ISTE REFLECTION

Visionary Leadership: Effective leadership advances the vision of integrating technology and curriculum in today’s school buildings. As such, the visionary leader ensures action plans are in place for rolling out tablets into classrooms and ensuring the effective use of smart boards and computer labs. Such action plans require time, collaboration, and communication. Only then can educators expect to have students engaged in the learning process.

Teaching, Learning, and Assessments: These three critical components, teaching, learning, and assessment, are not accomplished in isolation but are intimately related within the learning environment. As educators, the interplay of the three components need to be modeled for teachers. In this manner, educators are able to gain a much comprehensive view of student knowledge, skills, interests, and levels of needed differentiation.

Digital Age Learning Environment: Creating learning environments in which all students have access to technological resources is critical. This aspect is crucial as the teacher is no longer the sole source of information.

Professional Development and Program Evaluation: The design of effective professional development requires feedback from teachers. How are the students progressing? What needs to change? Answers to such questions will drive the direction in which continued professional growth needs to move.

Digital Leadership: This component requires modeling digital citizenship. The use of digital tools is a privilege in the school context. As with other tools for learning, there are appropriate and inappropriate ways of using them. Using digital tools to increase understanding, communicating, and learning should always be modeled.

Content Knowledge and Professional Growth: What must still be learned? Am I growing? Answering these questions are important in order to continue to deepen my understanding in content knowledge. This requires reading, practice, and self-reflection.

WHO IS RICARDO MONTALVO?

I am Ricardo Montalvo, and I am ready and eager to serve as the new principal of Castleberry Elementary (CE).  First, I want to say that it feels wonderful to be joining such a fine staff, community, and most importantly, a great student population.  I have already had the opportunity to meet many people.  My hope is to continue to build positive school-parent relations to collectively determine next steps to keep students achieving at high academic levels.  This is important to me as I hold high expectations when it comes to student learning.

As a husband to a lovely wife, Rosalita, and father of two energetic boys, Eván (age 7) and Isaac (age 5), I understand the meaning of wanting the best possible education for children.  I will work hard at ensuring that the students of CE receive just that…the best possible education.  At the same time, I know that it will take the work of all the adults who interact with students.  I firmly believe that everyone plays unique, key roles in students’ academic, character, and social development.

Please know that I am here to serve the student population of CE, and in this vein, I look forward to forming partnerships and getting to know the staff and community better.  So, to everyone I say, enjoy your summer and rest up.  Come back prepared to an exciting new school year and ready to learn.

Best regards, Ricardo Montalvo