the networked word. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Valmont, W. (2003). Technology for Literacy Teaching and Learning. Boston New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Book Review-Oversold & Underused

Schools have technology...at this point in education that is not the debate. What we as educators do with the technologies available to us is the core of Larry Cuban's observations and research in the book Oversold & Underused. The blame cannot be placed on educators. Policymakers and technology innovators make it difficult for anyone to integrate these tools into the classroom. Educational policies and practices are constantly changing and teachers are expected to keep up. Technology innovators make it difficult for educators who have limited budgets to maintain computer integrity, up-to-date components, and reliability. We have been marketed to believe that technology is the "saving grace" of our educational system.

HOW YOUNG?
As a high school teacher, it was very interesting to read about Cuban’s observations regarding the possibility of incorporating computers in a preschool and kindergarten setting. I think that if on a consistent basis children are taught the basics of operating a computer at that young of an age it would be easier for them to transition to learning more structured applications like keyboarding techniques. At the middle school level, teachers could focus on what the state refers to as Digital Tools (voice recognition, scanning devices, PDA’s, etc.). This would make available the possibility for more advanced computer applications classes to be offered at the high school level. Then we could concentrate on more advanced applications at the high school level instead of having to offer classes like keyboarding and document formatting. If we could focus on more advanced applications then we would have students more prepared after graduation for workplace and college technologies.
We are constantly debating in our school corporation the need to move keyboarding classes to the elementary level. This year the state has even “suggested” that school corporations should be teaching keyboarding at the fifth grade level. They have even incorporated textbooks into our adoption year that would be age appropriate for the elementary level. Unfortunately, we do not see this happening anytime soon. Teaching keyboarding at the fifth grade level would still require a teacher that has a degree in Business Education. We just received word that with budget cuts, it would be very unlikely for any new teachers to be hired. Considering this area is an elective area in the curriculum, the implementation of such a program seems very unlikely. So, once again government wants to increase technology availability and usage in schools, but cut funding that would allow programs to grow. The school corporation however, has purchased sixty laptop computers for the middle school in addition to the two computer labs already in the school. The only “computer class” that is taught currently at that level is keyboarding by one teacher. As in Cuban’s observation, we have all this technology surrounding our students and teachers but no one is using it or trained to use it.
TECHNOLOGY AND THE CURRICULUM
Another theme in Cuban’s observations and research is that teachers are not incorporating technology into their teaching styles. At the high school level teachers are pushed to the limit with all of the other responsibilities that are assigned to them. It is difficult to find the time to teach yourself how to incorporate technology into the classroom. I know English, Math, Social Studies, and Science teachers at our school who are just overwhelmed with meeting state standards and trying to improve ISTEP scores in their core area. Being in the Business Department and teaching computer classes, it is easier for me to incorporate technology into what would be referred to as "lecture" classes that I teach. I have the knowledge base just because of my teaching area. What most schools fail to do is make sure time is set aside during professional days, for example, to show teachers how technology can be incorporated into their daily classes and make them feel comfortable using the technologies. When we start seeing technological requirements in the state standards maybe more emphasis will be placed on learning them.
WHERE ARE THE GAPS?
From my experience, there is a huge gap between the technologies offered and used at the high school level and those used at the university level. I know Cuban talked about how for the most part technology is not used by professors in their teaching style, but my experience with universities is that they are using technology. From 1992 when I received my first undergraduate degree through the present I have seen a substantial growth in technologies offered and used at the university level. I have not seen such growth at the high school level. I am always telling my students who take advanced computer classes about the advantage they will have over most students in their ability to use all the technologies that will be at their disposal.
WHERE IS TEACHER INPUT?
Another problem with the under-development of technology incorporation in our schools is that in a lot of instances people outside of the teaching profession are making the decisions about what types of technologies will be put into the classroom. We are currently renovating our school, and for the most part the architectural team makes the decisions on what types of technologies the classrooms will be equipped with. Our department had to really fight to make changes to the original plans of the classrooms in our department. What do people outside of the teaching profession know about classroom management? Incorporating technology into a classroom takes a lot of planning. It is not about how many computers, printers, LCD's, scanners, etc. you can pack into one room and does it look nice. The focus should be on how teachers and students can maximize the capabilities of the technology.
TEACHERS ARE NOT ALONE
I was glad that Cuban spent some time focusing on other professions and their trends and attitudes toward technological innovations. I think it is important for everyone to understand that the teaching profession is just like any other occupation. There are people who take to new technologies and incorporate them into their jobs to hopefully save them time and efforts. Then there are those who shy away from new technologies because they do not like change, feel uncomfortable with it, or are simply afraid of it. Before becoming a teacher I worked for a company that manufactured hospital beds. In my department there were two of us that used technology to make our jobs easier and more efficient. The other people in our department felt very uncomfortable taking that leap into the unknown. Some people are kinesthetic learners and are willing to explore the unknown and others are visual or auditory learners. They of course would require some sort of training before they became remotely comfortable with learning new technologies. So again we must address the issue of training personal thoroughly, whether in the teaching profession or not, before technology can be considered integrated into classrooms or jobs.
CHANGE
There are core areas that have to be developed before we can actually believe the government and technology innovators who insist that technology is foundation of success for our educational system and the future of our economy and global competition. Technology manufacturers have to make hardware and software more affordable and user friendly. Education seems to be constantly taking a hit financially and lets face it most commercial software programs that we have available to us are not inexpensive, easy to learn, nor lack limitations and glitches. Government needs to be increasing funds to our educational system instead of constantly depleting them. School systems funding comes from their local tax base. If there are gaps in dollars needed and dollars collected then the government needs to fill in that gap. High income school districts should not be the only schools receiving the technology and training. Policymakers cannot be campaigning on educational reform if they are always willing to cut educational programs. Teachers need to have a voice when technological programs are being initiated. In too many instances teachers are given the technology and told to use it. They have no input or training, but are expected to conform. If technology is to be fully integrated into educational curriculum, then changing current educational structures are inevitable.

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July 15, 2006

Technology Policy Paper

Students in classrooms are using the Internet at an increasing rate. With Internet accessibility becoming more prevalent in schools, the need for Internet and computer usage guidelines have increased as well. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (May 2001), 98% of schools with Internet access have Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) in place (Loverro, 2002). These policies help teachers, media specialists, and administrators determine what actions should be taken when students misuse school computer/Internet privileges. Considering that most students are more computer and Internet savvy than the adults that supervise them, it is important for teachers and other staff members to be familiar with the content of an AUP. This helps teachers and staff members to understand what types of infringements they should scrutinize. One of my students recently installed a software package that could "kill" programs, he sent an inappropriate network messages to over two hundred workstations throughout our corporation, and deleted another student's work that was saved to the computer. These infractions occurred all within one week. Since our corporation has an AUP, the assistant principal was able to look at those guidelines specifically to determine a punishment. He did not have to try and fit such a violation into the student discipline chart. The infraction was part of the AUP, so his punishment was clear. The student lost his computer and Internet privileges school wide for the remainder of the year and has received a grade of "WF" for the Web Design class in which he committed the infraction.

Along with these technologies, school corporations and individual schools have Web sites that are available to the public. The University of Minnesota’s Web66 project found that over 12,000 schools worldwide now have Web sites (Williams, 1998). This means that 12,000 schools have information that most would assume to be non-controversial. But if students are creating these Web sites or are allowed to post their own Web sites, then schools need to have Web publishing guidelines as well as Acceptable Use Policies established within a Technology Policy. When developing a technology policy there are some general components that should be included (Cohn, Kelsey, and Fiels, 1999):
1. State purpose and what the policy will include
2. Overview of basics with examples of numerous policies
3. Define the policy and make some basic decisions
4. Develop the policy and discuss assessment of purpose and need
5. Discuss how to implement, evaluate and keep policies current

WHAT IS AN ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY?

Acceptable Use Policies usually provide lists of appropriate and in-appropriate uses of computers in a school setting. An AUP is a written document that is signed by students, their parents and teachers, outlining the terms and conditions of the Internet use and the rules of online behavior, access privileges, and school Web site publishing guidelines (Crane, 2004). There seems to be a general consensus across the nation as to what elements should be included in an AUP. Security, internal networks, e-mail usage, software standards, and privacy show up as the most important and frequently selected information technology concerns (Gil-Garcia, 2004). There is a plethora of AUP templates that can be retrieved from the Internet for school districts to use. Their general layout includes Internet terms and conditions of use which address topics such as acceptable use, privileges, network etiquette, security, vandalism, and sections for student, parent, and teacher signatures (Classroom Connect).
WHO WRITES AN AUP?

There seem to be two different types of groups who would be responsible for writing AUPs for school districts. One group is a committee made up of a combination of the following: technology coordinators, library media specialists, teachers, parents, students, administrators and school board members. The second group would create an AUP that would incorporate Board of Education policies as well. The first group would probably take the state guideline for writing an AUP, if one was available from that state’s department of education, and make it specific to that particular district, school, or classroom. The Board group would focus on creating a policy that would contain content of a general AUP, but would connect those standards to the district’s policies on student rights and responsibilities. Such rights would include the district policy and procedures on locker searches and a student’s rights to privacy of freedom of speech. They tie consequences and procedures to those already in effect (McKenzie, 1995). This approach would also profile faculty responsibilities and rights as employees using these technologies.
STATE AUP GUIDELINES

In 1998, Indiana included hardware, content, connectivity, and teacher training to the state technology policy (Jerald and Orlofsky, 1999). Each public school corporation in Indiana must adopt an Internet Acceptable Use Policy that describes general guidelines for schools to follow (Appendix 1). Some of the key elements of these guidelines specifically address what types of materials should be prohibited for students to access. Many schools can block Internet sites, which they deem inappropriate. My experience is that many students know how to get around the software that blocks inappropriate sites. So the responsibility is ultimately on the teacher supervising student use of computer workstations. If computers are not arranged so that a teacher can be supervising all workstations no matter his/her location, then it can be very challenging to monitor. The state guidelines also make reference to student and parent knowledge of school technology policies as well as the responsibilities of the students to follow the policies. When schools establish an AUP it is very important to have students and parents read and sign that they have read and agreed to the policy.
BOARD POLICIES

The Board policy is different from a basic AUP in that it addresses potentially controversial information and relates it to pre-existing policies on curriculum and the selection of curriculum materials, outlining clear expectations for staff and staff supervising student use of computers and the Internet (McKenzie, 1995). The focus of many AUPs is the risks associated with the Internet and obscenities or inappropriate behavior. However, there are also risks that are related to the quality of the information accessed and efforts to restrict access. A solid Board policy addresses most or all of the following topics (McKenzie, 1995):
1. Contact with objectionable material
2. Contact with questionable material
3. Contact with questionable persons
4. Objectionable behavior
5. Objectionable material
6. Destructive behavior
7. Violation of privacy rights
8. Violation of access rights

TECHNOLOGY PERCEPTIONS

Whether you take the state approach or the Board approach to writing an AUP, there are technological issues that need to be addressed. One has to remember that no matter who is on the committee to create a technology policy for a particular school or school district, those individuals have their own vision as to what technology should be available to students and what determines appropriate and in-appropriate material. A teacher’s perspective would be different from a technology coordinators perspective. For example, a technology coordinator might not understand why it would be important for students to have access to a wide range of resources. Most teachers would want their students to have a wide range of access to complete research or projects for class. Those teachers would assume the responsibility of monitoring students to make sure they were not accessing inappropriate information. Whereas most technology coordinators would want to make sure that they maintained the security of data that was being accessed (Johnson, 2003).
THE EXAMPLE

Shelbyville Central Schools has established three main components in their technology policy: “Suggested Student Workstation Guidelines”, “Acceptable Use of the Internet”, and “Building and Maintaining a School Website”. The Board of School Trustees of Shelbyville Central Schools adopted this technology policy on December 19, 1995. It was revised on June 10, 1997. I will use this as the example by which other schools could follow. I feel that this technology policy establishes relevant guidelines for faculty and students to follow when using school computers. The technology policies can be viewed in their entirety by visiting http://www.shelbycs.org/technology. I will discuss some of the key elements of each section of the policy. The fundamental objectives of the policy are:
1. To have a corporate-wide, on-going strategic planning process.
2. To establish a partnership involving students, staff, families and communities.
3. To have a positive learning environment.
4. Promote/support high student achievement in all areas.
5. To have quality employees
6. To have an effective communication system for all stakeholders

Suggested Student Workstation Guidelines

This section focuses on general use guidelines for all schools in the corporation to implement when it comes to students and teachers using computer workstations in the district. One of the first areas of concentration deals with copyright regulations and software licensing. These are policies that are strictly enforced. My computer lab is differentiated from other computer labs in our building in that I have the widest range of software availability. Our technology coordinator is adamant that licensing agreements for all the software on the computers has documentation. This stays in check in that neither students nor teachers have access to load any software onto any of the computers. If software is to be loaded, then a request is made and a technology assistant installs the software. Violating the use of copyrighted material is discussed as well. Students are expected to have either permission before using information or files from the author or giving a proper citation of the source. The essence of this section focuses on “The BIG List of NO-NO’s” which includes:
· NO food (including gum and candy) or drinks allowed around Shelbyville Central computers.
· NO games
· NO Instant Messaging or online chatting allowed
· NO email use by students
· NO software installation or program downloads by students
· NO music or MP3 downloading, not even legal music and MP3 downloading
· NO "burning" of music CD's of any kind using Shelbyville Central computers
· NO posting to electronic bulletin boards or message boards
· NO changing of computer configuration settings (i.e.: home page, passwords, screensaver) or altering the desktop display
Along with this section the guidelines stipulate that if a teacher feels that for educational purposes students need to use computers in a manner that is listed above then that teacher needs to discuss it with their buildings principal to obtain approval for use.
Acceptable Use of the Internet
The AUP for Shelbyville Central Schools begins with an informative section explaining what the Internet is, how the Internet should be used in a school environment, and the responsibilities that students and faculty assume when using the Internet. The policy determines that the Internet is to be used only for support of academic programs, telecommunication, and access to general information. The AUP continues by discussing the proper conduct for students and faculty to adhere to when using the Internet along with disciplinary actions that the Corporation has the right to take if privileges are abused. Along with specific expectations for Internet use, the policy also describes expectations for general maintenance. This includes deleting old e-mail messages, keeping from transferring files or shareware, and not downloading software. At the beginning of the school year students and parents are given the Student Workstation Guidelines and the Acceptable Use of the Internet agreements. The packet also includes a signature page for the student and parent to sign agreeing to the terms given in the guidelines. The list of students names who have signed the agreement are given to teachers and are updated periodically. This helps the faculty determine who can go to computer labs to work and who cannot. As detailed and thorough as the guidelines are, it makes it easier for teachers, media specialists and administrators to monitor and discipline students when using computer workstations and the Internet.
Web Publishing Guidelines
The Web Publishing Guidelines for Shelbyville Central Schools is a lengthy document establishing what each school’s Webmaster should and should not include on the individual school websites. Each school has its own Webmaster who is responsible for creating, maintaining, and updating only those schools Web sites. The high school is the only school in the district that has students working on their schools Web site. So as the high school Webmaster, I have to make sure the students are aware of and understand the Web Publishing Guidelines. The first section of the Web Publishing Guidelines focuses on topics dealing with Web Design. This section is designed to help the individual Webmasters determine the Web sites general information, its purpose, and structure; then decide how to organize it. The guidelines have also recognized what items should not be integrated onto school Web sites. With each of the sections listed the policy explains the reason for not using the following items when creating a school Web site:
1. Unnecessary “Bells and Whistles”
2. Frames
3. Large Homepages
4. Long Scrolling Pages
5. Music on a web page
6. Interlaced GIF’s
7. ImageMaps
8. Scrolling Text, Marquees, and
9. Constantly Running Animation’s
10. Orphan Pages or Dead Ends
11. Dissolves and Fades
12. Assuming your visitors are computer experts
13. Cookies
14. Overusing Animated GIF’s
15. No Title for your web page
The guidelines also include elements that are suggested to integrate into a school Web site. With each of the sections listed the policy explains the reason for not using the following items when creating a school Web site:
1. Navigation and Structure
2. Three clicks and you’re out
3. Link to your home page
4. Use tables
5. Use Gif and JPEG
6. Design your web page with other browsers in mind
7. Use Templates
8. Be considerate with your choice of colors and fonts
9. Keep it Simple
The Web Publishing Guidelines have contracts for school principals and sponsoring teachers (the individual schools Webmaster) to sign that establish their individual responsibilities. There is also a student contract that has to be signed for students who are working on individual school Web sites. The student contract requires the sponsoring teacher, the student, and parent signatures.

RECOMMENDATONS TO OTHER SCHOOL CORPORATIONS
I feel that the Shelbyville Central Schools Technology Policy is a solid policy. It corresponds with the guidelines required by the Indiana Department of Education. The policy would be a good model for any corporation to use. It addresses in detail student and faculty use of the Internet, corporation computer workstations, and web publishing guidelines. If a school corporation were just beginning the process of creating a technology policy it would be essential to include input from not only administrator’s and the technology coordinator, but also faculty, media specialists, students, and parents. The more perspectives that are included the stronger the technology policy will be. If a school corporation wanted to improve their policy they should stay current with trends of Web sites and software that students are familiar with. An example would be MySpace.com. This is a Web site that has become a social arena for mainly teenagers, it has the capability of having educational value, but the way in which it is currently being used does not have any educational value and should not be accessed in an educational environment. There are a lot of non-educational and even controversial Web sites that many adults are not aware of. Student knowledge tends to include a wider variety of accessibility than most adults. I spent quite a few hours trying to find other school corporation’s technology policies on their Web sites. I could not find one technology policy out of the dozens of schools I searched through. I would expect that most of these schools have created some type of policy; they just have not posted them on their Web site. I would also hope that schools that have created technology policies have made all of their faculty, administrators, students, and parents aware of those policies.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO SHELBYVILLE SCHOOL CORPORATION
There are some areas that I think could use some improvement in our school corporation’s technology policy. One of the areas in the Student Workstation Guidelines deals with email use by students. The policy stipulates that students cannot use e-mail. I think this should be changed to limited use or supervised use of e-mail. When teaching computer applications classes, I feel that knowing how to use Outlook Express is a valuable tool. All of our textbooks have a section covering the topic. Outlook Express is not installed on any student workstation so we cannot teach students the beneficial tools that are included in Outlook Express. I also believe that the technology policy should be reviewed and revised taking into account that the last revision was in 1997. Writing policies and procedures should be a task that is continually updated taking into consideration how quickly technology changes. Many schools and school districts have developed systematic plans to continually review and revise policies (Repman and Downs, 1999). The last recommendation is not a weakness in the actual policy, but common knowledge of the policy. Even though I feel Shelbyville has a very thorough policy, I had to tell the assistant principal where to locate it and what it entailed when I had the incident with the student that I discussed at the beginning of this paper. Shelbyville High School was currently featured in Time Magazine and on The Oprah Show because of low graduation rates and our connection to state representative Luke Messer, who is from Shelbyville and was instrumental in passing a bill that would require students to be eighteen before they could dropout of school. Our school corporation’s superintendent stated that he envisioned the alternative school that will begin next year to be a laid back environment where students could eat donuts and instant message. Instant messaging is one of the “Big NO-NO’s” listed in our Student Workstation Guidelines section of the technology policy. I was appalled when I read that portion of the article. Our own superintendent, who prior to this year was the high school principal, does not know what is stated in the corporation wide technology policy. Our school corporations next in service definitely need to address the technology policy.

APPENDIX 1: STATE REQUIRMENTS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL INTERNET ACCEPTABLE USE POLICIES AND GUIDELINES
2005 by Indiana Department of Education
1. Describes general instructional philosophies and strategies to be supported by Internet access in schools.
2. Describes the process for governing local Internet system security, user accounts and user privileges.
3. Describes sanctions to be taken when violations of the policy occur.
4. Makes specific reference to prohibiting the use of school corporation Internet resources/accounts:
a. To access, upload, download or distribute pornographic, obscene or sexually explicit material.
b. To transmit obscene, abusive or sexually explicit language.
c. To violate any local, state or federal statute.
d. To vandalize, damage or disable the property of another person or organization.
e. To access another person's materials, information or files without the implied or direct permission of that person.
f. To violate copyright, or otherwise use another person's intellectual property without their prior approval or proper citation.
5. Requires that parents be notified that their students will be using school corporation resources/accounts to access the Internet, and provides parents the option to request alternative activities not requiring Internet access.
6. Requires the permission of and supervision by the school's professional staff before a student may use a school account or resource to access the Internet.
7. Indicates that the educational value of student Internet access is the joint responsibility of students, parents and employees of the school corporation.
8. Makes the school corporation's Internet policies and procedures available for review by all parents, guardians, staff and members of the community.
B. Each public school corporation in Indiana MUST provide staff and student Internet users guidelines for:
1. Responding to unsolicited on-line contact.
2. Safe-guarding personal information, such as name, address, telephone number, etc.

APPENDIX 2: SHELBYVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOLS ACCEPTABLE USE OF THE INTERNET
1997 by Shelbyville School Corporation Board of Trustees
A. The Shelbyville Central Schools may revoke use of these resources at any time for any reason. Appropriate reasons for revoking use privileges include, but are not limited to, the altering of system software, the placing of unauthorized information, computer viruses, or harmful programs on or through the computer system in either public or private files or messages. The Corporation reserves the right to remove files, limit or deny access, and refer the individual for other disciplinary actions, The Corporation reserves the right to monitor any and/or all communication on accounts obtained by the Shelbyville Central Schools.
B. The Shelbyville Central Schools reserves all rights to any material stored in files which are generally accessible to others and will remove any material which the Corporation, at its sole discretion, believes may be unlawful, obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. No students or faculty will use his/her Corporation-approved computer account/access to obtain, view, download, or otherwise gain access to such materials.
C. All information services and features contained on Corporation or Network resources are intended for the private use of its registered users and any use of these resources for commercial-for-profit or unauthorized purposes (i.e. advertisements, political lobbying, illegal use of copyrighted materials, or use as an electronic game board), in any form, is expressly forbidden.
D. The Corporation and/or the INTERNET resources are intended for the exclusive use of their registered users. The student/faculty member is responsible for the use of his/her account/password and/or access privilege. Any problems, which arise from the use of another person’s account, are the responsibility of the account holder. Use of an account by someone other than the registered account holder is forbidden and may be grounds for loss of access privileges. The Shelbyville Central Schools are not responsible for any obligations incurred by the individual.
E. Any misuse of the account will result in suspension of the account privileges and/or other disciplinary action determined by the Corporation. Misuse may include, but not be limited to:
1. Intentionally seeking information on, obtaining copies of, or modifying files, other data, or passwords belonging to other users;
2. Misrepresenting other users on the INTERNET;
3. Disrupting the operation of the INTERNET through the abuse of the hardware or software;
4. Malicious use of the INTERNET to transmit hate mail, harassment, obscene, profane, vulgar, abusive, or sexually explicit statements or discriminatory remarks;
5. Interfering with others use of the INTERNET;
6. Extensive use for non curriculum-related communication
7. Illegal installation of copyrighted software;
8. Unauthorized downloading, copying, or use of licensed or copyrighted software;
9. Allowing anyone to use an account other than the account holder;
10. Violating any local, State, or Federal statute;
11. Accessing, uploading, downloading, or distributing pornographic, obscene, or sexually explicit materials;
12. Vandalizing, damaging, or disabling the property of another person or organization;
13. Accessing another person’s materials, information, or files without the implied or direct permission of that person;
14. Violating copyright, or otherwise using another person’s intellectual property without his/her prior approval or proper citation; The use of Corporation and/or INTERNET resources are for the purpose of in order of priority):
15. Support of academic programs;
16. Telecommunication;
17. General information.
F. The Corporation and/or INTERNET does not warrant that the functions of the system (hardware, software, diskettes, hard drives, or server) will meet any specific requirements the user may have, or that it will be error free or uninterrupted; nor shall it be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages (including lost data, information, or time) sustained or incurred in connection with the use, operation, or inability to use the system.
G. The student/faculty member will diligently delete old mail messages on a daily basis from the personal mail directory to avoid excessive use of the electronic mail disk space. The Corporation reserves the right to clear all mailboxes of old messages periodically throughout the school year.
H. The Corporation and/or INTERNET will periodically make determinations on whether specific uses of the INTERNET are consistent with the acceptable-use practice. The Corporation and/or INTERNET reserve the right to log Internet Service use and to monitor electronic mail space utilization by users.
I. The student/faculty member may transfer files from information services and electronic bulletin board services through a file transfer; the student/faculty member agrees to check the file with a virus detection program before opening the file for use. Should the student/faculty member transfer a file, shareware, or software which infects the Network with a virus and causes damage, the student/faculty member will be liable for any and all repair costs to make the Network once again fully operational and may be subject to other disciplinary measures as determined by the Corporation. The Shelbyville Central Schools are not responsible for any damage to programs, computers, and/or any electronic equipment of anyone using of INTERNET.
J. The student/faculty member may not transfer files, shareware, or software from services and electronic bulletin boards without the written permission of the Shelbyville Central Schools. The student/faculty member will be liable to pay the cost or fee of any file, shareware, or software transferred, whether intentional or accidental, without such permission.
K. The student may only log on and use the INTERNET under the immediate supervision of a staff member and only with his/her authorized account number.
L. The Corporation reserves the right to log computer use and to remove the user account on the INTERNET to prevent further unauthorized activity.
In consideration for the privilege of using the Corporation and/or INTERNET resources, and in consideration for having access to the information contained on the Network, or by the Network, the student/faculty member must agree to release the Corporation, the INTERNET, and their operators and administration from any and all claims of any nature arising from their use, or inability to use the Corporation and/or INTERNET resources.
Parents/Guardian Notification:
A. That their children will be using Corporation resources and accounts to access the INTERNET
B. That the child and the parents must sign a document agreeing to follow the policies and procedures of the Corporation for the child to be allowed to use Corporation resources
C. That parents/guardians are financially responsible for their students’ improper and/or unauthorized use of the Corporation resources and accounts
D. That it is possible for students to purchases goods and services via the INTERNET and that these purchases could potentially result in unwanted financial obligations
E. That even though the Corporation may use technical means to limit students INTERNET access, these means do not provide a foolproof means for enforcing the provisions of local acceptable use policies
F. That all provisions of this policy are subordinate to local, State, and Federal statute
G. That parent may request alternative activities not requiring INTERNET access
H. That the educational use of student INTERNET access is the joint responsibility of students, parents, and employees of the Corporation
I. That the INTERNET policies and procedures are available for review by all parents, guardians, staff members, and the members of the community
J. That all passwords by students using the INTERNET via accounts made available through Shelbyville Central Schools, be on file in the principal’s office or the office of his/her designee. All passwords must be kept updated and current. Failure to update the file of passwords is grounds for cancellation of the student’s individual account.
K. That under no circumstances are students to pass on proper names and/or addresses of themselves, other students, teachers, or staff of the Shelbyville Central Schools. When information is requested it is the student’s obligation to notify the school supervisor immediately.
Guidelines must be provided for students/faculty members who may use INTERNET for:
A. Responding to unsolicited online contact;
B. Safe-guarding personal information, such as name, address, telephone number, etc

References
Classroom Connect. Retrieved April 11, 2006, from Network Montana Project Web site: http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/WORKSHOPS/Telecom2/AUP_template.html.
Cohn, J., Kelsey, A., & Fiels, K. (1999). Writing and Updating Technology Plans: A Guidebook with Sample Policies on CD-ROM. Retrieved Monday, April 17, 2006 from the ERIC database.
Crane, B. (2004). Issues Surrounding Internet Use: Acceptable Use Policies. Information Searcher, 15(2), 13-16. Retrieved Monday, April 17, 2006 from the Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
Gil-Garcia, J. (2004). Information technology policies and standards: A comparative review of the states. Journal of Government Information, 30(5/6), 548-560. Retrieved Tuesday, April 18, 2006 from the Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
Jerald, C., & Orlofsky, G. (1999). Raising the Bar on School Technology. Education Week, 19(4), 58. Retrieved Monday, April 17, 2006 from the Professional Development Collection database.
Johnson, D. (2003). Techno Intelligence. School Library Journal, 49(3), 38. Retrieved Monday, April 17, 2006 from the Professional Development Collection database.
Loverro, I. (2002). Acceptable Use Policies: What Role Do Teachers Play? Retrieved April 10, 2006, from University of Washington Web site: http://students.washington.edu/loverro/projects/AUP-NECC.htm.
McKenzie, J. (1995). Creating Board Policies for Student Use of the Internet. Retrieved April 10, 2006, from From Now On The Educational Technology Journal Web site: http://www.fno.org/fnomay95.html.
Repman, J., & Downs, E. (1999). Policy issues for the 21st century library media center. Book Report, 17(5), 8. Retrieved Tuesday, April 18, 2006 from the Professional Development Collection database.
School Board of Trustees. (1997). Shelbyville Central Schools Technology Policy. Retrieved April 6, 2006, from Shelbyville Central School Corporation Web sites: http://www.shelbycs.org/aup/index.html, http://www.shelbycs.org/technology/computerlabguidelines.html, http://www.shelbycs.org/webpublishing/index.html.
State Requirements for Public School Internet Acceptable Used Policies and Guidelines. Retrieved April 3, 2006 from Indiana Department of Education Web site: http://www.doe.state.in.us/olr/aup/aupreg.html.
Williams, M. (1998). Your School Web Page and Free Speech. Retrieved April 10, 2006, from techLEARN Web site: http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/williams.htm.

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National Educational Technology Standards-NETS

To live, learn, and work successfully in an increasingly complex and information-rich society, students must be able to use technology effectively. Within an effective educational setting, technology can enable students to become:

(1) Capable information technology users
(2) Information seekers, analyzers, and evaluators
(3) Problem solvers and decision makers
(4) Creative and effective users of productivity tools
(5) Communicators, collaborators, publishers, and producers
(6) Informed, responsible, and contributing citizens

As a teacher it is important that I demonstrate my ability as an educator to facilitate technological skills to my students. I have outlined the following performance indicators:

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July 12, 2006

IT Profile-Shelbyville High School

Shelbyville High School currently has technologies that correlate to state standards so teachers and administrators can assess student proficiencies in math, reading, and writing. There is always room for improvement anytime we look at our technologies and technologies that are currently available. It is important for schools to use these tools to generate data that corresponds to NCLB and promotes learning to all of those involved in the educational process.

To view a PowerPoint overview of Shelbyville High School's IT Profile click here.

STRENGTHS:
Our Student Information System-STI-is easy for teachers to use. It also allows student/parent access to lesson plans, grade book, & attendance records online. Our school uses a variety of testing for assessment and remediation that gives teachers and administrators a snap shot of student performance in math, reading, and writing. Our school's website incorporates multiple technologies and includes students in the design and content of the web site. SHS administration are alway interested in new technologies, are always looking for ways to generate NCLB data, and invest in technologies that are effective for teachers and students. When our renovations are complete, I foresee a very technology centered environment.

NEEDS:
STIClassroom lets teachers automate many of the administrative functions of the workday. More capbilities could be added such as pull down menus with the lesson planner, so that teachers could choose the state standard that aligns to assignments. We could also add the Assessment module that would allow us to combine the student information of Classroom with Assessment's reporting capabilities. This program can benchmark skills throughout the school year and automatically generate individual and aggregate reports by class, school, and population sub-groups.

Currently, SHS has no formal rubric assessment software. Rubric software would help teachers align assessments to state standards and allow them to create rubrics with ease. SHS also needs a software program that would help department chairpersons to set up each subject areas curriculum map. Department chairpersons are left to do this chore with no technological tools. Our technology coordinator is currently evaluating Moodle and Moveable Type which are Course/Content Management Systems. One of these systems needs to be implemented for teachers to create there own interactive web sites. At the high school, there are only two teachers who have their own website. These systems would be easier for teachers to learn than web design programs such as DreamWeaver. They would also give teachers and students the capability to to interactive by posting comments or assignments.

Storage, storage, storage! Our students are still saving their work to floppy disks! This has to change and soon. Some of the labs have the ability to save to CDs or flash drives, but the ultimate solution is for each student to have storage space on the server. I realize that setting this up can be time consuming and managing student usernames and passwords would be an inconvience, but it is time to move forward.

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July 06, 2006

Quia Assessment Tool-Technology Review #2

I downloaded and reviewed all of the assessment tools in Quia. I really like the variety of assessments that were available. Helpful tools included creating quizzes, activities, and surveys. I spent most of my time reviewing all of the types of activities that were available to create. Quia allows you to create a plethora of activities. I could not believe how simple it would be to use Quia to set up some pretty elaborate assessments. There were basic assessments such as flash cards, to scavenger hunts, even a challenge board whose layout looks like a Jeopardy board. I also liked the Quia site because it allowed you to view other assessments that had been created by teachers in different disciplines called the "shared activities area". I was very surpised at how many activities had been created in my discipline, business education. You usually cannot find a lot of "different" activities in the business education realm. There were categories for business, business law, accounting, computer applications, and computer literacy. If you would like to try out this tool click here. You can download a free 30 day trial.

I decided to create a challenge board using Quia. The challenge board lets the students pick a category and point value. They are given the question then asked to type in the answer. I chose to assess student knowledge in my Web Design class, in particular the first unit of the class which is Internet Concepts and HTML. That seems to be the most difficult topic for students to comprehend and demonstrate. I am always looking for "new" ways to help them review the key concepts of that first unit especially. According to the book, Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment from the Committee on the Foundations of Assessment, James W. Pellegrino, Naomi Chudowsky, and Robert Glaser (Eds.), "Practice and feedback are critical aspects of the development of skill and expertise. One of the most important roles for assessment is the provision of timely and informative feedback to students during instruction and learning so that their practice of a skill and its subsequent acquisition will be effective and efficient." l also feel that students perform better using an assessment tool that is computer based and one that they see as "fun". The challenge board does just that. I could have chosen other assessments that would have been highly effective for this type of activity. That was the one element of Quiz I like the most...flexibility!

To view my challenge board click here.

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July 05, 2006

rGradeAssessment Tool-Technology Review #1

I really liked working with rGrade. I have always used tables in Word to create my rubrics. This is the first time I have been introduced to a program that would help you create rubrics. When using tables you always have to spend so much time adjusting columns/rows to get everything to fit on one page, but with rGrade that is already set-up for you. rGrade was less time consuming since all I had to do was basically type in the information. I also liked the idea of being able to align standards to the rubric with just a few clicks. Unfortunately, my content area standards were not listed, but it could be a very useful tool at our school. Our administration requires teachers with less than five years experience to post standards with lesson plans. I foresee this requirement to include all teachers in the near future. Posting rubrics with your individual lesson plans would make this task alot easier.

I created a rubric in rGrade for my Web Design class. The rubric is specific to the end of the semester project which is working on our high school website. Students are usually very excited about this project until they see how much effort is really required on their part to meet the high level of performance I expect from them. When you view the rubric you will see that they are assessed on various types of abilities. To view the rubric click here. The state standards for Business Education was not listed as an option, so you can view the standards that go along with the categories of the rubric by clicking here.

I chose weak, adequate, strong, and excellent for my assessment criteria. I felt that these terminologies would be easy for my students to categorize and understand. I then created six categories that students would be assessed from: content, layout, attractiveness, technical, mechanics, and student involvement. These are all important elements of creating websites. This assessment would be given to students before they actually began the project. I would go over each required element and discuss what the outcome should be. This is an enormous project. I usually spend at least a week going over our school's web design policy and methods of assessment. I will have two methods of assessment, one being this rGrade rubric and the other being work logs. I feel with this particular assignment I give the students the opportunity to be decision makers. In the article New Assessment Beliefs for a New School Mission by Rick Stiggins, he discusses how important it is for classroom environments to get away from being adult-centered. He also emphasizes that assessments should turn students into "instructional decision makers". I think this rubric has done that. When I compare it to the old rubric I had for this project I really did not give the students enough information to be "instructional decision makers".

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