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Reflection on Technology Facilitator/Leader Standard #8
Leadership and Vision 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; educational technology leaders will facilitate development of a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of the vision (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 190). Standard VIII-A, Identify and apply educational and technology related research, the psychology of learning, and instructional design principles in guiding the use of computers and technology in education. I was already doing some of this but not because I had seen somewhere that I should. I talked to teachers and shared with them new strategies I had learned from reading and attending professional development and I think all teachers use the psychology of learning in their classrooms. When it comes to managing the change process, Standard VIII-B, every year seems to bring about some kind of change so most teachers have learned to adapt. In our school district changes involving technology came periodically, not all at once, and I as a member of the technology team was able to help smooth the transitions. This year in the spring the Superintendent decided to change the Student Information Software, so we had a period of transition. I attended some of the workshops and so I was able to help the change process smoothly. Standard VIII-C, apply effective group process skills, collaborating with all of the stakeholders involved. Principals cannot be technology experts so they must hire staff members and teachers who will work together as a team to make decisions about technology issues (Price, 2005, p. 56). Our technology team in the past consisted of technology teachers and administrators and did not include any parents or members of the business community. I had not even thought of including parents and community members on the team but since we have them on our Site Base Decision teams there is no reason why we should not have them on our technology team. Working with a team can sometimes be difficult because of the different personalities involved, so according to Williamson and Redish (2009), technologists must deploy proven strategies to encourage diversity and to unify disparate stakeholders toward the common objectives (p. 187). It helps to remind all on the team that we are in this for the students and our different personalities should be put aside. I have learned that if a person is in a leadership position and does not have the skills for leading groups effectively, then some professional development is in order. I think that I have good group skills but learning more about how to handle diverse groups could only help me learn to be better. When it comes to Standard VIII-D, lead in the development and evaluation of district technology planning and implementation, my responsibilities at the district I work in have been that of the technology leader. In 1997, we formed a technology team to work on the technology plan. I remember struggling with what we were expected to write. I had been teaching Middle School Computer Literacy since 1983, High School Computer Math and Computer Science since 1985 and some BCIS classes during that time. Assessing current reality was easy; the needs assessment was a bit harder because we wanted it all but needed to be realistic. It is essential for school leaders to possess a vision for schools that is communicated and shared by the faculty, staff, students, parents, and school community (Jones, 2007, p. 2). The vision was the hardest part. Where did we want to end up? What was the goal for the students? What was the goal for the teachers? Finally after much discussion we drafted a plan. When the state changed to the eplan it became my responsibility to enter the information into the system. I have presented the Technology Plan to the School Board several times over the years to present our technology vision. When I was reading about the qualities of exemplary technology plans the first requirement was for the plan to be focused on student learning. This made me stop and think about our district’s plan. I know there are goals and strategies concerning student learning, but I am not sure the students are the main focus of our plan. This makes me think we might need to rethink the district’s technology plan. Creating a visionary but attainable technology plan is something I would like to work on. Working on how to write a vision that inspires buy-in from all stakeholders is also a future project for me. Bennis and Goldsmith (1997) stated it well when they wrote that the first role of any leader is to create a compelling vision that takes people to a new place, and to translate that vision into action (as cited in Harris, Edmonson, & Combs, 2010, p. 3).

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., Combs, J. (2010). //Examining what we do to improve our schools; 8 steps from analysis to action.// Larchmont, NY. Eye on Education. Jones, L., & Crochet, F. (2007). The importance of visions for schools and school improvement. //Connexions.// Retrieved June 3, 2009 from http://cnx.org/content/m15634/1.1/. Price, B. (Sep. 2005). Who’s in control of the technology-integrated school? //Principal Leadership, 6,// (1), p. 51-56. 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.