EDLD 5365 Web Design Reflections

As a potential instructional technology facilitator, this class was very beneficial. Learning the process to create insightful policy helped me identify the needs of the district as identified by the very people who use the technology on a daily basis. Since the IISD plan is developed largely through needs assessments and written by such a large committee, if I was the technology leader for my district, it would be very helpful for me and my department to allocate resources according to the real-world needs in the classroom.

A helpful aspect of this class was discussing the steps in planning a website. When starting any project, I believe the old adage holds true: "take care of first things first". As Kaiser pointed out, one of the first orders of business when designing a website is to identify the site's primary goals. However what she mentioned first -- choose a focus and keep it simple -- is the overarching preplanning tool and shouldn't be confused with setting goals (2006). The goal-setting process, though situated after pre-planning in Kaiser's hierarchy, will also assist with what CoSN idendifies as the first stages of any technology investment, including websites: cost estimates and risk assessment (Soloman, 2007).

The other most helpful portion of this class was the brief discussion about blogging. I don't personally use traditional blogging in my professional duties, however I manage the Twitter account for the district. The downside to blogs is that often you have to read through the entire piece to get the gist of what the author is trying to convey. With Twitter a reader can digest the entire piece in one sweep of the eye, then decide for himself if he wishes to learn more.

This particular class brought about a paradigm shift in my thinking toward how technology integrates into the classroom. The end-state of the IISD Long Range Plan for Technology includes students being able to evaluate and apply information; think critically; problem solve; write for an authentic audience; and become well-rounded in academics, fine arts and athletics (LRPT, n.d.). One would tend to believe that these functions were being met in traditional classrooms, instead of being part of an instructional technology plan. As we discussed in week two, many administrators believe technology is a thing to be used in a specific setting, then left when one moves to the next setting. However by analyzing the IISD Long Range Plan for Technology, one begins to see how technology is an integrated concept that helps to develop students across the curriculum. Future research and learning will include determining the increase or decrease in student achievement as technology becomes more integrated across the curriculum.

Irving ISD Long Range Plan for Technology, 2010-2013 (n.d.). http://www.irvingisd.net/technology/documents/lrtp.pdf

Kaiser, S. (2006). Deliver first class web sites: 101 essential checklists. Collingwood, VIC, Australia: Sitepoint.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene: International Society for Technology in Education.