Technology Facilitator Standard II

"TF/TL Standard II provides a comprehensive description of how technology facilitators and leaders can support teachers during critical instructional planning and design phases" (Williamson and Redish, 2009). This standard was such a validation to the work that I enjoy most - planning and designing instruction. The levels of technology implementation framework (LoTi) provided in the text was very enlightening for me and it is a tool I continue to use as I plan my own teaching lessons. I try to include varying levels of LoTi through the day to keep my students engaged. With the continuous goal for teachers to improve learning standards, "even exemplary teachers often struggle to create meaningful, rigorous learning experiences that help students understand content deeply and transfer knowledge to new situations" (Fullan, 1999). In my internship on campus, I have provided a copy of this framework to others so they can evaluate the current lessons and improve their level of usage in the future. In some of my sessions with other teachers, I have gone into depth with explaining the LoTi framework by providing examples of my own lessons at each of the different levels. I use my own lessons because I don't want anyone to feel awkward about what they themselves may or may not be doing in the classroom. There have been a few instances in these trainings when I was not able to come up with an example, and I was able to use my contacts from Lamar to help.
At this time, I currently see myself mostly as a technology leader seeking out methods and strategies for teaching with technology, however I have been able to provide feedback to teachers as they create technology infused curriculum as facilitators would do. With this particular standard, I see the role of facilitator never being sustained for long periods of time due to the constant change in the technology available in schools.

References

Fullan, M. (1999). Changing forces: The sequel. London: Falmer.

Williamson, J. and Redish, T. (2009). ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards. Washington, D.C.:ISTE.

Technology Facilitator Standard I

"Technology facilitators and leaders ensure that their colleagues possess the fundamental understanding and skills needed to operate specific technologies and understand the concepts associated with technology use" (Williamson and Redish, 2009). This standard focuses on the very basics of what educators should know to function with the technology in their classroom and stresses the importance of having someone capable to train them if they do not. These skills should be integrated into professional development stressing their importance as a curriculum tool. The diffierence between a facilitator and a leader in this standard is that the facilitator is expected to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of technology concepts, and a leader is expected to merely perform at a more advanced level.
Knowledge of this standard has helped me with several of my internship tasks. I have had the opportunity to assist different educators at my campus with a variety of tools, from the basics of creating a PowerPoint to using the student response systems we now have for each grade level. In many areas, I still feel that I have a way to go before I am confident in calling myself a facilitator of this standard, but I have accepted every challenge in learning this information that has come along and translating it in a manner that the teachers I work with will understand it and be able to apply the knowledge on their own. I am currently working to develop a training on the new web cameras that we have gotten this year so that teachers can use them in the classrooms. When I have not had the ability to help out immediately, I have sought the help of others in my classes online and other technology leaders in the district. Learning is a lifelong purpose for me, as information changes constantly and I want to present the best available to anyone I work with.
As I continue to grow as a leader and hopefully into a facilitator, I know that it is imperative for me to rely on the help of others because not every experience is one that I will have a knowledge about. I have had to train myself to ask for help more regularly so that I am able to better help others.

Reference

Williamson, J. and Redish, T. (2009). ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards. Washington, D.C.: ISTE.

Leadership for Accountability Course Reflection

We are in the "age of accountability" in our school system. Since the passing of NCLB in 2002, the stakes seem higher than ever to make sure that the education students receive in public schools is competitve with other countries and will prepare them for their future roles in society. Simply being in the classroom for the past decade has allowed me to see how this shift has been made and how different administrators respond to the demands of being accountable for the products of their school. Throughout this course, I had the opportunity to review my campus' AEIS and analyze the data to see where the strengths and weaknesses were so close to home. One of the most valuable affirmations I had during this course was the importance creating a culture of commitment to sustain excellence. All students deserve the same opportunity to be successful so that "students performing significatly below grade level are [not] treated as beyond hope and those performing far above the proficiency are [not] cut off and neglected" (Reeves, 2007). This idea does not always sit well with administrators and teachers as TAKS looms on the horizon, but it is a necessary step to ensure that gaps do not widen with each successive year.
Participating in group discussions has enriched my knowledge by letting me see the view points of others and confirming some of my own theories on education and accountability, while also challenging some of my misconceptions. These group discussions both via the courseware and at my own campus created my own PLCs where regular meetings are held to "support team members in carrying out and refining their plans" for change in the classroom" (William, 2008). Through these PLCs, I have developed lasting relationships where I can trust others to help me grow as an educator.
One of the most useful tools that I learned about was the use of formative assessment in the classroom. I have heard this term over the years, but was never really sure of what exactly it was or if I was even using it in my classroom. I appreciated the readings that were offered on this topic and have sought out additional information on this topic through our online professional development program, PD360. "Formative assessment enlightens the teacher, while assessment for learning enlightens the student" (Stiggins and Chappuis, 2008). This quote has helped me focus on the importance of what I do in the classroom. Is it for me or for the students?

References

Reeves, D. (2007, November). How Do You Sustain Excellence? Educational Leadership, 86-87.

Stiggins, R. and Chappuis, J. (2008, January). Enhancing Student Learning.

William, D. (2007/2008, December/January). Changing Classroom Practice. Educational Leadership, 36-42.

Concepts of Educational Technology Reflection

One of the very first courses completed in this program gave me the opportunity to analyze the technology that we have on our campus and compare it to where the state would like for us to be working to. Time was spent reviewing data from our campus's STaR Chart and the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. Prior to this course, I had only known of the STaR Chart from completing it each spring and I was unaware that the data was used to profile the "campus' status toward reaching the goals of the Long Range Plan for Technology and No Child Left Behind" (TEA, 2006). Technology had always seemed a bit of a challenge for me to incorporate in my teaching, beyond presenting PowerPoint presenstations and using United Streaming for video usage. Students would have the opportunity to create their own PowerPoints and Word documents a few times each year, but the technology use had largely been focused on me. One thing I had believed for a long time was confirmed in the article "Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learnes" by Lisa Wahl. "The diversity of learning needs in today's general education classroom continues to grow" (Wahl, 2005). Our students today do not perform as well with the traditional format of education - textbooks are often out of date before they even enter our rooms. Technology allows a means of differentiating instruction that meets the needs of most learners in one way or another.
By looking more closely at STaR Chart data, schools and districts can see if they are enabling teachers to better meet the needs of the diverse learner. As I reviewed my campus' STaR Chart data, I was very critical of the information presented and did not necessarily agree with the results. I did agree that in many of the areas analyzed, we were right where the data listed us, but in others I was not clear on the meaning of the score given. My campus has been very fortunate to have many technology options made available to us earlier than other campuses because of our Title I status and administrative grants awarded to our campus, however the staff doesn't utilize many of these options for a variety of reasons.
As a technology leader, I would want to look at the STaR Chart data from our campus as soon as it is released to see what areas I can work toward improving during the course of that school year. I would also be using the ISTE guidelines for reference as "the standards can assist technologists in reflecting on what they do" (Williamson and Redish, 2007). Each year is different and the needs of the staff will change to meet the needs of the students in their classrooms. My role as a leader is to be available to the staff as needs arise and help them to develop ways to better use the technology that we have access to and look into ways of getting additional technology to our campus to use.

References:
Texas Education Agency. (2006). Texas STaR Chart Campus Chart. Instructional Materials and Educational Technology Division, 1.

Wahl, L. (2005). Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners. WestEd, 2.

Williamson, J. and Redish, T. (2007, August). Building Technology Facilitators and Leaders. Learning and Leading with Technology, 25.

Wrapping Up

I am now entering the home stretch of my Master's work. I have truly enjoyed the experience. I have begun work on my comprehensive examination, which has been a time consuming task simply because I want it to be done right. I am keeping a copy of my progress updated on my wiki, so that by the end of March, my work will hopefully be done.

See the link to check out my progress. http://urtechnosavvy.wikispaces.com/

Merging Technology

During my work on my Master's degree, I have had the opportunity to create multiple examples of technology usage in an e-portfolio setting. I want to keep them all together so viewers can just click the mouse to observe the work I have done. Please take a look at these links to view my thoughts and reflections over these past 18 months.

Blog - http://jennipher-techinquiry.blogspot.com/

Wiki - http://urtechnosavvy.wikispaces.com/