Cindy Patterson, CETPA CTO Mentor Candidate

 

The Saturday that was dedicated to Educational Technology was led by Sarah McFarland and Jeremy Davis.  The day began with Sarah sharing several resources for materials on Common Core.  This was followed by a discussion on Smarter Balance Assessment Testing with Sarah and Jeremy, along with members of the class, sharing their experiences which highlighted the importance of planning.  The discussion on Common Core Funding began with the compilation of survey questions the group responded to as part of the prerequisites.  The survey questions focused on the role of IT and the CTO in preparation and leadership for Common Core Funding allocation at our various educational entities. This discussion of survey results provided a segue to areas of focus for a CTO planning a successful Common Core strategy; funding, implementation, support and professional development.  A document with a list of free professional development resources was provided.  The morning concluded with the class divided into groups to discuss the pre-reading the Horizons Report.

 

The afternoon began with the groups presenting their findings from the Horizons Report discussion.  Topics included a wide variety of future technology considerations: 1:1, bring your own device, gamification, the internet of things, learning analytics, cloud computing and wearable technology.   The UC Doorways website was introduced to the class and the importance of the A-G requirements was emphasized.  The variety of educational agencies was drawn upon for the topic of potential IT organization structures.  These potential structures ranged from silos of Educational Technology and Information Technology to a single combined unit led by a CTO at the cabinet level.  The final segment of the day was focused on some of the legal aspects facing the CTO; Children’s Online Privacy Prevention Act (COPPA), Family Education and Privacy Act (FERPA), Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA), and the Chavez Bill.