Standards+Reflection

Technology Standard I - Technology Operations and Concepts
Educational technology facilitators demonstrate and in-depth understanding of technology operations and concepts (Williamson 2009, p. 6).

I believe there is a reason that this standard is placed as number one. While looking through all of the standards it is essential that the first step is having an in-depth understanding of technology operations and concepts. Williamson and Redish (2009, p. 19) bring up some interesting points in their discussion about this standard. For example they talk about how while there has been an increase in technology proficiency, we still need to continue in our research and growth in technology. I fully agree with this, especial since technology is changing faster today than it ever has in the past.

This presents a problem as a facilitator as to how do you teach educators about using technology while continuing learning in the new technologies? There has to be time for teaching and learning. I think it is important that we as leaders work together to share knowledge. Using Web 2.0 technologies facilitators can share knowledge and ideas in a collaborative learning online environment so that they can quickly glean new information from others and how it is being positively implemented. This does not only help in learning new knowledge, but also helps the facilitators practice and demonstrate how new technologies can be used.

Technology Standard II - Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
Educational technology facilitators plan, design, and model effective learning environments and multiple experiences supported by technology (Williamson 2009, p. 6).

One thing that all teachers have in common is that they want their students to succeed. The other thing that all teachers have in common is limited time! They want to do what is best but often don't have time to study out and learn new practices that will help their students. Looking through chapter two helped me to see how this process can be aided by technology facilitators. The important thing to remember is that we are working together for positive change. As facilitators I think there are many opportunities to work with educators and Williamson and Redish (2009, p. 40-42) laid out some guidelines to help us:
 * Specify what types of learning experiences teachers should design.
 * Provide teachers with models of the types of technology uses desired in classrooms.
 * Immerse teachers in professional learning experiences similar to the learning experiences they are expected to design.
 * Provide teachers with a process for designing.
 * Communicate a research-based rationale for why these types of learning experiences support student learning.
 * Link technology efforts to other curriculum and instruction initiatives.
 * Understand the change process and build in support for conceptual change.
 * View the planning as ongoing and cyclical.
 * Be patient and realistic.

Technology Standard III - Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
Educational technology facilitators apply and implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for utilizing technology to maximize student learning (Williamson 2009, p. 6).

I think the biggest fear of others looking at standard three is the idea that they much know all about every curriculum and invent new lesson plans. But that is not at all what Williamson and Redish (2009, p. 63) are saying. They state that facilitators should "use and apply major research findings related to the use of technology" and "use methods and strategies for teaching concepts and skills that support integration". The goal is not to reinvent the wheel, but to use studies and findings that can support lessons and transform them into modern technologically integrated learning tutorials!

There are so many tools and resources available that if a small amount of effort is given, then great success can be found. For example the UDL lesson planning guidelines and templates. They have one purpose and the purpose is to help teachers become better through utilizing technology.

Technology Standard IV - Assessment and Evaluation
Educational technology facilitators apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies (Williamson 2009, p. 6).

An essential part of education is assessing and evaluating current activities. Sadly Computer-based testing (CBT) "nor electronic tools for alternative assessment are well integrated into current instructional practices" (Williamson 2009, p. 78). CBT is an effective and easy way to assess student learning. Results are typically instantaneous as well as other statistics that are easily ran. This can allow for data driven solutions to problems in the classroom. Specific plans can be developed to help in areas that can be identified by assessing the data.

One of the problems that could happen would be ineffective technology assessments. It is essenctial the facilitators are current on the technology avaliable, the pros and cons of each assessment used. They must be able to avoid the methods that are ineffective and focus in on the CBT or electronic tools that will effectively and accurately assess the students learning. Integrating technology into and assessment will be of no help if the results do not associate with what the teacher needs to know.

Technology Standard V - Productivity and Professional Practice
Educational technology facilitators apply technology to enhance and improve personal productivity and professional practice (Williamson 2009, p. 6).

Williamson and Redish (2009, p. 105) state that technology has changed the way students learn and how they should be taught, but school have not changed as quickly which causes students to “power down” when they come to learn. This is an interesting thought because schools are supposed to be the all encompassing body of knowledge, yet if students do not see it as such they will not understand the need to be attending. This should help facilitators understand how important their job is in enhancing and improving the school environment.

Facilitators are not immune to the changes that are happening. They actually need to not only keep up with the changes, but have the foresight to be able to prepare for what will be coming. They must have the ability stay on the cutting edge of technology and be able to teach others how to implement these technologies in the classroom. Their trainings and every day activities must model how technology can improve the workplace. “Technology facilitators [must] apply technologies to enhance and improve personal productivity and professional practice” (Williamson, 2009, p. 109).

Technology Standard VI - Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
Educational technology facilitators understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and assist teachers in applying that understanding in their practice (Williamson 2009, p. 6).

In the past there were many dangers at school, but almost all of them could be seen and confronted head on. With the changes in technologies, bullies can emerge without a face to confront and cheating can come from another student in another continent. This causes serious implications about social, ethical, legal, and human issues. As a technology facilitator you are expected to be the expert in these issues.

Social the schools have a greater chance to connect with other around the world than ever before. But with these opportunities also come dangers. Schools are expected to operate “in loco parentis” or in place of the parent. This means that we have to monitor the people that the students are socializing with. We must be careful that they are maintaining appropriate relations with other and socializing for appropriate educational purposes. Web filters are a necessary asset for helping to maintain these relationships.

Ethically technology has created greater difficulty for the student and teachers in the classroom. Plagiarism is a common problem among many schools. The problem has become so great that some classes are required to use sites such as Turn It In for submission to help reduce the amount of plagiarism. As facilitators we need to know how these sites work and what would be best for our school.

Legally the school must ensure they are doing all they can to protect the students. Facilitators need to understand the laws and legal issues that surround the school. We need to actively monitor students and trends so that we know what is happening in the school we work at. If there is a problem, it needs to be reported and fix immediately. Problems could be unauthorized instillation of software or web filter circumvention software and sites. Safety features must be installed to help protect sensitive data from hackers.

Policies and procedures also must be in place to help with human issues that will arise with technology. Cyber bullies may be found in a school and will become a serious problem if they are not dealt with, or if there is not a plan in place before they are found out. Schools with often be dealing with minors and therefore will need not only safety procedures to protect them from offending adults, but should also have educational and informative classes about what they can do to protect themselves.

Technology Standard VII - Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments
Educational technology facilitators promote the development and implementation of technology infrastructure, procedures, policies, plans, and budgets for PK-12 schools (Williamson 2009, p. 6).

There are two types of procedures and policies that need to be noted as we continue. One is the procedures and policies that relate to student and teacher use of technology and the other relates to the procedures and policies regarding the purchasing and maintenance of the technology. In my eyes the first is dealt with in standard VI while the second is dealt with in standard VII.

It is very important that there are procedures and policies set up and followed for the procurement of technology. Without such, there are not guidelines for what will help most for achievement of the school’s plan and vision. As technology facilitators and leaders we are “uniquely responsible for establishing a technical environment” (Williamson 2009, p. 148) that will best help our student to achieve the desired standards. By establishing the procedures and policies before implementing our technology we will be more enabled to establish the technology as we desire.

While in the military I learned a phrase that said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. This is very true, especially when it come to implementing technology in the educational setting. So much is involved when changing or adding to the technology in a school or district. For example, last year our district changed from Novell to Windows. In a business setting the planning and implementation of this would typically take one year. Our district managed to achieve it in six months, but there were visible problems because of the shortened time of planning. Now that the school year is almost six months over all of the kinks have been worked out and smoothed over.

Budgeting is a serious concern when it comes to education. There are limited funds and more funds cannot be procured without great effort. This becomes very important to understand when you start looking at all of the additional cost of ownership that comes with technology. There is more than just purchasing a technology item. Williamson (2009, p. 156-7) pointed out it also includes:
 * 1) // End-User Equipment //
 * 2) // Infrastructure/Connectivity //
 * 3) // Installation/Retrofitting //
 * 4) // Professional Development //
 * 5) // End-User Software an Online Resources //
 * 6) // Technical Support //
 * 7) // Operation Costs //
 * 8) // Replacement/Upgrade Costs //

Technology Standard VII I - Leadership and Vision
Educational technology facilitators will contribute to the shared vision for campus integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of the vision (Williamson 2009, p. 6).

The success or failure of your school at implementing technology can hinge on the development of the vision and the leadership available for implementing this vision. All other standards are focused at reaching the goals and qualities developed in the vision of the school or district. It is essential that the vision is not flawed or short sited.

Williamson (2009, p. 184-5) set out six steps to help a proper vision be established and achieved. First it is important that there is a lot of preplanning. This includes reviewing and researching best practices found in other districts, identifying key stakeholders, identifying key issues, studying previous plans and related strategic initiative. Organizing this information is important during the preplanning stage, because if the information is available but not usable it is of no value. As the key stakeholders are identified and brought into the preplanning ensure that the other points are made aware to them.

Second it is important to develop the community vision. It is good to bring in as many stakeholders as possible so that there can be a variety of demographics, but be aware that if the people involved are not up to date on current trends and best practices, it can be more of a detriment than a help to have them involved. So ensure they are made aware of all of the preplanning information. This vision during development will set the stage for the advancement of the school’s use of technology, so get it right!

After the vision is developed the technology facilitators and leaders should go through and assess the current needs of the district with the stakeholders. You cannot achieve your vision unless you first understand where you are currently at. By taking an honest assessment of your current technology you can view what needs to be improved and developed.

Fourth your stockholders and technology leaders should work together in constructing goals and an evaluation plan. After understanding where the school is currently at in step three, the group is then able to set both short term and long term goals that will help the school to progressively improve and work towards the vision developed in step two. These goals need to be set realistically with the evaluation process in mind. This allows the goals to be structured in a measurable and obtainable way.

Action planning is the fifth step of the process. This is where the actual plan of how the goals will be achieved is laid out. Budget is addressed along with which teams will work on which goals. A timeline is laid out for assessment and evaluation of the progress. Strategies are developed so that the goals will be achieved and not just posted as an unobtainable ideal.

After the previous five steps are finished it is important to follow through with the sixth and final step, which is marketing and communicating the plan. It is of no help to the school or district if they have the world’s greatest plan, but no one knows of it! Even if it is the world’s greatest plan there will still be opposition and those that resist change. There must be a marketing plan set up to help the vision become a movement among the members of the school. Those affected by the vision must take ownership, otherwise it will just be a vision pushed on them from their leaders. It will be much more effective if all members of the school buy into the vision and work to achieve its goal.

Reference: Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.