Reflections+on+Technology+Facilitator+Standard+I

Technology Operations and Concepts** According to Technology Facilitator Standard I, "Educational Technology Facilitators demonstrate an in-depth understanding of technology operations and concepts" (p. 23). There are two Performance Indicators that accompany this standard. The first indicator, TF/TL-I.A., "relates to knowledge, skills, and understanding of technology operations and concepts as described in the ISTE NETS*T." The second indicator, TF/TL-I.B., "relates to the ability to continually extend knowledge, skills, and understanding of these concepts and to integrate knowledge of new technologies as they emerge" (p. 23).
 * Reflections on Standard I:

These Performance Indicators reveal the knowledge and skills that effective Technology Facilitators should possess, as well as the importance of staying abreast of the most current technology tools and information. This is an important concept to be aware of with the fast growing and ever-changing information and software tools and innovative technology trends and implementations. As I read through the tasks and scenarios related to Technology Facilitator Standard I, I began to realize my role in the position of a Technology Facilitator. Namely, I would be responsible for helping teachers gain information and access to resources that effectively integrate technology and referring educators to websites and publications that assist them in learning about new and emerging tools. Upon reflection, I realized that this is something that I have been practicing for a long time. For example, I have found a few teachers on my campus who have set a goal to be more proactive about integrating technology. Once these very few teachers dedicated the time to reach this goal, I invited them to join a wiki I created for the specific purpose of sharing technology lessons and posting video tutorials on effective software tools and teaching with technology. This proved to very beneficial to the teachers who used this resource. Many of my colleagues learned a great deal as a result of their participation, and one actually produced her first TAKS music video, which was an amazing feat-- especially considering her lack of experience and feelings of inadequacy in regard to technology integration.

The biggest concern I have is teacher resistance to technology integration. However, I feel that much of this hesitation and resistance is the result of time constraints. Many teachers are uninformed and intimidated by technology, and they are too busy to take the time to learn about new tools that would ultimately save time and reduce workloads. As mentioned, most of my colleagues believe in the effectiveness of technology; they simply do not have the time or available resources to begin this process of technology integration. I hope to work with some of my colleagues over the summer, when there is a little more time to learn and plan the implementation of new tools, such as Google sites, blogs, wikis, and software programs, such as iMovie, Garageband, and Power Point. Informal feedback I have collected throughout the year suggests that a few people will be dedicated to learning about some of these tools over the summer. Part of my plan is to ensure that these individuals will, in turn, spread their new found knowledge to others on our campus. In addition, I plan to hold technology training sessions on our campus throughout the year for interested teachers, as well as make some of these training sessions available through open sources course management systems, such as Schoology.

Reference: Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE’s 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, pp. 1-55.