Improving+Technology+in+the+21st+Century

Kashmere Gardens Elementary 4901 Lockwood Drive Houston, Texas 77026

__**Group Members**__: Ned Green- Organizer Gospel Muse- Music Teacher K. Provo- Kindergarten Teacher/ESL Maudie Jordan-Fifth Grade Lead Science Teacher Ethel Harrison- School Nurse

**Online Learning Community in the Making**

 * The purpose of the online learning community comprised of people with shared identity or interests coming together for a shared purpose ****. ** ** Online communities offer many opportunities for students and educators to connect with each other to expand their knowledge and receive instant feedback, review, and moral support about ideas, research, curriculum, and education. ** ** Online learning communities require access to technology and the ability to use it effectively, it requires membership, shared goals, shared purposes, the ability to retain and project identity, shared knowledge, member participation or contributions, and trust. Stuckey, Hedberg, & Lockyer (2002) argue that “some may confuse an online portal, database, network, listserv, or interest group for a learning community. **
 * Finally **, **in order for an online community of practice to be successful, the technology supporting it needs to meet the needs of the community as well as the needs of the individual. The campus Texas StaR Chart results will be a tool to use to improve the technology needed for the campus community.** 

__**Question for members**__ According to the our Texas STaR chart, we were low in some areas that is needed for improving technology on our campus. What improvements can be done to intergrate technology in our curriculum?