WRAPPING-UP
ETEC 623 is a course in Technology for Educational Leaders. The course seeks to assist educational leaders in the development of the knowledge and skills necessary and then apply these to educational settings. The purpose of the course is to engage scholars in a variety of activities related to the use of telecommunications in an educational setting. Scholar engagement in the course is accomplished by the provision of frameworks and activity structures that can be adapted to a variety of educational settings.
ETEC 623 covered a range of topics. The topics discussed touched on subjects from Management and Leadership, all the way to Professional Development. In retrospect, I can summarize that at the individual level and as a result of taking this course, I have become more technological literate. The exercises in the course provided me with opportunities to apply thinking, analysis, management, assessment as well as an understanding of the advantages and limitations of educational technology, as these opportunities are observed from the perspectives of both management and leadership.
Etec 623 has provided a path by which I as an individual, can walk on and get closer to reaching the phylosophically "ideal technology-literate individual" I seek to become. Such characteristics can be described as the necessary knowledge, mentality, behavior and the capacity necessary to confidently continue on my journey as a professional educator. As such, ETC 623 has served these puposes well.
In the area of knowledge, I have learned to recognize the wide range of options available to me that I can use, implement, adopt or adapt, to further refine and thus, improve my teaching techniques. I shall always seek to demonstrate myself as a highly-qualified technology educator. Further, my knowledge of technology shall help me in the appreciation, development and use of the technologies available to me while involved in the technology-education field.
As far as professional behavior is concerned, I shall commit myself to maintain abreast of the latest technological developments. I shall as well, inquire about these technological developments. I shall also assess the risks and benefits, so as to make wise decisions regarding the use of such technologies, while simultaneously keeping the maximum benefit to the student in mind.
In the area of capability, I must maintain good hands-on skills. Some of these can be in the form of blogs, websites, etc. Another demonstration of capability comes in the form of using the latest software to plan and organize training sessions. Lastly, another way to show capability is by the use of good and well-informed judgement when dealing with technology risks versus benefit situations.
ETEC 623 has been a course that provided a great opportunity for the exercise of ability, capacity and professional behaviors that are relevant to the field of Technology Education. Furthermore, the course has provided the scholar opportunities for professional management, leadership and professional development, within the student's present educational environment. Ultimately, the course is expected to provide the scholar with a more solid foundation from which the scholar can depart and become a true educational leader.
WEEKLY ACTIVITY LOG
- Downloaded Session 10 podcast
- Listened to Session 10 podcast
- Formulated response to Session 10 podcast
- Posted response to Session 10 podcast
- Read scholar's Session 10 postings
- Posted comments on scholar's Session 10 blogs
- Worked on last-minute final details to improve Project two presentation
Monday, March 12, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
SESSION 9
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
It appears as though the phrase "...not another training sessiom" is becoming an integral part in everybody's daily work vocabulary. My employer is great at scheduling training for things we never get to see again. One can not help but wonder the purpose of such training, when we employees can not determine what the connection between the training and our job is. Perhaps some clarification coming fom the employer's end would help bridge the confusion gap.
One example of poor training is when the employer schedules training for employees on subjects that do not pertain to what we employees normally do. For example, we routinely train for subjects that pertain to the Sales Department. We are trained on these, because we in Technical Services, happen to fall under the umbrella of the sales department. I am not sure about the logic behind this type of "shotgun" approach; however, the result is that we employees simply exchange questioning stares among ourselves, for we already know well in advance this training will be an utter waste of our time. Our employer might think he is doing us a favor by providing all this training; we however, believe this is useless training if we are not going to apply the knowledge we just learned. Somehow, a piece of the puzzle is missing in this picture.
I have worked for other employers, where the training is directly applied to the tasks we perform on a daily basis. The employees are anxious to learn and then apply the knowledge just gained. The employees have been struggling with nagging work situations and they know that the training they are about to receive will make them more efficient. The training the employees receive will also make their jobs easier and the training will remove a lot of the stress associated with the prior lack of training. This is an example where the employee and employer both benefit; when the training provided is properly tageted to a mission, as Dr. Newberry explained in his podcast.
I believe professional development is a good thing when prior planning has been done. It is important to asses the needs as these pertain to both employee and employer as well. One-sided assessment of needs tends to alienate the party left unatended. Employee alienation results in lack of interest on the part of the employee; this in turn creates other undesirable consequences, such as lack of employee interest, loss of loyalty, motivation and even sometimes, loss of employee morale. therefore, in order to avoid training misguidance, careful planing of training and and a relevance assessment are of utmost importance.
WEEKLY LOG:
- Downloaded and listened to Session 9 podcast
- Formulated response to Session 9
- Posted response to Session 9 in my blog
- Read scholar's blog responses to Session 9
- Posted my comments on scholar's blog response to Session 9
It appears as though the phrase "...not another training sessiom" is becoming an integral part in everybody's daily work vocabulary. My employer is great at scheduling training for things we never get to see again. One can not help but wonder the purpose of such training, when we employees can not determine what the connection between the training and our job is. Perhaps some clarification coming fom the employer's end would help bridge the confusion gap.
One example of poor training is when the employer schedules training for employees on subjects that do not pertain to what we employees normally do. For example, we routinely train for subjects that pertain to the Sales Department. We are trained on these, because we in Technical Services, happen to fall under the umbrella of the sales department. I am not sure about the logic behind this type of "shotgun" approach; however, the result is that we employees simply exchange questioning stares among ourselves, for we already know well in advance this training will be an utter waste of our time. Our employer might think he is doing us a favor by providing all this training; we however, believe this is useless training if we are not going to apply the knowledge we just learned. Somehow, a piece of the puzzle is missing in this picture.
I have worked for other employers, where the training is directly applied to the tasks we perform on a daily basis. The employees are anxious to learn and then apply the knowledge just gained. The employees have been struggling with nagging work situations and they know that the training they are about to receive will make them more efficient. The training the employees receive will also make their jobs easier and the training will remove a lot of the stress associated with the prior lack of training. This is an example where the employee and employer both benefit; when the training provided is properly tageted to a mission, as Dr. Newberry explained in his podcast.
I believe professional development is a good thing when prior planning has been done. It is important to asses the needs as these pertain to both employee and employer as well. One-sided assessment of needs tends to alienate the party left unatended. Employee alienation results in lack of interest on the part of the employee; this in turn creates other undesirable consequences, such as lack of employee interest, loss of loyalty, motivation and even sometimes, loss of employee morale. therefore, in order to avoid training misguidance, careful planing of training and and a relevance assessment are of utmost importance.
WEEKLY LOG:
- Downloaded and listened to Session 9 podcast
- Formulated response to Session 9
- Posted response to Session 9 in my blog
- Read scholar's blog responses to Session 9
- Posted my comments on scholar's blog response to Session 9
Thursday, March 1, 2007
SESSION 8
DATA-DRIVEN-DECISION-MAKING
1) Discuss a way Data-Driven Decision could be used in my world:
In my personal life, I commonly make Data-Driven-Decisions. I gather all the facts, paint a picture and then decide which items are competing for the same amount of time. Finally, I decide which of those items will be placed in the back-burner, in order to favor the items I deemed to be the most important. I find Data-Driven-Decision-Making a very valuable tool; for it places things within a manageable context that helps properly assess a situation. Once the picture is clear, Data-Driven Decision-Making is a snap.
2) What would be a positive use of Data-Driven Decision-Making?
My present employer is a hard-core user of Data-Driven-Decision-Making. The company uses this technique as a management tool. My employer tracks a multitude of data. For example, they track product failures by model, serial number, failed part location and failure frequency of parts. The company then analyzes this data and by using Data-Driven-Decision, a judgement call is made as to whether to examine the design for further refinement or to live with the problem. I consider this to be a positive use of Data-Driven-Decision-Making, because my employer is being proactive, which is a much better appoach to solving problems, as opposed to being reactive to these.
3) What would be a negative use of Data-Driven-Decision-Making?
I believe that the use of "pure" Data-Driven-Decision-Making on employee assessment is a very coarse way to assess weaknesses and strenghts on an individual. By its very nature, Data-Driven-Decision-Making is very harsh. Data-Driven-Decision-Making does not take into account the humanity of the individual and the circumstances that otherwise could offer a picture that is more representative of the individual being assessed. Therefore, skewing of data results. The skewing of data results in incorrect Data-Driven-Decision-Making, because it could either present facts in a light that makes someone appear far better than the person truly is; on the other hand, it can also make a person appear far worse. Either way, Data-Driven-Decision-Making alone does not provide enough information to properly assess individuals.
How does leadership factor into each of these?
Leadership must have the wisdom to understand the capabilities and limitations of the Data-Driven-Decision-Making tool. I have witnessed this tool applied in its "raw" form to evaluate individuals, with it resulting in unfair, inaccurate and disastrous results. I have also witnessed managers use this tool to make very significant, critical decisions; and have seen astonishing, awesome results. Data-Driven-Decision-Making is just what it is - a tool. Just as it is with any tool, its use can bring very good as well as very bad results. It is ultimately up to the skill and intentions of the user, what determines the outcome when using Data-Driven-Decision-Making. Prudence of use must be observed.
WEEKLY ACTIVITIES:
- Downloaded and listened to Session 8 podcast
- Formulated Session 8 blog response
- Posted Session 8 response in my blog
- Continued working on remaining projects
- Read scholar's blog postings
- Posted comments on scholar's blogs
1) Discuss a way Data-Driven Decision could be used in my world:
In my personal life, I commonly make Data-Driven-Decisions. I gather all the facts, paint a picture and then decide which items are competing for the same amount of time. Finally, I decide which of those items will be placed in the back-burner, in order to favor the items I deemed to be the most important. I find Data-Driven-Decision-Making a very valuable tool; for it places things within a manageable context that helps properly assess a situation. Once the picture is clear, Data-Driven Decision-Making is a snap.
2) What would be a positive use of Data-Driven Decision-Making?
My present employer is a hard-core user of Data-Driven-Decision-Making. The company uses this technique as a management tool. My employer tracks a multitude of data. For example, they track product failures by model, serial number, failed part location and failure frequency of parts. The company then analyzes this data and by using Data-Driven-Decision, a judgement call is made as to whether to examine the design for further refinement or to live with the problem. I consider this to be a positive use of Data-Driven-Decision-Making, because my employer is being proactive, which is a much better appoach to solving problems, as opposed to being reactive to these.
3) What would be a negative use of Data-Driven-Decision-Making?
I believe that the use of "pure" Data-Driven-Decision-Making on employee assessment is a very coarse way to assess weaknesses and strenghts on an individual. By its very nature, Data-Driven-Decision-Making is very harsh. Data-Driven-Decision-Making does not take into account the humanity of the individual and the circumstances that otherwise could offer a picture that is more representative of the individual being assessed. Therefore, skewing of data results. The skewing of data results in incorrect Data-Driven-Decision-Making, because it could either present facts in a light that makes someone appear far better than the person truly is; on the other hand, it can also make a person appear far worse. Either way, Data-Driven-Decision-Making alone does not provide enough information to properly assess individuals.
How does leadership factor into each of these?
Leadership must have the wisdom to understand the capabilities and limitations of the Data-Driven-Decision-Making tool. I have witnessed this tool applied in its "raw" form to evaluate individuals, with it resulting in unfair, inaccurate and disastrous results. I have also witnessed managers use this tool to make very significant, critical decisions; and have seen astonishing, awesome results. Data-Driven-Decision-Making is just what it is - a tool. Just as it is with any tool, its use can bring very good as well as very bad results. It is ultimately up to the skill and intentions of the user, what determines the outcome when using Data-Driven-Decision-Making. Prudence of use must be observed.
WEEKLY ACTIVITIES:
- Downloaded and listened to Session 8 podcast
- Formulated Session 8 blog response
- Posted Session 8 response in my blog
- Continued working on remaining projects
- Read scholar's blog postings
- Posted comments on scholar's blogs
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