Week+8+Tech+Tools+for+Curriculum+Dev

=Week 8: Technology Tools for the Curriculum Development Leader=

__ANALYZING SCHOOL CULTURE (survey, evaluate):__
__Tools:__ Survey software (like Surveymonkey.com), also Zoomerang and Google have survey software available.

Surveys for Education [] webfeedback __Information Resources:__

Webfeedback helps with the collection of information to improve school or classroom. Used advanced methods of gathering and analyzing performance effectiveness. Types of surveys: school climate, classroom climate, and district services.

__Strategies and Ideas:__ Using online surveys can help with quick data collection and compilation; online surveys can also help allay fears because of their anonymity.

School administrators use real-time information from their school customers and stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, and community) for problem solving and improvement. Online surveys give immediate reports to administrators and helps to make-decisions for the improvement of the school.

__DATA MANAGEMENT (collect, organize, analyze, share)__
Technology is extrememly useful for data management in all areas of collecting, organizing, analyzing and sharing data. Classroom response systems, also known as "clickers", allow teachers to access data in real time as students are testing/quizzing to track student progress and to gather information about what students are learning. These systems also allow teachers to organize data by creating about a dozen different reports for students from study guides to item and standard analysis on tests. Because teachers can immediately access this data and process these reports, it makes it easy for them to reteach key areas where students might be missing information or misunderstanding a concept. Additionally, since some the reports can be exported to programs lke Microsoft Excel, teachers can share data about classes or can combine data from multiple users, as long as they are in a similar format. Additionally, since this program has the ability to group questions by standard, teachers can see specifically which standard students struggle with by using that report or with an item analysis, teachers can see a specific breakdown of what student answered what on each question and can understand where students might have gone wrong on a question. This is a much faster method than scantron or grading by hand and makes collecting, organizing, and analyzing data much easier and must faster than other methods. __Tools:__ Elegrade-is a useful way of doing grades, it is also a program that has the state standards and allows teachers to track students as they progress through the year Blackbaud Education software -- useful for management of student data (includes gradebook feature that will interface with student information for a sort of "storehouse" of info on a kid) [|www.coachconnected.com] - Software geared at the state standards that allows teachers to track students as they complete targeted practices to determine areas of student weaknesses in meeting the standards in math, reading and ELA.

__Information Resources:__ __[|http://www.elegrade.com]__ __[]__ __[]__ __Strategies and Ideas:__ __Tools:__ Eduphoria! SchoolObjects: integrated suite of applications.

__Information Resources:__ []

__ Strategies and ideas: __
SchoolObjects:aware analyzes data, analyze scope and sequence, develop easy-to administer benchmark tests, generate graphs, and connect external data for analysis.

__DEVELOPING CURRICULUM (write, manage documents)__
__Tools:__ State standards documents available on the internet National organizations (such as NCTE, NCTM) provide their standards via their websites Mapping software helps with curriculum design/development/evaluation docs.com docs.google.com __Information Resources:__ __[]__ __[]__ __Strategies and Ideas:__ Google Docs - allows multiple users to edit information. Can be shared between a group of teachers so all have access both online and offline. Teacher and other curriculum leaders can edit, leave notes, make suggestions, etc. to a single document. This promotes collaboration on a document without requiring all members to be present at a meeting. All users could read the document leave notes about questions, suggest changes or additions, before a meeting where everyone is present.

__Tools:__ Eduphoria! SchoolObjects: integrated suite of applications.

__Information Resources:__ []

__Strategies and ideas:__ ==== SchoolObjects: Forethought gives you the ability to align curriculum. It is web-based and can be used at home or at school. This allows for an effective deployment of state and district curriculum with easy access for both teachers and administrators. Enables teachers to share and collaborate on their best practices. ====

__PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (implement curriculum, train educators)__
__Tools:__ Blackboard PD360 Webinars Blogs Using in-house expertise via shared notebooks in OneNote or via discussion posts (like Sharepoint) Luminate sessions (online conference calls) on-line courses video learning __Information Resources:__ __[|http://www.blackboard.com]__ __[]__ __Strategies and Ideas:__ PLCs could help in the design of professional development by identifying webcasts or on-line courses that would benefit the work of the group and watching/participating in them as a PLC, allowing for follow-up discussion about applicability for that group's particular goal(s).

__Tools:__ Eduphoria! SchoolObjects: integrated suite of applications.

__Information Resources:__ []

__Strategies and ideas:__ SchoolObjects:Workshop is a professional development management system that streamlines staff course registration and portfolios. Courses are listed online and teachers can register with a click of the mouse.

__PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (communicate, collaborate)__
Technology can be of great value in the work of PLCs. Sharing data and/or resources electronically is more expedient, more ecologically-friendly, and more flexible than using paper. Also, shared files and/or notebooks as well as wikis allow many participants to contribute to a document or weigh in on an issue without having to call a meeting or wait for interoffice mail. The use of discussion posts, blogs, chats, etc. makes it possible for participants to have a voice even if scheduling or distance make face-to-face collaboration difficult (but now, thanks to Skye, even face-to-face collaboration can overcome distance barriers!). Technology also makes it possible for PLCs to expand beyond their immediate school/community; it's now possible to collaborate with people all over the world and to learn from one another. Just as technology is opening up opportunities for students to communicate and collaborate with "virtually" anyone, it's doing the same for teachers and administrators. Wikis allow teachers, administrators and other staff add input from home and outside of school. This makes it easier for teachers to be able to communicate and speak freely. __Tools:__ wikis (!!) discussion posts (like Sharepoint) or via a shared notebook (via OneNote, for example) Blogs Chat boards, chat rooms, etc. File sharing Google Docs (see above in developing curriculum) Skype __Information Resources:__ __Strategies and Ideas:__ Something as simple as a shared notebook in OneNote can make communication and collaboration much easier. Schedules, student information, notes about disciplinary actions or other student behavioral issues, individual learning plan information, pdfs of report cards and/or testing data -- all of this can be kept in a shared notebook, with various levels of access/permissions available to different groups of faculty (maybe all the grade level teachers can access certain sections on student data, while all the teachers in the division could access sections on schedules, student info, etc.).

Tools: Interactive Resource

Information Resources: It is an interactive learning environment that contains updates for best practices. It provides rigorous project-based learning, social-emotional learning, and access to new technologies.

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Strategies and Ideas: This site offers practical hands-on advice, real world examples, lively contribution from practitioners and invaluable tips and tools. Their community groups are offered to teachers, administrators, parents, technology staff, etc. There is a variety of community groups such as art, drama, elementary, literacy, social and emotional drama, special education, etc. We can join the one that best fit our needs.