5630 - Guest Leader: Gary Spence

Gary Spence
Director of IT
Wolf Creek School Division

Today,

5630: Assignment #4: IT Proposal Research

Proposal:

I propose that a license be purchased for netTrekker to be used at all Elementary, Middle and Jr. High Schools within the Calgary Board of Education to allow for the identification of and access to safe and reliable resources.


Tool Overview:

netTrekker, developed by Thinkronize, Inc. is a educational search tool that allows educators, students and parents access to teacher-reviewed and teacher-rated websites and online resources (including information, activities, and lesson plans). More than just a simple search engine, netTrekker uses advanced sorting technologies to allow users to search by subject or topic, as well as by a five-point rating scale provided by accredited teachers from Canada and the US. Further options allow sorting into categories that include multimedia components, or sorting on a five-point readability scale. Teachers also have the additional ability to search by General and Specific outcomes from the Alberta Curriculum.


Scope:

All Elementary, Middle and Jr. High Schools within the CBE.
154 Schools
71 305 Students
7624 Staff


Goals:

To allow students to identify and access safe online resources.
To allow parents access to reliable online resources.
To allow teachers access to online resources in alignment with Alberta’s Program of Studies.


Support:

Although there are help documents and tutorials available on the netTrekker website (http://www.nettrekker.com/), in order to fully understand the tool and use it to its full potential, some support needs to come from the Curriculum and Learning Technologies department of the CBE. Therefore, one individual will be named as the netTrekker designate, and will be available to provide:

• initial and on-going communication
• teacher training
• maintenance of online Professional Development resources
• helpdesk support for teachers and administrators
• liaison between the CBE and Thinkronize, Inc.
  

Background Research

Allowing all CBE K-9 students and teachers access to this tool would permit the identification of and access to safe and reliable resources. Internet safety is of paramount concern to educators and families. Resources need to be vetted and reliable if they are to be of any educational merit. Students need to identify when resources are appropriate through the use of adequate media literacy skills when researching online sources. These three points will be discussed in further detail.


Safety:

Educators were some of the earliest adopters of using the Internet for research and communication. Early in the Internet’s wide-spread usage, K-12 teachers were the first to see the potential for exploration and opportunity. However, unrestricted access to an entire society’s breadth of knowledge and culture has inherent pitfalls. Johnson (2005), points out the criticisms of using the Internet, when he refers to it as a resource that “allows second graders to view graphic sexual acts accidentally while searching for innocuous information, communication by anorexic teens with supportive fellow anorexics, or access by seventh graders to “Build Your Own Computer Virus” Web sites” (p. 39). He includes these provocative references to potentially damaging activities to highlight some of the common criticisms of using the Internet for classroom study.

netTrekker doesn’t contain any resources, but it provides a summary, review, ranking and link to the resource located at a different site on the Internet. Because of this, it can be considered a discriminate search engine, or portal. Rather than searching the entire contents of the Internet, as many search engines purport to do, a portal gives the user access to specific, directed resources. Furthermore, Bacon, Blood, Ault and Adms (2008) indicate that a major focus of an internet portal or search engine is “to encourage access to the many safe, interesting, and educationally valuable sites so that youth and their families would become analytical and knowledgeable users of the Internet” (p. 46).

Like Johnson (2005), Bacon et al (2008) continue to explore the challenges of using the Internet safely in the classroom environment: “From hidden advertisements to inappropriate content just a few links away, many websites that purport to be for children fail to provide a safe, secure environment, and while access to the Internet is certainly an asset to teaching and learning, it is necessary to be aware of potential risks” (p. 46).

Schools have recognized these drawbacks from the inception of Internet inclusion in education and have attempted to protect students from potentially inappropriate content or communities. In many jurisdictions, this involves strict and absolute filtering of specific sites, social networks and key search terms. However, restricting access to the Internet does not always have the desired effect. Schools that install strict filtering technology with restrictive settings potentially “block up to 70% of search results based on state-mandated curriculum topics” (Johnson, 2005, p. 40).

It is apparent that students need a safe and secure online learning environment where they are able to access material and resources appropriate to their age and curricular requirements. Teachers and parents need to continually monitor computer and Internet usage to help guide students toward making ethical, responsible choices. Through its use as an educational portal, netTrekker offers these solutions.


Reliability:

Although calculating the size of the Internet, and estimating the amount of information available is a daunting, ever-changing task, Netcraft has attempted to track this information. According to their study, there were approximately 2.1 million more websites in June 2009 than in May 2009 (2009). Every month, the number of available resources grows in an unmanageable manner. Without ways to sift through these newly created sites, any user would quickly become overwhelmed. New sites are continually being added into netTrekker’s directory, but not at a rate of 2.1 million per month. Each of the new additions is recommended, tested and approved by an educator within Canada or the United States.

Although not discussing netTrekker specifically, Chamberlain (2005) provides a concise definition of similar educational services: “Educational portals put together links to sites and resources educators would be interested in viewing. They eliminate the hours of searching that might be invested if typical search engines were used. Educational portals feature lessons, units, printable resources, creative ideas, and more” (p. 25). Because the extensive resources available via netTrekker have all been tested, recommended and vetted by educators, users can begin their own exploration, knowing these materials have already been used successfully by other classroom teachers.

Highlighting one of the key features when choosing or creating a collection of online resources, Chamberlain (2005) stresses the importance of making a clear connection to the mandated curriculum. These tools should allow users “to view the curriculum essential to all learners at each grade level. By creating a virtual spot for teachers, students, and parents to view the curriculum, we are creating a road map for the instructional journey” (p. 25). netTrekker includes this information – specific to the Alberta curriculum. Users are able to filter and search results in netTrekker results by specific learning outcomes of the Alberta curriculum.

One of the designated user groups of netTrekker is parents. Having educator-suggested resources, including a five-point rating scale, would assist parents in making thoughtful and sound decisions about materials to use with their children for at-home study, as well as for teacher-supported homeschooling. Although the sites are not necessarily endorsed or specifically recommended by the Calgary Board of Education, netTrekker offers a starting point for parents when searching for valuable materials online. Upon initiation of this project, communication to parents would be drafted indicating the use of netTrekker as a tool, and indicating the Board’s stance and scope of responsibility.

Darrow (2005) discussed the importance of students finding and using “reliable and useful information”, and indicates that “students need guidance each step of the way in their initial choices of search terms and ultimately their choice of Web sites” (p. 36). For students, netTrekker serves this purpose. By identifying sites linked through netTrekker, students can begin to understand the characteristic features of reliable online resources.


Literacy:

As highlighted and referenced by Coiro & Dobler (2007), there is an established body of work (Lankshear &Knobel, 2003; Leu et al., 2004; Reinking, McKenna, Labbo, & Kieffer, 1998) that argues new technologies are transforming the nature of reading, writing, and communicating (p. 244). Allowing access to netTrekker, where the resources are vetted by educators will allow students to recognize high quality research and accurate and unbiased information. Essentially, using netTrekker will give students the chance to learn more appropriate research techniques, and help foster their emerging media literacy skills.

Through their qualitative study, Coiro & Dobler (2007) extrapolate that successful online reading experiences require more sophisticated uses of prior knowledge, inferential reasoning strategies, and self-regulated reading processes than traditional textbook-based research (p.215). Reading and accessing information from Internet sources is a complex application that encourages students to make quick judgements about the validity and relevance of the materials they are in contact with. By using the services of netTrekker, students will be exposed to higher-quality, academically-appropriate sources, and will be able to base continued research on the examples they have been exposed to.

To emphasize some of the criteria for online literacy, Coiro & Dobler (2007) were able to observe and report on “readers actively anticipating and monitoring the relevancy of each new text unit, while quickly deciding whether to continue to add that text to their own external text” (p.241). Students in this study were making quick judgements to decide if they should follow deeper into the subject by accessing links within the page, or if they should discount that text, and search elsewhere by returning to the previous screen (p. 241). Using netTrekker to proving a solid foundational background by providing exposure to quality materials will allow students a frame of reference when exploring other online resources.

The American Library Association stresses that importance needs to be placed on student education as “the key to safe use of the Internet. Libraries and schools are where kids learn essential information literacy skills that go far beyond computer instruction and web searching" (Kranich, 2007, p. 36). However, this doesn’t mean schools or districts should have stringent regulations blocking or filtering out content. Johnson (2005) points out one of the inherent pitfalls of simply filtering out searches, and blocking sites entirely: “by installing a filter, teachers would abandon their role as guide and supervisor when students were online” (p. 39). Teacher involvement in this process is absolutely critical, and netTrekker needs to be utilized as one tool in a teacher’s pedagogical cache rather than the primary means and method of instructing students in these skills.

Bacon et all (2008) contend that “there continues to be a need for youth to exercise caution in their searching, build skills needed to recognize objectionable sites, and seek information on safe, commercial-free sites in order to become proficient consumers of information” (p. 46). The development of these skills is facilitated by the classroom teacher who can use netTrekker to exemplify and emphasize high-quality, accurate and reliable digital information.


Conclusion:

Although there are clear advantages for teachers and parents, our sustained focus must be on continual student learning. Purchasing a license for netTrekker to be used in all Elementary, Middle and Junior High Schools within the CBE would permit students to identify and access safe and reliable online resources. A student using netTrekker to search for safe and reliable information is simultaneously obtaining critical literacy skills that will become increasingly valuable as they continue through K-12, and leave high school with a “foundation of learning to function effectively in life, work and continuing education” (Calgary Board of Education, Ends Statements, 2009).

References

Bacon, M., Blood, L., Ault, M., & Adams, D. (2008, March 1). 4Kids.org: Topical, Searchable, and Safe Internet-Based Resource for Children and Youth. Education Libraries, 31(1), 46-50. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ824778) Retrieved July 9, 2009, from ERIC database.

Calgary Board of Education (2009). Ends Statements. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://www.cbe.ab.ca/aboutus/ends.asp.

Calgary Board of Education. (2009). Quick Facts. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://www.cbe.ab.ca/media/facts.asp.

Chamberlain, C. (2005, May 1). The Power in the Portal. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(8), 25-27. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ697377) Retrieved July 9, 2009, from ERIC database.

Coiro, J., & Dobler, E. (2007, April 1). Exploring the Online Reading Comprehension Strategies Used by Sixth-Grade Skilled Readers to Search for and Locate Information on the Internet. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(2), 214-257. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ760264) Retrieved July 10, 2009, from ERIC database.

Darrow, R. (2005, March 1). Finding the Right Search Engine for High School Students: Information Seeking Strategies and the LMC Connection. Library Media Connection, 23(6), 36. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ717623) Retrieved July 10, 2009, from ERIC database.

Johnson, D. (2005, May 1). Maintaining Intellectual Freedom in a Filtered World. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(8), 39-41. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ697382) Retrieved July 9, 2009, from ERIC database.

Kranich, N. (2007, January 1). Librarians and Teen Privacy in the Age of Social Networking. Knowledge Quest, 36, 34-37. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ826939) Retrieved July 9, 2009, from ERIC database.

Netcraft. June 2009 Web Server Survey. Retrieved July 11, 2009, from http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2009/06/17/june_2009_web_server_survey.html

5630 Guest Leader – Dr. Larry Jacobs

5630 Guest Leader – Mr. John Percevault

Mr. John Percevault
District IT Leader
Lethbridge School District #51


John spoke to us today, and gave an overview of the work he's done within the Lethbridge School District over the past two years. Since starting with the district in 2007, there have been many significant changes. I would argue that the change has been revolutionary. He posed a question to us as he started to tell the story of "51".

Identify seven main events or key decisions that happened in District #51 from June 2007 to date. What were the decisions made to move the district forward?

He preceded to explain how he was interviewed and hired for this postion, and continued the narrative over the next two years. Because he works so closely with Barry Litun, it's not surprising to hear some similar things, but from a slightly more practical IT side.

1. First, there is a clear Vision from the Superintendent. Without this, nothing can follow. This was hilighted by John a number of times, and seems to be a central focus. There needed to be a unified vision throughout the school system. This allowed significant buy-in from the teachers as well. There are regular scheduled meetings to refresh the vision: the department keeps revisiting it. More than just the Superintendent's vision, this is a collaborative vision that came out of research into what the stakeholders were looking at - (teachers, admin, community). This lead to the white paper that John presented to us today. There was a dedicated committment to wanting external voices and a unique committee.
2. There was a physical centralization of technology and support.
3. There will now be equitable access to technology. It was important to recognize disparity and make all schools as equitable as possible.
4. There was a move towards building a shared funding framework.
5. A new trend was research into the "actual" inventory within the school board. There was a specific strategy and evergreening process for implementation.
6. There was a move to an AISI project with job-embedded time (ten half days per year). This meant there was systemic planning in place.
7. Aligning the technology infrastructure. (A concept John mentioned, but he did not include any detail.)

I think it was important to hear about this school board's story from another perspective. Although Barry and John work closely together, they have different roles and different responsibilites and each could offer his specific opinion.

5630 Guest Leader – Dr. Don Knezek

Introduction to ISTE
National/International Leadership
Guest Leader: Dr. Don Knezek, CEO, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) via Video Conferene


Focused Reflection: What continuity do you see between some of your readings, other presentations, and this presentation?

• Salience (Why is IT in education important to this person?)


• Outcomes (What are the specific IT in education outcomes sought through your organization?)


• Processes (What processes are used to achieve the outcomes?)


• Characteristics (What are some of the characteristics of IT Leaders that make them effective in achieving their goals?)

5630 Course Workplan

Pre-Work	SKILLS SURVEY	0%	Due Sunday, May 30. Completed. Online Survey
Assignment 1	BACKGROUND AND INTEREST	5%	Due Sunday, May 30. Completed. Submit to Maurice
Assignment 2	CHARACTERISTIC OF AN EFFECTIVE IT LEADER	15%	Due Friday, June 26. Completed. Post to Blog / Submit to Maurice
Assignment 4	IT PROPOSAL (BACKGROUND AND SALIENCE)	20%	Due Monday, July 13. Have it done Monday night. Submit to Maurice
Assignment 3	PRESENTATION OF READINGS	15%	Due Friday, July 17. Have it done Thursday Night. Present in Class
Assignment 5	IT PROPOSAL WITH BUDGET	30%	Due Monday, July 20. Have it done for Monday. Submit to Maurice
	PARTICIPATION IN DISCUSSIONS	15%	Ongoing (July 6 – 17) Every Day. Participate in Class

5630 Guest Leader – Reflection

5630 Guest Leader – Superintendent of Schools

What continuity do you see between some of your readings, other presentations, and this presentation?

• Salience (Why is IT in education important to this person?)
  
• Outcomes (What are the specific IT in education outcomes sought through your organization?)
  
• Processes (What processes are used to achieve the outcomes?)
  
• Characteristics (What are some of the characteristics of IT Leaders that make them effective in achieving their goals?)
  

5630 Assignment 2: The Nature of an Effective IT Leader: Characteristics and Outcomes

Desire2Learn (D2L) is used as a learning management system across the entire Calgary Board of Education(CBE) (Chioreanu, 2005). There are over 100, 000 students and close to 7000 teachers in our system who potentially have access to D2L (CBE, 2009). As part of the Curriculum and Learning Technologies department, we have a D2L Project Manager who coordinates the maintenance, deployment and professional learning associated with this learning environment. She maintains a balance between our technical IT department, and our subject-matter experts; continually focusing on technology and pedagogy.

Her effectiveness as a leader stems from one simple fact that is never overlooked: she’s a Teacher before all else.

As a former classroom teacher, online instructor, and Professional Development facilitator, she remains dedicated to Learning and Teaching. She is skilled in the area of “leading effective staff development opportunities to promote the use of technologies for meaningful instruction” (Hollingsworth et al., 2004). More than just technical support, our Project Manager demonstrates practical and pedagogically sound solutions that meet the needs of teachers within our system, while keeping her focus on student learning.

Our Project Manager ensures that all “leaders and support personnel have consistent access to technology-related professional development for their job assignments” (ISTE, 2002). One of her main outcomes is to provide all teachers within the CBE access to formalized, online professional development, as well as a virtual community and online tutorials for technical and pedagogical concerns. These areas are supervised and maintained by our Project Manager, so she is assured that all teachers within the system are provided with accurate and updated information.

But, to our Project Manager, it’s more than just providing access to high-quality resources and online modules. As Yee (2000) highlights, it is imperative that educational leaders encourage all staff members to “participate in appropriate, individualized ICT professional development activities.” To that end, she has initiated online training for teachers new to the virtual classroom environment. She respects the diversity that teachers bring, and understands that one of the cornerstones of successful PD is offering individualized support, regardless of the teacher’s skill level.

Our Project Manager is completely dedicated to student learning and will continue to lead our department in innovative ways, helping all teachers “create tools to help the different types of learners in their classrooms” (Christensen, 2008). For example, she has been a strong supporter of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and has personally offered workshops and sessions to help others within her department understand the importance of these principles when constructing an online environment.

Her background as an educator, and continued dedication to individual student success has allowed our Project Manager to be an effective leader within our school board. Her position has provided her with the means to achieve her core goal: the advancement of teacher learning and personal development to support all student learning.

References

Calgary Board of Education. (2009). 2008-2009 School Year Fact, figures, questions and answers about the CBE. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://www.cbe.ab.ca/media/facts.asp

Chioreanu, J. (2005). Calgary Board of Education Selects Desire2Learn For One of the Largest K12 eLearning Initiatives in North America. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://www.desire2learn.com/news/newsdetails_14.asp

Christensen, C., Horn, B. & Johnson C. (2008). Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. McGraw Hill, New York, NY.

Hollingsworth, M., Mrazek, R., Steed, M., Spence, G., Balding, P., Percevault, J. (2004). Information Technology Leadership in Education: An Alberta Needs Assessment. An Alberta Learning funded research project. pp. 1-52. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://people.uleth.ca/~m.hollingsworth/itl/itleadership.htm

International Society For Technology in Education. (2002). Essential Condition for Implementing NETS for Administrators. Retrieved June 24, 2009 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForAdministrators/2002Standards/Conditions/NETS-A_2002_Standards.pdf

Yee, D. (2000). Images of School Principals’ Information and Communications Technology Leadership. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education, 9(3), 287-302.

5630 Assignment 2: The Nature of Effective IT Leaders: Characteristics and Outcomes

Think of an IT Leader, or educational leader, who you feel demonstrates excellent leadership qualities. Reflect on these qualities using some of the readings assigned within this course (or additional readings as described below). Using your reflection and the readings describe a core characteristic of this exemplary IT Leader (or educational leader). What is one of the core elements that make this leader effective? It may be a characteristic you have observed, for which the leader is generally known or for which they have been awarded recognition. Be sure to provide supporting evidence of the construct of this leadership characteristic by citing readings that support your observation. In other words, provide both a reflection on your observation and provide supporting evidence using the available literature.

As well, identify outcomes sought by this leader that relate to his/her core leadership characteristic. What are the outcomes sought by this leader? How do they appear to relate to the leader’s fundamental leadership characteristic?

5630 Assignment 1: Background and Interest in IT Leadership

It is difficult for me to separate my educational, technical and leadership background, because all three areas have been an integral part of my experience since I have been working full time. Because of my background, I sincerely feel that this Master's program is the absolute perfect place for me, as it will effectively combine these three areas and give me the continued skills to excel.

After I had graduated from the U of L (the first time – with my BA and BEd), I did not go directly into the teaching profession, but spent approximately two years working as a Manager in a local call centre that provided technical support to internet and cable TV subscribers. This position gave me the chance to explore my technical skills and was when I began to develop my managerial capabilities. Although I enjoyed the position, it was a far cry from what I had gone to University for, and I made the decision to return home to Calgary to pursue my intended career, as a school teacher.

Starting in 2005/2006, I began working at CBe-learn, which is the Calgary Board of Education's online high school. During my time at CBe-learn, I have been involved in teaching and developing online courses from a variety of disciplines, with the exception of Math. I settled into the English department early on, and have been teaching ELA 30-1 or 30-2 consistently for the past six or seven semesters. Because the majority of my student teaching was in elementary classrooms, that's what I had been expecting upon obtaining a full time position. However, when I heard about the unique and exciting program that CBe-learn offered, I knew I had found the perfect place to launch my teaching career.

Since starting my position at CBe-learn, I have had the chance to move into a unique role that allows me to act as the technical and instructional support for all of the teachers in our online educational environment. This has given me the chance to continue exploring my own personal leadership and technical capabilities. Half of my time (0.5 FTE) is dedicated to this role at CBe-learn.

All of the teachers at CBe-learn share in the unique experience of teaching in an online high school, and our talents were quickly realized by the rest of our school board. Therefore, many of us have been deployed into other schools to act as Learning Leaders, assisting with technology and pedagogy on a regular basis. The nature of my support has been extended along with these teachers, so I am able to provide them with the continued help and assistance they need. Over the past two years, I have had the distinctive pleasure of helping teachers in their work facilitating other teachers!

In our summer school session at CBe-learn, we hire approximately 30 teachers. Some of them come from within our school, but we also hire teachers from the entire CBE who may or may not have taught in a distributed online environment. A significant part of my responsibility in Summer School is to mentor these 'new' teachers, and make sure they have the right supports in place. I also act as their liaison, and field any of their questions or concerns about students, technical issues or pedagogical practices. This was an incredible experience last year, and shows promise of being just as rewarding this year. Although I am not acting in an administrative role, I am a Leader to all of our Summer School teachers, and provide them with the technical and instructional support they require.

I am incredibly fortunate to have these possibilities open up to me so early in my teaching career, and approach each new opportunity with optimism and enthusiasm. I strongly believe in the work we're doing at CBe-learn and across the Calgary Board of Education, as I know it is making a significant impact on student learning. By continuing to explore how I can be more thoughtful in my teaching, more skilled with information technology, and stronger and more confident in my leadership, I hope to continue to make an impact on all teachers and students; those who matter most.

-Monti Tanner