The technology assignment was a lot of fun.  From the assignment I learned that technology is an important part of both our personal and professional lives.  Technology can be used to keep us organized, informed, and entertained.   In the classroom technology can be used to facilitate instruction and reinforce learning.   On the administrative side of education technology can be used organize date, communicate, and present information. 

      The digital camera can be used by an administrator to record images that are not permanent but may need to be reviewed later.  I have used a Digital Camera to record vandalism prior to it being cleaned so that there was evidence for the pending disciplinary action.  I prefer to use it for much more positive actions though.  I have pictures of students caught being good and engaging in positive activities that are shared via the daily announcements and posted recognitions throughout the school building.

     Presentation software can be used to communicate and present information.  I chose to use Microsoft PowerPoint as my presentation software because I like to be in control of the speed of the presentation.  Using my wireless presenter, I can advance the slides based on the amount of discussion and questions during the presentation.  This option is not available in programs such as PhotoStory.

     The electronic calendar can be used for organizing, and communicating.  I have found the electronic calendar to be very useful personally and am convinced of its value in the educational and administrative setting.   One of the big advantages of an electronic calendar is its sharing capabilities.  I am looking forward to experimenting with this.  I am setting up a professional calendar for the team of teachers with whom I work.  I plan on us using it to schedule parent conferences during the last quarter of the academic year.  I can also see the value it would have for scheduling tests and due dates for major projects so that we are not unknowingly overwhelming our students or resources.  I traditionally use a paper calendar.  However, I now can see the value in an electronic calendar.  It allows events that get rescheduled to be moved with ease and lack of mess.  It also eliminates the use of paper and is always easily renewed from year to year.  Additionally, I cannot lose it as it exists wherever I am able to access the web.  I enjoy the weather feature that is constantly updated and available.

       The NCDPI website is very informative for both educators and administrators.  I can easily foresee using this website in many ways as an administrator.  With the current change to NCWise underway, it is helpful to have information about this program available so easily on the DPI website.  Testing will be with us constantly, it is nice to have access to not only the most recent and historical scores but also the ABC/AYP standards that make that information more useable, report cards, testing calendars, policies and procedures.  It will always be necessary to stay up to date on issues of licensure.  This website makes that very easy.  The entire website is user friendly and informative regardless of your purpose.  I can just as easily see students and parents accessing this site in search of information about Virtual Public Schools as I see educators seeking out information about current trends and legislative news.  In short, it truly is the “veritable cornucopia of information for the public” that my classmates touted it to be.

       In conclusion,  technology is here to stay.   To be an effective administrator, I must be able to function in the technology age.  It will make me more efficient, more organized and a better communicator.