Reflection

Learning Specialist/Instructional Designer Proposal Reflection

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As I near the end of this course, I'm reflecting on this process of developing and presenting a proposal. It is a lot of work, but really isn't that difficult in putting together. The brainstorming, need assessment and research is the easy part. Meeting with administration and coworkers to discuss the need and the found research can be challenging with the busy schedules. The administration was willing to listen, but their hands are mostly tied in providing technology outside of the budget. Basically, it comes down to the staff funding their own way when the needs are not met. If the technology is purchased, then it is a waiting process of the technology staff to have time to install and program the Chromebooks and SMART Boards, while training staff how to effectively use the equipment. I enjoyed piloting and hosting a peer review. I was able to 
perceive the proposal from different viewpoints and recognize the pros and cons to the plan. I love working with others who have the same desires to do what it takes to obtain the technology resources needed for their students. Unfortunately, not all educators want to learn and use technology and I believe it hinders the students throughout the whole school year. 

Technology Proposal

Reflecting on My Technology Proposal

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Taking a look, again, at my proposal of SMART Boards in every classroom and a  

 Chromebook cart for each classroom, I think there is a 50/50 chance it will be accepted by administration. The process of identifying the needs and why, while talking to admin has been fairly easy. Yes, it can be challenging setting up a time to meet with admin, but it was doable within a week’s time. The other challenge is the school budget. It is evaluated yearly, but adding more funds or allocating them differently isn’t always possible. There is a budget for technology, but it is limited to providing only a certain amount of additional technology each year. Something not pursued often is opportunities like GoFundMe and Donors Choose. A few other colleagues have had success in doing this, so I’m going to pursue it as well, at least for my classroom.

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I have been a bit discouraged in the process, just because not everyone is as passionate about the high need of technology for student use, like I am. This being said, I feel a bit alone in making it happen. What I am learning to do effectively is making a proposal and the steps to put it all together and present it. Also, I am learning to look at other ways to obtain the resources needed for our students without relying on the current school budget.

The Technology Specialist role of Learning Specialist is very similar to that of a classroom teacher. Teachers must learn the different learning theories in order to best serve their students each year. The theories do play a factor in how the teacher presents each lesson and creates an assessment for the students. The Instructional Designer role makes learning more fun. This role sets up ways for students to use technology and be creative in their product after the lesson. There are so many ways for teachers to use technology resources to enhance learning for students. Also, using different ways for students to show what they learned meets the needs of all of the diverse learners in the classroom.