Sie sind auf Seite 1von 9

Running Head: REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

Reflective Analysis
Crystal Weedon
Liberty University
EDUC 638

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

Reflective Analysis
Why is planning important when implementing a district / school-wide initiative? The
goal of any district / school-wide initiative is to improve the educational program for all students
within that school or district. In order to achieve that goal, districts and individual schools now
have to carefully plan and consider technology, school / district resources, facilities, and devices
before making investments (The Guide to Implementing Digital Learning, 2015). Planning is
also important when implementing a district / school-wide initiative because it requires for all
stakeholders to collaborate toward the schools or districts goals. Planning enables all
stakeholders to collaborate, connect and share the responsibility in reaching all learning
outcomes.
What did you learn by creating a district technology plan? Creating a district technology
plan is not an easy task. It requires more than just the four major elements, comprehensiveness,
collaboration, commitment and continuity, it also requires a great deal of determination. Each
element requires an immense amount of planning and preparation where even the smallest details
have to be considered. Creating a district technology plan requires collaboration among a large
number of stakeholders. Working with a group of such magnitude requires all stakeholders to be
willing to go beyond their specific duties in order to achieve the end result. It also requires
complete dedication and for all stakeholders to know of the overall goals and understand their
responsibility in achieving those goals (Picciano, 2011).
Is it important to involve a wide range of individuals such as teachers, administrators, and
community stakeholders? Why or why not? It is very much important to involve a wide range of

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

individuals when creating a district technology plan. For one, each person involved brings with
them a wealth of information and skills that is needed when creating a district technology plan.
For example, teachers are often more familiar with the curriculum than administrators therefore
their input is needed when considering what technology devices would improve learning and
help students reach their academic goals. According to Picciano (2011), each stakeholders
expertise in their specific region is most likely more current than their superiors. This vast pool
of knowledge, expertise, and experience should become a vital part of any planning process
(Picciano, 2011, p, 19).
Describe the difference in cooperation and collaboration. Which is more important?
Why? Did your team cooperate, collaborate, or both. Provide specific examples from your team
experience to support your response. Although many use cooperation and collaboration
interchangeably, the two words represent a different way of contributing to a group. When people
collaborate, each person is able to share ideas and thoughts openly alongside another person on a
single shared goal. When individuals cooperate, they perform together (co-operate) while
working on selfish yet common goals (Cooperation vs Collaboration, n.d.). Cooperation is a key
aspect of collaboration (Education-Collaboration, 2014). Both cooperation and collaboration is
important because it requires for individuals to work together and contribute to reach an end
result. Cooperation and collaboration can make the difference between success and failure with
a project. Cooperation is not always an easy thing to achieve in the workplace, but it is worth
the effort because it leads to a more harmonious and productive operation (Schreiner & Media,
2014).

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

The Liberty School District committee worked collaboratively and cooperatively together
in order to develop a technology plan that would help equip Liberty School district students for
the 21st century. The committee cooperated by dividing up the required components based on the
strengths of the committee members. The committee collaborated together when editing and
revising the collaborative technology plan word document and when completing the Prezi
presentation. The collaboration and cooperation efforts of the committee were necessary and
contributed to the success of our technology plan.
What are the benefits and challenges of working together? Why is it important to be able
to work as a member of a team in education / business / government? There are a numerous
amount of benefits when people work together. Working together whether it is in education,
business, or government, allows for those who are involved the ability to exchange knowledge,
collaboratively develop ideas, fosters creativity and learning, blends complementary strengths,
builds trust, teaches conflict resolution skills and promotes a wider sense of ownership (Mattson,
2015). Working together provides an opportunity for others to appreciate the perspectives of
others and view the world as others might (Picciano, 2011, p. 19). Working together also
increases productivity.
What never goes unnoticed when a group of individuals work together are the differences
among those group members. People within a group often have different ideas, perspectives,
input and work ethic. Those differences can make working together challenging. Uneven
communication, personality clashes, power issues and/or an individuals personal agenda makes
it difficult for team members to work together (Witt, 2011). In todays job market, knowing how

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

to work together is crucial despite observable differences. Teamwork is important to the success
of any organizationTeamwork not only benefits your employees, and yourself, but also your
business and its success level (Team Work and the Importance of it and How to Work with
Other Companies, 2012). Employers seek employees who are able to work well with others.
According to Collins (2013), almost nothing happens in isolation anymore. It is rare to see a
person develop an idea and carefully carry the entire project through to the end.
Why is it important to establish group norms when teams are formed? It is important for
any group to establish group norms. Group norms are the principles that largely govern
behavior within a group All groups have some system of norms that govern the behavior of its
members (Parks, 2011). Group norms can assist or hinder a group in reaching its goals
(Establishing Group Norms, 2014). A normless group would be chaotic and anarchic because
there would be no boundaries for proper behavior (Parks, 2011). Establishing group norms
contributes to the success of an organization.
How does technology (wikis, Google docs, OneNote, Prezi, Twitter, web/video
conferencing, etc.) contribute to the development of "21st Century" skills: Collaboration,
Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity? Technology provides the tools and the
power to actively enhance critical-think skills, collaboration, communication and creativity
(Crompton, 2010). Not only does technology support 21st century skills, technology skills
themselves are necessary in the 21st century. Tools such as Twitter, web/video conferencing, and
Google docs are only a few of the most powerful tools that contribute to the development of
several 21st century skills.

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

Which of these skills, if any, did you use to complete the Collaborative Technology Plan
Project / the individual screencast assignment? The committee members used all of the
aforementioned skills to complete the collaborative technology plan project and the individual
screencast assignment. Since all of the members were unfamiliar with how to develop a
technology plan, each member had to analyze, evaluate and synthesize when researching
technology goals and strategies to reach the goals. With the screencast assignment, the
committee members had to communicate and collaborate with presenting the districts technology
plan. Navigating Twitter, Screencast-o-matic and Prezi was a challenge for this author. In order
to complete the task, this author had to communicate with the instructor as well as team members
to successfully complete the assignment.
Why is skilled communication important? Effective Communication is an important life
skill and is one of the most valued and sought out skills by employers (Choren, 2015). According
to Hereford (n.d.), good communication skills are key to success in life, work and
relationships. Poor communication skills often leads to frustration, misinterpretation, and poor
delivery. Further, in today's highly informational and technological environment it has
become increasingly important to have good communication skills (Hereford, n.d.).
How can you use the information gained in this course 1) in your current position? 2) in
a school or district leadership position? This author can use the information gained from this
course in my current position as a classroom teacher. This author is a fifth grade teacher and
students are often required to collaborate together on assignments and projects. In the past, this
authors students have had a difficult time collaborating together on PowerPoint presentation

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

because the traditional way of creating a PowerPoint only allows one student to work on the
assignment which makes it difficult for students to collaborate. This course has now help resolve
that issue by showing this author another way to get students to collaborate. This author in the
future would like to become an administrator. The information learned from course readings and
research contributes to this authors goal of becoming a digital leader.
What could I have done differently (if anything) to improve my performance with respect
to communication, collaboration, creativity, and / or critical thinking? This author would not
have done anything differently to improve the authors performance with respect to
communication, collaboration etc. Despite the challenges this author faced with the use of
technology (because technology does not always work properly), this author believes the Liberty
School District Technology committee did a fantastic job in a short amount of time with creating
a technology plan, and screencast script to assist us all in presenting the technology plan.

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

References:
Choren, A., (2015). "The Importance of Communication in the Workplace," Potentials,
vol.34(no.3). Retrieved: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?
tp=&arnumber=7102915&isnumber=7102862
Cooperation vs Collaboration. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2015, from
http://cloudhead.headmine.net/post/3279118157/cooperation-vs-collaboration
Crompton, H., & Thompson, A. (2010). Is technology killing critical-thinking skills? Learning &
Leading with Technology, 38(1), 6+. Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CA238653652&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=a580ff7c13813
9814c8adf248c136bda
Education- Collaboration. (2014). Retrieved July 2, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po40I4c94R0
Establishing Group Norms. (n.d.). Retrieved July 4, 2015, from http://www.berea.edu/brushyfork-institute/establishing-group-norms/
Good Communication Skills Key to Any Success. (n.d.). Retrieved July 4, 2015, from
http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/goodcommunicationskills.html
Hereford, Z. (n.d.). Good Communication Skills-Key to any Success. Retrieved July 6, 2015,
from http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/goodcommunicationskills.html
Mattson, D. (2015). 6 Benefits of Teamwork in the Workplace. (2015). Retrieved July 2, 2015,
from https://www.sandler.com/blog/6-benefits-of-teamwork-in-the-workplace

REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS

Parks, Craig. (2011). Group Norms. Retrieved July 2, 2015, from


http://www.sagepub.com/northouseintro2e/study/chapter/encyclopedia/encyclopedia7.1.p
df
Picciano, A. (2011). Educational leadership and planning for technology (5th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, N.J.: Pearson.
Shreiner, Media. (2014). The Importance of Cooperation in the Workplace. Retrieved July 2,
2015, from http://woman.thenest.com/importance-cooperation-workplace-14647.html
Witt, D. (2011) The Challenge of Working in Teams-Dealing with Conflict. Retrieved July 4,
2015, from http://leaderchat.org/2011/04/18/the-challenge-of-working-in-teams
dealing-with-conflict/
Team work - The importance of it and how to work with other companies. (2013). Retrieved
July 4, 2015, from http://www.transireltd.com/team-work-importance-work-companies/
The Guide to Implementing Digital Learning. (2015). Retrieved July 2, 2015, from
http://digitallearning.setda.org/planning/#!/overview

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen