Reflections on the Technology Assessments

The first thing that struck me as I completed these assessments is how little I really know about technology and the expectations my district has for students and their technology use. The first assessment (Technology Applications Inventory) was easier for me to complete than the SETDA survey since it applied to my own knowledge. It revealed that I had a good basic knowledge in the Foundations area (I answered more than half of the 18 questions with yes), was middle of the road in the Information Acquisition area (answering half of the 10 questions with yes and half with no), but inadequate in the Solving Problems and Communication areas (each time answering only a third of the questions with yes). This surprised me a little as I thought I was probably more adept with technology than this assessment revealed. I clearly have a lot to learn and to be quite frank, I find the process overwhelming.

I found the SETDA survey very difficult to complete. As I am no longer in the classroom, the questions on the teacher survey did not apply to me, so I chose the District survey. However, there were many areas where I was not clear on district policy and expectations for student. I looked up the district policy on technology and still had many questions related to this. This is something I will have to pursue with the director of technology so that I can build up a better picture of what my district really expects.

These are effective tools to assess the state of things with regard to technology. It helped me realize how much I have to learn in this area. I think I will repeat the assessments at the end of this course to see if I fare any better. Hopefully, this course will help me grow professionally in the area of technology applications and policy.