First year principals may have many struggles in the beginning of the year. First, teachers might not be receptive to a new principal, especially a young one. I have been a teacher for eight years and every time there is a leadership change, many teachers are hesitant. I have heard many older teachers complain that young administrators do not have the experience needed to successfully run a school. In order to effectively deal with this situation, I would start out by treating the staff with respect and trying to open up communication. I would consider holding individual meetings with each teacher to find out how long they have been teaching, where they taught, what grade levels, etc... In order the establish respect, I will make sure that the former administrators and their policies are never bad mouthed. Even if I disagree with the way things were done in the past, I will not put them down.

Another issue that new principals may face is dealing with resistance when initiating change. Personally, I feel that during the first year, major changes should not be implemented. I need time to see how the building, teachers and current policies work. After a year, if there are changes I would like to make or issues that I would like to research and review, I will form teams that will involve all stakeholders to look at an issue, analyze data, review research and make decisions. By including all necessary stakeholders and analyzing data and reviewing research, I think the staff will be more receptive to change.

Finally, I think that new administrators need to know their role and keep themselves in check. Leading a school is not a one person job. Principals facilitate change and learning and with the support and experience of others, run the building. I have watched first year principals, who just left the classroom, become very power hungry and forget that effective leaders do not rule with an iron fist.

This course has prepared me in many ways. It has taught me the importance of working as a team. Like I stated earlier, running a school is not a one person job. Once on a team data needs to be analyzed, research based strategies need to be reviewed, resources need to inventoried and managed, budgets need to be balanced and goals, visions and plans need to be developed to meet the needs of the students. This course has taught me all of the aspects that go into making these decisions and has provided me with resources, such as the School 2.0 Toolkit to help me work with a team and make appropriate decisions. My team mates shared many ways in which technology can be used to communicate information, such as podcasts and collaborate learning such as online professional learning communities using Web 2.0 tools, such as Wikispaces and blogs. Finally, I was constantly reflecting and building in time for the team to meet, review and revise plans if necessary. Just because a plan looks good on paper, that does not mean that the implementation of the plan will be successful. If a plan is not working, the team needs to reconvene and determine if any changes should be made. I feel that this experience will help me lead a school in the 21st century.

Once again, I believe that leading a school is a group effort. Parents, teachers, administrators at all levels, community members and students should be a part of the decision making process. My intervention plan includes all of these stakeholders in the decision making process. More importantly though, it includes all stakeholders in the implementation. Parents and community members will be encouraged to work as classroom volunteers and student mentors. Parents, teachers and community members will participate in and lead meetings, trainings, workshops and share information at job fairs, community fairs, culture fairs and family fun nights. Students will have regular meetings with me to discuss the vision of our school and how technology is being used and how it can be used more effectively. I believe that everyone has an important role to play in the making this plan a success.

The structure of this course has been very beneficial to me. I am fortunate to have a wonderful team. We have been able to work through the challenges as a leadership team. I have then been able to add my individual thoughts and ideas to my write ups. Working with my team has allowed me to bounce ideas off of others and listen to their ideas and how things are run in each of their schools. This has expanded my knowledge base and has given me great tools to use in the future.

Working with an actual team and using real data has been a great learning experience and has given me a better idea of how leadership teams should work. As an administrator I will be working more closely with data than I currently do. The guiding questions that we started with were helpful and I will use them in the future. Having the project divided into separate challenges and allowing us a full week to work through the challenge has also been helpful. I am able to see how fully problems and solutions need to be developed.

Currently, I do not feel that I need any additional support. I really appreciate the format of the class and if I have had a question it has been answered in a timely manner.

Meeting the Needs of All Students

As I walk through my school and visit classrooms, I can't help but notice how diverse the student population is. We have students of various ethnic backgrounds, races, social, emotional and learning needs, and intellectual levels. This diverse school population is not unique to my school and can be seen in schools throughout the country. As our student population changes, it is important for schools to change. It is the role of the administer to initiate and help maintain the changes that are needed to effectively meet the needs of all students.

Within any school, there are a number of teachers with varying levels of experience, areas of expertise and strengths and weaknesses. The building administrator needs to be able to use these differences to develop teaching teams that will be able to work together to meet the needs of the students. When forming these teams I would make sure that there is at least one person who is knowledgeable in special education and accommodations on each team. Ideally, I would want all of my teachers to have a strong knowledge base, but realistically, I know that I might only have one teacher on each team. For teams that have inclusion and/or co-teaching class periods, I would make sure that I choose teacher that are able to work together and are open minded and willing to work together. Once I have one special education teacher on each team and the teams that have inclusion and/or co-teaching class periods are developed, I would then begin to work on creating the rest of the teams. I would look at teachers strengths and weaknesses, personalities, experience levels and areas of expertise and then place teachers accordingly.

For the most part, I believe that all students should have access to the curriculum, however it will need to be modified and accommodated accordingly. This is where the term "least restrictive environment" comes into play. For some students, they may be able to be in a regular education class with some accommodations. Other students students may need resource room and some may need a self-contained class taught by a special educator. There are some students, such as life skills students and students with moderate to severe autism, that may need a separate curriculum, but that population is a small percentage of identified students.

Technology can be a great instructional tool for all students, especially students with special needs. There are programs that can read to students, type for students and reinforce skill work on the computer. Teachers can also use technology to present information so that they are using a multi-sensory approach to reach all students.

While technology can be useful to enhance instruction, it can also be used to help analyze data. Currently, my school uses Performance Tracker and NWEA to collect and analyze data. It has been very useful and is easy to use as long as the proper training has been done.

Prior to enrolling in this program I was not technologically savvy. If I had been told that using technology in my classroom was mandatory, I would have been apprehensive, only because I did not have the skill set. However, after working through these last three courses and using various forms of technology, I see the advantages of using technology in the classroom. As an administrator, this is something that I would push in my school. I would start with a needs assessment of my teachers and would then provide the necessary trainings so that teachers feel comfortable. I would have teachers serve as building coaches for added support. Eventually, I would make technology use a larger portion of the teacher evaluation process.

As time goes on, the role of the general education teacher has increased when it comes to assuring that all students' needs are being met. In the past, it was up to special educators to educate these students, which led to the "your students, my students" labels. With more schools using RtI and schools being held accountable for all students performing at proficiency on state tests, general education teachers are now responsible for educating all students, which requires them to differentiate. When a student is referred to my Learning Assistance Program, I always ask the teachers what accommodations they have already made in the classroom. Often times the answers in "none". As an administrator I would provide trainings to all of my teachers so that they understand what differentiation is (not just extra time on tests) and how and why it is used. I would have follow up trainings throughout the school year and I would meet with teams and individual teachers to help with any issues that arise. Finally, I would make this a part of the teacher evaluation process. Regular education teachers need to differentiate instruction. I have found that many of the accommodations that I make help all students, not just "my" students. Often times if is just good teaching

Assignment Five: Technology and Curriculum

As an administrator, I would expect to see technology integrated in all subject areas. Technology standards should be part of the written, taught and tested curriculum. When teachers present information, they should be using various forms of technology. Teachers can use projectors to share websites with students, computer labs can be used to allow all students to have access to a computers, dvd's can be shown and students can listen to music, as ways of presenting information. These strategies are not limited to one or two subjects, but can be used in every classroom.

Teachers should also be modeling and having students use technology to create final products in the classroom. When students are learning how to research, they should be taught how to use the internet to conduct research. Students should be taught how to use search engines and databases to locate information. Once information is located, students should be taught how to analyze information so that they know what is valid and usable and what is not. Once students are ready to produce a research product, students should be encouraged to use power point, Inspiration, FluxTime, Chartle and Bubbl.us to present information.

I believe that the use of technology should be incorporated into the written curriculum. The curriculum should include teaching students how to use technology and then having students apply the technology in different forms. If it is a part of the written curriculum, it should naturally be a part of the taught curriculum. If teachers use technology to present information when they are teaching, that will reinforce and model the use of technology. Finally, students can be assessed on the correct use and application of technology. Teachers can have assignments that require students to create a final product using technology. Teachers can use a rubric to assess students' correct use and application of technology. I predict that in the future, students will have standardized tests that will require them to use technology. We have already started using tests that are computer based. I would not be surprised if students start having assessments in which they are required to use a Web 2.o tool to complete the assessment.

One aspect of differentiation that I love is how it can be applied to so many areas. The use of technology is one such area. A teacher can create an assignment that requires students to use a Web 2.0 tool, such as FluxTime or Animoto, to create an animation. Based on student need, the assignment could have different requirements. Some students may have more in depth questions or may be working on different skills, but they can all use the same tool. When I think of technology, specifically Web 2.o tools, I think they can all be used to differentiate. Teachers need to differentiate the presentation or the product, but the same technology can be used to do so. I would promote integrating technology into a differentiated curriculum. If teachers are trained properly to use such tools, I believe they will see the natural fit.

The purpose of school is to educate and prepare students to become productive members of society. In order to prepare students to become productive members of society, schools need to meet not only the academic, but social and emotional needs of all of its students. All of the "core" classes- math, language arts, social studies and science- should be taught. Schools should embed character education and real world applications into this coursework.

Schools should also provide students with the opportunities to experience foreign language, fine arts, drama, technology and music. This will allow students to broaden their horizons and will tap into different talents, not just academic talents.

Physical education and after school sports are also an important part of the education process. This will enable students time for physical activity during the school day and will hopefully encourage healthy living when they are adults.

Schools should make sure they are meeting the individual needs of students. There are many students who are not college bound. These students should have the opportunity to enroll in a vocational program so that they receive training and have an employable skill after graduation. Special education students should have their needs met in the classroom. This could mean that teachers make accommodations in the classroom or that the curriculum is modified. It depends on the needs of that individual student.

Finally, schools should provide students with a safe environment in which they can grow and succeed. Teachers, administrators, staff members and parents need to work together to ensure that students have the opportunities for success.

During my career I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings. I have worked in a residential treatment facility, a public school and a private school. I have taught full time emotional support and learning support in several different models- resource room, inclusion and full time. Throughout these experiences, I have always worked hard to educate the whole child and to meet their needs. I learned very quickly that a student with emotional issues can not focus academically, so making sure that students feel comfortable and know they have a person to talk to is very important. I also found that when students' needs are met, they can succeed. Their success may not always be what others see as "success", but when they show growth, I consider that to be success.