Still monitoring... Four Questions...

**Am I finding the information and resources needed?
The first goal: I have contacted certain individuals within the district concerning my involvement in the school and district technology committees. Although I have not heard back from anyone, I am confident that at the beginning of the school year, I can attain more information. At this moment, I have not been able to determine what the specific arguments the district maintains against the use of certain types of technology. I understand they are against students publishing work onto the Internet; however, it is unclear as to why the students could not be allowed to use a more private medium while on the computers. Many classmates have offered several suggestions as to software packages that would accommodate the students’ approved usage of these tools. I have even contacted some of the companies and school districts that use these software packages about their benefits to create a rational argument to which my district may listen.
The second goal: To become more knowledgeable about the applications of the Promethean Board within daily instruction, I have begun to watch tutorials on Promethean Planet. Unfortunately, I am not finding many new ideas from these tutorials and will have to wait until I am back in my classroom, surrounded by colleague support, to fully broaden my skills. In the meantime, I’m downloading a lot of flipcharts to modify for my own personal use.

**Do I need to modify my action plan?
It is still too soon to tell with either plan because I’m at home and not at school for summer break. I feel as if these action plans have the potential to allow me to become more of a leader within the technology-community of my district. The steps outlined should enhance my teaching strategies to accommodate all types of learners.

**What have I learned so far?
First, I learned that it will be easy for me take part in the school and district technology committees because generally there is ample demand for involvement but little attention given by teachers. I have also learned a bit more of my district’s technology policies. This will lead to the next section, however, concerning questions that have arisen.
In terms of the Promethean Board, I have learned many ways to change the appearance of the flipcharts and link movies, animation, and applications to each presentation. I have also found many ways to use the Promethean Board as an assessment tool. To correspond with our readings this week by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer, the assessment tools available with the Promethean Board involve sharing learning goals with students, align with state standards, involve reflection and self-assessment based on data, provide instant feedback, and allow for class discussions that enable students to improve. The assessments can take many forms, allowing me to reach students of varying learning strategies. The board, based on my research, develops project-based, forced-choice, open-ended, and performance-based assessments depending on the nature of the lesson and involvement of the students.

**What new questions do I have?
I would first like to know if the ActivInspire program that correlates with the Promethean Board is available on all student laptops or just teacher laptops. Next, I’d like to know if grant money from the district foundation can be used toward purchasing software that has been suggested to me. And finally the most prominent question that can only be answered by the district is in regards to the published and circulated technology policy seen by students, parents, and district employees. Why is it suggested within our literature distributed to the community that use and participation of blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc. is strongly encouraged and highly advantageous for our students and yet, in practice, we are prohibited from using many of these tools in the classroom? Other teachers in the district have told me to approach this issue with a significant degree of caution. The district does not seem very open to conversation about this matter, which makes me question if or how I should approach it.