What’s the Plan?

1. What’s the Plan? By: Katie Fridley 7-15-2010

2. The Plan is….. Grade Level Wikis! • I chose this topic for my professional development plan because: • Instructionally: It provides help to all stakeholders to encourage academic success, motivation, engagements, collaboration, and provides information for everyone to use. • It supports each grade to provide information that they can use on a daily basis and gives a place for parents and students to get the information that they need in one centralized location.

3. Benefits? • Teachers: Central location for curriculum content materials and links, supports curriculum and student achievement, low maintenance was created, use for many years. • Students:A place to gain useful information and supports on curriculum topics and skills, education games and fun activities, place to go to find assignments and web links, homework help, extra supports available. • Parents:Place to gain helpful information to support student learning and academic achievement, gain knowledge on content and curriculum, Supports for parents to learn how to help their child, know what is going on in the classroom and how they can help.

4. Benefits? • Administrators: To provide all stakeholders a way to take an active role in education, provide a collaborative learning environment between community, provide useful information about school activities, functions, and important announcements. • Special Areas: display announcements, class content and curriculum indicators, schedule for class activities, encourage class aides and supports from parents, encourage active parents in their classrooms and how they can help. • Outside Community: Central location to learn about curriculum, involvement possibilities, upcoming activities, possible mentors and investment opportunities. • School Environment: Unified environment, encourage collaboration, staff support, informed environment of all activities and curriculum content.

5. How do we get there? • Steps: • Find out what staff knows about Wikis. (SurveyMonkey) • Analyze results to see where and how to present information. • Create a team of staff to help with the supports of the rest of the staff members. • Conduct a staff meeting on basic knowledge of Wikis and show examples of how they can be used and how Dogwood is going to use them. (discuss positives of wikis, time for them to explore, answer questions and concerns.) • Sign-up sheet for staff to decide when members can meet with each team to aide in the creating of the grade level wiki.

6. How do we get there? • Steps: • Create a shell for each grade level during the meeting so they can begin to input information and tools on their pages. • Provide supports for each team during their creating process. • Send out emails to have staff share pros, cons, questions, concerns, words of encouragement that will be shared at faculty meetings. • Share pages and success stories at next Professional Development meeting or faculty meeting. • Create informational parent letter sharing our new tool and benefits for parents! • Throughout year help with maintenance and inputting other supports. Monitor use and help teachers to incorporate the use in class discussions and instruction.

7. How do we move forward as a school? • Hopefully after this Professional Development, teachers see how useful wikis can be and how they can incorporate them in future lessons and assignments. • I would like to see them using them as a discussion tool as well. Having students debate and respond to others critiques and comments. It is an active and engaging environment, as well as a safe environment for collaboration and discussion.

8. Standard II “Educational leaders ensure that curricular design, instructional strategies, and learning environments integrate appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching.” (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 69) Performance Indicator II.B. Facilitate and support collaborative technology-enriched learning environments conducive to innovation for improved learning. (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 81)

9. Standard III “Educational leaders apply technology to enhance their professional practice and to increase their own productivity and that of others.” (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 117) Performance Indicator III.B. Employ technology for communication and collaboration among colleagues, staff, parents, students, and the larger community. (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 127)

10. Performance Indicator III.C. Create and participate in learning communities that stimulate, nurture, and support faculty and staff in using technology for improved productivity. (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 133) Performance Indicator III.F. Educational leaders use technology to advance organizational improvement. (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 144)

11. Performance Indicator II.C. Provide for learner-centered environments that use technology to meet the individual and diverse needs of learners. (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 90)

12. Standard VI “Educational leaders understand the social, legal, and ethical issues related to technology and model responsible decision making related to these issues.” (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 227) • Performance Indicator VI.A. Ensure equity of access to technology resources that enable and empower all learners and educators. (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 228)

13. References • Brooks-Young, S. (2009). Making technology standards work for you: A guide to the NETS-A for administrators with self-assessment activities. Eugene, OR: ISTE. • Gibbons, S. (2010). Collaborating like never before: reading and writing through a wiki. English Journal, 99(5), 35-39.  Retrieved July 8, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. • American Association of School Librarians. (2007). Standards for the 21st- century learner. Retrieved July 13, 2009, from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards /AASL_LearningStandards.pdf McKenzie, J. (2001). How teachers learn technology best. The Educational Technology Journal,10. Retrieved from http://www.fno.org/mar01/howlearn.html