Technology+Facilitator+Standard+2

Chapter 2

Teachers are not prepared to integrate technology in their classroom. They are not using technology in their classrooms even though it is proven that technology can transform education. Our facilitators and leaders must be prepared for these challenges when providing this type of support. Teachers today are faced with many challenges. Not enough planning time, lack of equipment, higher standards, and not enough knowledge of incorporating technology are just a few. Teachers will need to be aware of teaching students the technologies and how to manage their students with the technology. Teachers will have to transform their ideas about education in order to let go some of the directive, didactic, and confirmative ways of teaching and replace it with more explorative, interactive, and collaborative ways. Technology alone will not make the greatest impact on students. Just because you have all the technology equipment in your classroom, doesn’t mean that your students will all effectively pass the TAKS or that they will have earned straight A’s. Teachers should be facilitators, groups should be flexible instead of same ability, and students should be teachers and producers. Technology facilitators and leaders should specify what teachers should be designing for their classrooms. They should model the types of lessons that are desired in the classrooms. Teachers should be experiencing tasks similar to what students will be experiencing. Facilitators should be providing teachers with process to design lessons that they should be creating. They should be informing teachers why they are doing things this way. Facilitators should be showing teachers how to link technology to the curriculum and teaching teachers why change is important. They should be ensuring that the plan will be ongoing (like technology), and they should be patient with teachers while learning about technology and their views that they will express.

TF/TL Standard II

Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences

In Standard II, facilitators are directly supporting the teachers. In Standard II, facilitators are basically trying to shift teachers from teaching with a teacher directed concept of learning to a student driven, student engaged, and collaborative learning environment. We have read throughout our coursework about how students are now learning by doing. They are learning by doing and able to teach themselves more at home using technology than that at school in some cases. They have to power down when they get to school. Standard II will help facilitators and leaders give teachers a way to address barriers of technology integration. They can model effective uses of technology through their knowledge of examples of curriculum integration and alignment with content standards. Technology Facilitators and Leaders can ease teacher’s minds by answering questions, helping teach skills to students, and creating developmentally appropriate, technology rich learning experiences. Facilitator’s will provide teachers with examples, strategies, and options for managing their student learning in their classrooms. When I have had a concern, our facilitators in our technology department were happy to help with my technology projects and questions. They show passion and offer problem solving ideas for teachers who are stuck in their adventure with technology. The professional development activities that I have attended have all revolved around student learning. They have taught us how to get the students involved with what they are learning about. Many times over, I have heard that students without motivation will not learn. Technology motivates students. Research can be very beneficial background knowledge for facilitators and leaders. Teachers will need research - based and very convincing proof that technology will be beneficial to help persuade teachers to change their teaching habits. Facilitators mostly serve as coaches, advisors, and consultants to teachers while implementing Standard II. It is very important that facilitators and leaders know the ins and outs of the technology benefits and possibilities that technology can bring. They will need to know why, when, where, and how this can help teachers bring life and more student engagement into their classrooms. Some concerns that I have for Standard II are: Where are we going to pull the knowledge from when implementing our technology activities? Will I have to make up my own lessons? How will I go about creating the best lesson plans that are more collaborative and student directed? Are there going to be workshops? Are there going to be professional learning communities for technologists in my learning community? What kinds of other ideas are there for lesson plan designs? Could there be a “technology team” for each campus that shares their lesson plans that integrate technology for others to share and learn from? How will I get the newest and best information on new technologies as they come out? Where will the money come from for the many wonderful professional development opportunities that become available? I have never had to deal with any of these questions before. Standard II raises many questions. Without facilitators and leaders of technology, teachers would not be skilled personnel. The facilitator role and leadership role are very important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to technology in education. The two Standards complement each other.

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.