Technology+Facilitation+Standards+II

ISTE’s Standard II - Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences Standard II relates to the technology facilitator identifying and locating various hardware and software to be used in the classroom. One thing I've learned is "we have to spend our whole-group time on more important things, and the basic skills have to be taught in a just-in-time, right-when-they-need-it kind of way." (Williamson & Redish, 2009). Teachers are overwhelmed with the responsibilities they currently have and don't want any additional information that they deem unnecessary. When they are presented with specific ways of using technology and how it can relate to their own classrooms they are more apt to be interested in learning about it.

I was able to write a grant for webcams for each teacher in the building this year. Writing the grant was an educational experience in itself. I collaborated with our district technology department to determine which webcam offered the most flexibility. I then learned about our approved vendor list and our district sales representative from each company. I conducted personal research to determine which camera offered the features we wanted, and finally worked with sales representatives to obtain the best pricing. After the grant was approved, I worked with the purchasing department to get the webcams ordered. It was an experience I was not prepared for. I assumed writing the grant would be the most difficult part, but it turned out that working through all the district red tape was the most challenging.

When the teachers started saying they didn't have any use for them I needed to explain how it could double as a document camera, they wouldn't need their overhead projector anymore and how they could use it to communicate with other teachers for web conferences and they could use it for distance learning, they seemed more interested. We did not get the cameras until the beginning of May, so the teachers did not have access to them. If I use my training I've received from Lamar, I'll conduct weekly trainings with a specific use for the cameras each week.

Our district has reconfigured the technology department. It is now under the Curriculum and Instruction department and will work more closely with creating specific lessons teachers can use. This year I would like to work more closely with this department on a district level. I would like to help develop lessons that incorporate technology in a regular education classroom and store them on the district network so the lessons will be accessible to every teacher in the district. I think it's important to instruct the teachers on lesson they could use as they apply to each class. For example, all third grade teachers will be studying the solar system during the third six weeks. That's when lessons about the solar system should be available to those teachers. This line of thinking goes directly with what Williamson and Redish state and it is also in line with my experiences on my campus. References Williamson, J., & Redish T. (2009). Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences. In Jeff Bolkan, Lynda Gansel, Lanier Brandau (Ed.) ISTE’s Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards (pp.33 - 54). International Society for Technology in Education. Eugene, OR