I believe informed decision making is the basis of meaningful progress in education.

I think that being able to look at an issue in education and evaluate the needs and ways to address the needs in a manner that is based on available data and research as opposed to emotion and opinion is the hallmark of a good educational technology program. Most sectors of education aren't flush with copious resources. Finances and human capital are both sometimes in short supply and sometimes tough choices have to be made with the ultimate goal of expanding learning for our students. My artifacts show that I can look at situations for what they are and make decisions on how to improve them, where needed, based on data, research regarding best practices and keeping student needs at the forefront of each decision.
This assignment for Administration of School Libraries required us to create a facilities proposal. I looked at the specifics of my jobsite, Cedar Bayou Junior School, and created a proposal based on the needs of my school. To do so, I considered the current usage of our physical library facility as well as input from our principal regarding how he saw our library functioning in our school. While the assignment was for a class, we actually did decide to move forward with one of the proposals: the purchase of chairs, loveseats and ottomans. 
As a member of our team of librarians/media specialists, I participated in a discussion about the effectiveness of our reading incentive program. In our discussion of a viable replacement or enhancement, we agreed to research and propose a replacement plan. This is the proposal I made to the rest of my team. My principal and I have decided to implement the plan for next school year at our campus and then evaluate the effectiveness. 
The technology grant proposal and corresponding multimedia presentation I prepared for ETEC 579 was an example of analyzing the current technology situation and identifying an area to focus on with the goal of getting more meaningful technology in the hands of students. While I think I chose a relatively mundane target, wired keyboards for use with iPads, sometimes the things that will make an impact in the classroom aren't the flashiest items. I saw making keyboards available for use in with iPads in classrooms as a way to extend the usability and thusly improve the chance that the iPads were used more often and efficiently in class.
I chose to add my research proposal from the Research Methodologies class to the informed decision making section of my portfolio because the topic is one that, when addressed, can lead to meaningful allocations of funds in school libraries. My research proposal centers on determining the leisure reading habits and preferences of African American girl middle school students. This type of research regarding underserved populations contributes to the body of work that can help librarians, teachers and other school personnel make materials choices that reflect the specific needs of their students and can ultimately help make progress in closing the reading achievement gap. 
These are examples of technology reviews and play testing blogs from a few ETEC classes. The technology reviews and play testing blogging gave me an opportunity to look at different tools that could be used in the classroom and really evaluate the pros and cons. I think that's important because as the number of tools out there increases - and as tools are no longer viable or available - being willing to go in a play with new things and then make a determination about the usage is even more critical. 
Copyright © 2019 KaLeah Hicks