Module One: Defining the Need for Change--Activity 4

Module One: Defining the Need for Change
Activity 4 – Analysis and Discussion of the MILE Guide Assessment
Bonnie S. Lang
EDUC 744-965

The MILE Guide Assessment provided interesting but not surprising results of my perceptions of the School District of Gilman and its progress towards reaching the 21st Century stage in learning and teaching. I am a 10-year member of the district technology committee and have worked to develop technology plans with parents, business community members, other staff, administration, and students as well as others. I was a trained member of a Wisconsin enGauge team that reviewed and assessed the effective use of technology in schools beginning in 2004.

One of the recommendations given in the results of my online assessment was to plan collectively and strategically for the future. The district’s technology team is again in the process of developing the next three-year plan which is due in 2009. Critical factors in making progress are doing the research necessary to know which direction the district should take in trying to provide a learning environment that will reinforce 21st Century skills.

Our district has been a leader in implementing technology and will need to be careful to avoid becoming complacent. If we remain at the level in which we currently function we will begin taking a downward slide as other districts in our area may attain higher achievement because their goals focus more on 21st Century needs. We need to continue to look to the future—remember the past—but look to the future and provide what students need to learn to be successful and competitive in today’s and tomorrow’s society.

This involves professional development for all teachers including the ones who are nearing retirement and are in the classrooms educating students. The “good ole days” are gone. How we teach now needs to reflect what will be expected of students in the future. This of course presents a barrier because educators newer to the profession have passed rigorous educational programs, are current with newer teaching methods, and understand how to challenge students to think critically and creatively—while other older “more seasoned educators” may not see the need for professional development at this point in their career. I realize the focus is on the students needs, but I foresee this as a barrier so much support will be needed for staff so that they understand their changing role and how to make changes if needed.

A second recommendation was to improve assessments to measure 21st Century skills. This has been my concern for some time in the district. I teach information technology skills and assess students in my course to see if they meet the goals set forth in the technology curriculum. Gilman’s high school and junior high students compete in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competitive events and this activity provides feedback on student achievement. I would like to receive feedback from some source—I do not know what source—to measure students’ use of technology to enhance their learning. The district needs to develop a survey for outgoing students and students who have been away from the district for a year or more to find out if they were prepared for the “path” they chose. This survey needs to encompass more than the use of technology—it would need to be designed to provide feedback on all 21st Century skills. A barrier I foresee is the amount of time needed to prepare an assessment tool and to interpret results.

As far as improving assessments to measure 21st Century skills in the classroom, I foresee that staff would need continued professional development and possibly peer coaching to be more accepting. I am sure that many of my concerns will also be concerns that the technology committee has when we meet to develop the 2009 plan and continue to find ways to move towards 21st Century levels in learning and teaching.