Cynthia's+Page+in+Team+Four

=Cynthia's Page for Leading and Managing Technology =


 * Module One Assignment: **


 * For my performance management proposal and project, I will be working with my former elementary school, Woodville Heights Elementary. This school is located in Jackson, Mississippi and is part of the Jackson Public School District. The school was originally part of the Jackson/Hinds School system and dates back to 1967 when the building was first constructed. The school provides educational services for grades Kindergarten through Grade Five. There are three classes per grade level, plus special needs and resources classrooms. Together, the student population averages 500 students. Although a new school has recently opened a block down the street from Woodville Heights and many measures have been taken to provide upgraded technological resources for the new school, Woodville Heights remains on an "At Risk" level and the building and resources are outdated. **


 * It is my intention to work toward developing a proposal that will work in conjunction with a future grant to bring about updates for the staff and students at Woodville Heights through the library/media center and working in conjunction with the library/media specialist, Mrs. Jodi Carter. According to Mrs. Carter, although some technological resources are available to the school, there are there are many resources that need to be replaced and updated within the school. Most of the media equipment currently in use dates back from 1980-2000. Many pieces of equipment have been discarded with no funds to replace them. It is my plan to create a proposal that will address this need for equipment and to be able to incorporate a grant for new technology for the school, including media updates, new learning software, and more resources for the learning disabled. **


 * In summary, the performance problem at Woodville Heights is that much of the media equipment and materials are outdated causing a gap in the intended outcome for classroom learning and instruction. The desired performance is to implement supplemental resources to enhance classroom instruction via multimedia and technological software and resources. The gap is the acquisition of this equipment due to budgetary cuts and lack of adequate funding for this area. The focus of my human performance project will be: **


 * **Materials, media, technology acquisition to update the current outdated equipment within the school **


 * Here is the schools website: http://woodvilleheights.jpsms.org/ **
 * The physical address is: **


 * Woodville Heights Elementary **
 * 2930 McDowell Road Extension **
 * Jackson, MS 39206 **
 * 601.371.4300 **


 * School's Mission and Beliefs: **

**Beliefs**

 * == We believe that we must expect the best and accept nothing less. ==
 * == We believe that an environment will be created for all students that will be conducive to learning the necessary skills to compete in life. ==
 * == We believe that there must be mutual respect and cooperation among the school community. ==
 * == We believe that the entire school community must have genuine concern and compassion for students. ==
 * == We believe that the educational needs of the students are our primary focus. ==
 * == We believe in a safe and orderly environment. ==
 * == In order to accomplish these beliefs, learning must be a partnership among students, school, district, community, and parents, and each must be held accountable (www.woodvilleheights.jpsms.org) ==

**September 29, 2010 **   Hello, Everyone! <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I am back! <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I have been out with my back, but I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I am still behind and I am submitting my Module One through Three revisions now. I will work on Four and Five over the weekend. Talk to you soon! <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Cynthia <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Hi, Everyone! This is it! I am uploading the final version here and I will respond to you all in the discussion forum! Cynthia
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Please note, I am reworking my project and I am going to post it this weekend in a different format that is more focused and in APA formatting. I would like to address the question that is due for today: **
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The goals of the school at this point will be to excel in academic and student success by becoming an advanced level performing school (they are at-risk of failure at this point.) They would also like to have all teachers trained in basic technology for communication and reading program implementation which is linked to better human performance and student success. **
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I am emailing the principal and the library media specialist to ask for other specific goals. I am going to visit the school again next week to help re-evaluate my project and to make sure the focus and information is still accurate. Please stay tuned for more information and a more professional layout. I will update it by Sunday. ****<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Thanks, **
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Cynthia **   **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">October 13, 2010 **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Sunday came and left again. I have not updated and for that I apologize. Life is very hectic and as I mentioned to Dr. C., I am on overload at the moment. I did have an enlightening moment after reading and watching the vodcast this week. It is much more detailed and complicated working out the "kinks" and addressing the Human Performance Problem in this project. It needs to be addressed correctly and with much care and planning. It is not so easy as I first anticipated. **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">With that being said, I am clearing my schedule to work on reworking the project before the Module Three deadline. I will post a draft in the wiki when I have completed the revision process. **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">For my Three Intervention Strategies, I will post drafts since my revisions will change those strategies: **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The low-cost strategy would address basic updates to equipment most commonly used and requested within the classrooms. At this point, basic CD players with new headphones are needed in all classrooms as well as in the computer lab. Only the first grade level has received a grant that will provide these listening centers for the children. Therefore, I will have Kindergarten and Second through Fifth grade classrooms that will need centers as well as providing centers and headphones for the library media center and headphones for the computer lab. When that essential equipment has been purchased, I will also need to provide CD's on each reading level for all the classrooms and the media center. This should "chew up" that $5000.00 rather quickly. I had thought about updating televisions and DVD players, but I believe the cognitive reading skills and comprehension would be better addressed if students had the listening centers and teachers could incorporate these into their Sustained Silent Reading time and Language Arts time each day. This is what the teachers state they would need more than televisions and DVD players. **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">That brings me to the medium-cost strategy. If I had this budget or grant money, I would complete the listening center libraries within the library media center for students and teachers to have a wide variety of audio CD's on various reading levels, including strategic reading for those struggling with comprehension skills. There are many directions to go with this, but I will leave it at that until I make my revisions. The second possibility would be to purchase updated computers for the computer lab and for the library media center. If, after purchasing this equipment, there were additional funds, I would purchase updated computers for each classroom. Every classroom would have at least one new computer and the old models in the computer lab and the library media center would be upgraded and used, if possible, in the classrooms to supplement. I must check the pricing for computers for the school in order to provide detailed statistics, but it would be my guess that we would be able to provide more than one computer per classroom and possibly have one computer for every teacher and one for every student in the school. This would be a dream come true! There is so much we could utilize if that were reality. **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">And with that in mind, let's look at the high-cost strategy. With all the other strategies implemented, I would incorporate LCD projectors for grades three through five in each classroom, plus a new projector for the library media center. I would also purchase interactive whiteboards for each classroom beginning with grades three through five and going to the lower grades if the funds were available. It is not that the lower grades do not need them, but they are allowed more interactive lessons and field trips than the upper grades, in the budget. I would also upgrade all the televisions and the VCR's to DVD players, including providing new equipment in the library media center and a screen that could be lowered and raised for use in the auditorium. This would provide additional opportunities for schoolwide programs and incorporation of professional developments for teachers in a larger place where they could spread out and work in groups. This would also enhance the PTA programs provided on a monthly basis at the school that incorporate music and drama. **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">These are the basic needs and the beginning of fulfilling dreams. If I still had money left at that point, I would purchase equipment for the music and drama department such as amplifyers, microphones, and other sound equipment. I would also purchase additional software that enhances Math and Language Arts with Science and Social Sciences as a close third and fourth choice. This would help the teachers to incorporate more interactive and critical thinking skills which would in turn increase those wonderful test scores. **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In all this, there would be professional development for the teachers and if my dream budget were feasible, another route that I would take is to provide a paid professional development for the teacher on the various implementation for the new equipment, in the classrooms. This would be a great incentive to the teachers and hopefully, would bring with it the positive attitude toward change that I want to help instill in the school. **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">More to come! **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Cynthia **     **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Here is my revised HPP: **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I hope this is more focused and feasible! **    **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Cynthia **