Application

Web Address

Age/Grade

Application Usage in Lesson Plan

Excel

http://nashualibrary.or

N/A

Many of the basics of the application are

g/documents/computer

covered and used. There are forays into

classes/ExcelClassNP

some advanced tools such as functions

L.pdf

and formulas. The layout is discussed

and covered. The different features of
the ribbon are explored. The charts and
graph function is surprisingly covered.
This was the only plan to include that

Excel

http://www.teach-

N/A

such function.
Excel will be used to let students create

nology.com/teachers/l

spreadsheets from scratch. They will

esson_plans/computin

create formulas and functions to apply

g/912/highexcel.html

to cells. The whole class will record data

together. Copying and pasting formulas
and functions will also be applied.
Students will be given the opportunity

PowerPoint

http://www.education

K/1st

to print their spreadsheets.

Students will write sentences and

world.com/a_tsl/archi

illustrate them on separate pieces of

ves/00-

paper. Students will try to recreate their

2/lesson0023.shtml

sentences and illustrations on

powerpoint. Students will use the
Powerpoints tools to compile their

recreations into a presentation. Tools

such as clipart, wordart, or simple image
insertion will be used.
Powerpoint

http://teachers.net/less

N/A

Students will be creating a presentation

onplans/posts/3366.ht

about animals. The presentation slides

ml

will detail different aspects/traits about

the animals. Each slide is required to
have its own transition. There is also
supposed to be at least one picture per
slide. Students will also incorporate

Word

http://www.digitalwish 6th

backgrounds to their slides.

Students will word process a biography

.com/dw/digitalwish/v

in MS Word. They are to type a brief

iew_lesson_plans?

essay about themselves to start. They

id=4268

will then add graphic organizers

containing descriptive objects about
themselves. A clipart collage is another
required part of the lesson. Students will
also take a picture of themselves to

Word

http://www.digitalwish 3rd-5th

insert into their document.

Students will generate scripts for

.com/dw/digitalwish/v

interviews that will be taking place

iew_lesson_plans?

between them. MS Word will be used to

id=3254

process these interviews. The different

dialogues between the interviewer and

interviewee will have different colored
fonts applied to them. The scripts will
then be used to conduct the interview.

Teacher Interview
Technology in the classroom is something that is never going away. There is a debate
within education about what role technology should play going forward. I have always felt that
technology is a tool that is meant to assist in the education process. Travis Bowker is a
professional within the education field. His insight into this matter may prove useful in tackling
this issue.
Travis Bowker is a high school math teacher. He works at Shadow Ridge High School in
Las Vegas, Nevada. He is charged with teaching Algebra I and Fundamentals of Math. Bowker
has taught at multiple schools during his years in the Clark County School District. He currently
employs the use of technology in his classroom. Apart from being used in the days lessons,
technology is also utilized in keeping track of attendance, grades, and parent -teacher
interactions.
Bowker possesses a penchant for software. At school he uses a variety of programs for all
of his different tasks. The program, Infinite Campus, is a jack of all trades. Bowker apparently
uses it for most of the behind the scenes work. The software can keep track of attendance, parentstudent grade notifications, quarterly/semester progress reports, and also functions as a standard
grade book. Of interesting note was the use of Google apps. Google Apps for Education is used
with students, for example. According to Bowker, other teachers use Google Classroom. Khan
Academy is a program that he wishes he could use more. He has found it to be quite useful when
going through remediation or re-teaching prerequisite skills. Bowker stated that he enrolled in
development course for blended learning at one point. He has had to do some research on his
own time, though. He does have to teach his students about the software that is used in class at

times, too. Its fair to say that he has been around the block a couple times when it comes to
educational software.
As confident as Bowker is in software, he does acknowledge that there are issues that
accompany the usefulness of technology. For instance, Bowker thinks that there is a digital
divide between schools and at times within one school. Some of the problems, he says, start at
the top. He does not think that principals should overlook hardware investments. He believes that
there should be more investment in obtaining the right pieces to harness the power of technology.
One occurrence of such issues are the limits of the aforementioned Khan Academy. Bowker feels
that the effectiveness of this program is limited by the number of Chromebooks that are at the
disposal of his class. Too much technology can be a burden, however. He thinks that while there
are more positives than negatives to technology, it can interfere with the learning process. Its not
difficult to see why in my opinion. Teaching students to use software can pile on more work on
both students and teachers. Overall, one can infer that Bowker feels pretty good about the new
trends toward technology.
My opinion on the uses of technology in the classroom have changed a bit after this
interview. I always felt that technology is a tool to be used by teachers. I still feel the same way,
but I dont think that its role should be as limited as I once thought. There is a lot of knowledge
and power in educational software. Technology is one of the many ways teachers can harness it.
Travis Bowker is a CCSD teacher. His insight on the issues of educational technology
have swayed me to be more open to its uses. He believes that technology has much to offer to
teachers and students. While there can be drawbacks to this, he feels that education can still
come out ahead. I am now more inclined to agree with such sentiment.

Administrator/Specialist Interview
Ted Mills is a Computer Technician and System Administrator at Clark High School. I
decided to interview Mr. Mills for the second interview of this assignment. He was asked some
questions similar to those asked to Mr. Bowker. I was eager to read what his responses were.
Mr. Mills appears to have a firm grasp on how technology works at his school. According
to him, CCSD has a technology plan for the district running through 2017. Clark High School
itself does not have a tech plan, but Mr. Mills has an idea about how the plan should be designed.
If the decision were up to him, the plan would include a transition from 10+ year old equipment
to more current or newer equipment. He would have onsite staff training and support for Google
Apps for Education. Mills would also provide support for the Sites infrastructure, network, and
equipment used by students and staff. As simple and pointed as this plan is, the actual decision
making process is a bit more complicated. Mills stated that the decisions could vary. Suggestions
could be made by him or other dept. chairs, other administrators, and/or a central office
department. He seems to have a significant say on technology decisions, though, as site level
decisions have to be approved by the site administrator or in some cases the district itself. The
decision of where the technology is placed or installed is a matter usually taken care of early in
the process. Its worth acknowledging that the Clark High School tech committee is involved in
the decision making process as well.
Tech decisions could and should run through the teachers as well. For instance, Mills says
that teachers have the ability to make requests to the dept. chair about technology. The
department would then take the request to the school administration. The administration would
then look to the districts purchasing dept. for the final approval. Should teachers have issues
with their technology, they will contact Mr. Mills or their schools site based technician for help.

Resolutions regarding potential issues can take anywhere from up to a couple of minutes to days
or weeks. If the issue is not related to the infrastructure of the technology, then the resolution
might not take very long. In the case that it is infrastructure related, however, the problems
usually last longer as more departments have to become involved. Apart from providing support
when necessary, teachers are referred to development courses. Google Apps for Education offers
some of these courses seeing as how their software is used in a growing amount of schools.
CCSD also offers training to staff who work with different systems throughout the district.
Efforts are made to ensure that teachers are up to speed with the latest educational software.
Workshops to train educators how to use certain apps, for example, are run for teachers in the
district.
Clark High School uses technology to communicate with students, parents, and the
community in general. Mr. Mills explains that there is a resource center available for parents and
students to use. The Family Engagement Resource Center provides families with resources they
may not have at home. Other instances of community outreach include the some of the teachers
web pages. There exists a system in which teachers can post assignments, course expectations,
and other pertinent information for students and parents to read. Students have the option to
submit their work through this page. Moreover, the school has made sure that students are
equipped to succeed in this technological era of education. Mr. Mills revealed that there is almost
a 1 to 1 ratio of equipment to students. This means that most students are able to work with the
sufficient equipment in their classes. The commitment towards ensuring that all students have
equal opportunities to work within the digital classrooms is uncanny. There are extra computer
resources in the library for students to access during lunch, before, and/or after school as well as
mobile units to supplement classrooms that may not have enough equipment for their students.

As positive an outlook that Clark High School has, it is important to recognize the
challenges that must be faced. Mr. Mills thinks that transitioning to newer equipment and
technology is a future issue that has to be faced. He sees Clarks tech-heavy programs are some
of its best features. They offer Computer Animation, Computer Programming, and Video
Production for students to take if they wish. Even with these new opportunities, Mills still sees
outdated equipment in these courses. A deeper view into this may reveal a digital divide to some.
It can at times look like certain schools are being left behind as others upgrade to newer
equipment. Mr. Mills adds that some schools are using far older equipment throughout their
locations. The transitions, it seems, are not only an issue at Clark, but throughout the overall
district. This, Mills believes, is a sign of the digital divide within education.
Mr. Mills has done a lot to enlighten my outlook on technology in education. I learned a
lot from this interview that I may not have even thought about. That said, I still think that
technology is a tool for teachers to use. The role of teachers in the classroom is something that
has constantly changed. The tools should not become the profession. The professionals should be
using the tools in the most effective ways possible. It is due to the hard work of people like Ted
Mills that this can happen in real life. Without technicians and specialists, teachers would either
avoid technology or lessen their skills by struggling with the equipment. Teachers and support
staff can and should work in tandem to strengthen the state of technology in education.