Technology Research, Problem Solving, and Product Development
Since Indiana is a small district, our administrators work as a team, as opposed to being guided by strict job descriptions. For this reason, in addition to my curriculum-related duties, on any given day I can be found providing technology professional development, troubleshooting and solving hardware and software issues, installing and maintaining hardware and software, setting up equipment in classrooms for videoconferencing and television broadcasts, providing help to students who require assistive technologies in the classroom and making their teachers aware of their responsibilities. During the four years I spent as an administrator at the junior high, I took part in the daily televised news broadcast, often assisting the students with video production and equipment issues.
During my field experiences, I had the opportunity to work with the Classrooms For the Future team at Indiana Area School District. This team was responsible for researching and writing the state CFF grant, which provides technology and professional development to senior high schools in Pennsylvania. I took part in several state trainings, as well as numerous planning and writing meetings.
I worked with the CFF team on all aspects of planning and writing the CFF grant. Additionally, since I am a curriculum specialist, I was charged with ensuring that state standards and the District's Strategic Plan were embedded in our project. We identified and selected the appropriate hardware configurations for our classrooms, along with the software to support teaching and learning. We planned for the utilization of facilities, including budgeting, accounting, program reporting, grantsmanship, personnel administration, and staff development.
When I was the principal at Eisenhower Elementary School, I wrote and received a grant for $10,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided iPAQ handheld computers for the sixth graders at my school. This project included budgeting, accounting, program reporting, grantsmanship, personnel administration, and staff development.
Hands-On-Learning Grant Application
Power Point used for instructing students on the use of the iPAQs
Paper written with other cohort members regarding the use of handhelds in the classroom
The following are examples of presentations that I have prepared for parents, administrators, the school board, and the community.
Children Are... (to be played as parents enter the auditorium on Back-to-School Night)
Back-to-School Night (Parent presentation)
Junior High Orientation (Parent presentation)
Top 10 Reasons for Success (to be played as parents enter the auditorium on Orientation Night)
Building a Legacy (Parent presentation)
Teaming (Administration, Board & Community presentation)
Strategic Plan (Administration, Board & Community presentation)
iPAQ PhotoStory (Parent, Administration, Board & Community presentation)
Dress Code (Student and Staff presentation)
Unlock Your Future (to be played as students enter the auditorium for an assembly)
eTech Ohio Conference Presentation - February 2008
As part of the Strategic Planning process, an Act 48 needs assessment, including a section on technology, was completed by the staff.
The Strategic Plan includes a three-year technology plan, which I developed in cooperation with the Educational Technology Committee. The plan includes sections on monitoring and evaluating its implementation.