Located in the heart of North Philadelphia, Khepera Charter School is a public charter school currently serve about four-hundred students. Now, Khepera Charter School has limited technological resources. There are only five projectors in the school. Due to budget cuts, the school had to eliminated computer classes. The special education classes are only equipped with two desktop computers, used for supplementary support for the students. Unfortunately, the computers are out of date and technology is frequently not working. In the general education classes, teachers sign out the projectors to use for the day. Projectors used are only used for literacy and math lessons; Khepera Charter School only has online software for the math and …show more content…
Instructional design allows teachers to focus on the need of their students, and become more involved with designing instructional activities to ensure students are reaching the learning objective. “Specifically, in recent years, national initiatives for educational reform have generated support for both teacher-centered instruction and activity-oriented, student-centered methods of teaching that stress meaningful learning applied to real-world problems.” (Morrison et al.,2013. p.2013) In order to effective teach, it is vital assess the needs for teachers and students in their learning environment. There is a lack of technology in Khepera Charter School. Updated technological resources will allow students to be more engaged in learning, and teachers will have resources needed to compliment and differentiate instruction.
Needs Analysis
Morrison describes “six identifiable categories of needs are used for planning and conducting a needs assessment.” (2013, p.31) Identifying the needs for Khepera Charter School falls under the anticipated or future needs category. Anticipated needs focus upon possible changes that will occur in the future. To identify the type of need, “interviews and questionnaires.” (Morrison et al., 2013, p.34)
Learner’s Characteristics for the Identified Need
“Learning styles are traits that refer to how individuals approach learning tasks
"You know, 20 years ago when I started in this business, I never had to have discussions with the computer folks. My, how have times changed! Today, about 90% of my equipment located within the facility can be managed via my laptop and Web browser. Whenever I plug my laptop into the telephone looking jack in the wall, my operating system says that I'm now operating at 10 megabits. Then, whenever I browse to my equipment, I cannot retrieve any data. After going back and forth with the HVAC support techs, they determined that my connection needed to be 100 megabits. They said it must be my network
After interviewing the Stake holders of the Leonard Cooper Charter School the following issues was noted:
Are you overwhelmed and stressed with homework assignments? Are you becoming a hermit because all your focus is on your problems, social media, sleeping, or playing video games? Or maybe you’re constantly scrolling through your Instagram feed looking at others being active and having nice bodies, wishing that was you? Well, you can put all of your worries behind you. Hey Kihei Charter School students! Get off the couch and join the cross country team to reduce stress, become more social, and increase your fitness, all while having fun.
Currently, educators are faced with the controversy of reaching all learners. It is the incumbency of educators to master differentiating instruction to create a possibility for all learners to grow. Technology is a great resource to keep students engaged and motivated. It prepares them for their future, yet reaches the diversity of learning styles.
In the 1980s there was much debate on school reform in the United States. The charter school model was an idea for educational reconstruction. These charter schools insured the continuing improvement of schooling (Budde, 1989). In 1991, Minnesota was the first state to pass legislation to create a charter school. In 1992, Minnesota opened the doors of the first charter school in the United States (“Resources,” 2012). Since then, Charter schools have gained wide spread acceptance across the United States.
Technology of the past 20 years has become a focal point of teaching and learning. As a teacher, it is my job to facilitate the learning for an individual by creating an environment that not only conducive for learning, but also places the child in a position to discover and learn them for themselves. Technology has given teachers to opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom, and has begun to reshape their role in the learning process.
For decades the American education system provided parents with three choices: public, homeschool or private school. If they chose public then their child(ren) would be assigned to a school past on where they lived. However , “in the early 1990s a handful of states created independent public charter schools, providing opportunities for teachers and others to develop innovative schooling options “ (Palmer, Louann 2007). Not only did the creation of charter schools provide opportunities for the teachers, but gave parents a fourth option in educating their child(ren). Some veiw charter schools as a welcome addition to the public school sector, others doubt the benefit of these schools. There
Charter schools are an alternative to public schools. Whether this alternative is a better solution to the public schools is the argument. Public schools can be just as creative as charter schools. Public schools are funded by our tax dollars, which ultimately the United States Government decides where those funds go. Education should be the last thing to be cut in the budget, but unfortunately, we the people do not have a choice other than the public offices whom we hope will do what they have said in their election speeches. Charter schools have come about to fill the gap that public schools cannot fill. They can gear their curriculum to student needs, where some public schools cannot because of funding cuts.
A leader must first of all be able to model the techniques and processes that they want their teachers to employ with the students. For this reason leaders should use an effective board spectrum of educational tools to help teachers reach students of the 21st century. One of the great tools being used today is the increase in the amount of technology used in the classroom. From iPad to chromo books to cellphones teachers are using these forms of technology to enhance and deliver grade level curriculum (Korach, Agans 2011 216-233).
Teachers can use technology within the classroom to assist with providing instructional guidance and education to students. However, the use of technology in the classroom has both its advantages and
In Lavin, Korte, Davies). The result of the study further pushes the notion of how important it is for school staff to understand the given technology so they can distribute the information effectively to their students. All the technology in the world will be ineffective if the teachers themselves are not passionate of their work. “Technology has the potential to transform the learning environment from passive to active and more subject to the control of the learner.” (qtd. In Lavin, Korte, Davies).
Technology is everywhere, it is involved in almost every part of our culture. It affects how we live, work, play, and most importantly learn. With technology being such a fundamental part of our lives and growing each day, it only makes sense that schools incorporate technology in the classrooms. Even though many people support the use of technology in schools, there are those that have concerns about the effectiveness of technology and whether or not it undermines education to solely prepare students for the workforce. Despite the concerns, technology is being integrated with classroom lessons daily, and proving how beneficial it is for student success.
It is crucial that students are not just being educated in only one way. Each child is different; as a result, learning styles should be versatile and open to new strategies. By learning to use technology correctly, teachers are preparing themselves, and the students for the future by developing certain skills that will be essential in the 21st century. Besides developing the students’ technology skills, students will
As we review and synthesize data of a district for planning school improvement, the following information is needed to access and determine the needs of a school. First, a thorough analysis of performance data must be reviewed to see how school districts measure up with state and federal accountability. During this process, it is very important that schools focus the performance indicators that will guarantee growth and success. School teams must refer to the districts mission and vision to guide the planning process. The performance indicators will provide data that will be beneficial in creating improvement strategies. So, after careful evaluation of the data, the next step would be to plan effective methods and strategies that will improve student achievement. Moreover, this plan should include needs, demographics and opportunities for students to be successful. Additionally, the baseline data is important information to include in the improvement plan.
The use of technology in the classroom is an important tool to utilize as an educator. Technology allows for educators to have instant access to a plethora of resources that would not be available if technology was not used in the classroom. Teachers have the ability to plan lessons, create presentations, and have interactive games for students to use as a learning tool through the use of different digital devices. Modern day technology is rapidly advancing and providing teacher with many different tools to use in the classroom to enhance the students learning experience.