Reflections on Technology Facilitator Standard I: Technology Operations and Concepts

Self –Assessment

· Critically reflect upon the knowledge you gained from the reading. (3 Points)

From reading the Williamson textbook, it became readily apparent the difference between Technology Facilitator Standards versus Tech Leadership Standards. Where Tech Facilitator Standards are the "doer" guidelines for integrating technology into the classroom, Tech Leadership Standards are the guidelines for ensuring teachers and Tech Leaders have the tools and resources necessary to do the integrating. (2009)

These two categories are also comparable to the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) and National Education Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A). NETS-T are compared to the Tech Facilitator Standards and NETS-A to Leadership standards. As classroom teachers are expected to meet NETS-T, (2007) technology facilitators are expected to meet their respective standards.

· Critically reflect upon the relationship between any new information you gained from the reading with old information you previously held to be true. (2 Points)

I understood the fact that teachers who had been in the profession longer had a lower proficiency level with the use of technology. However as was pointed out, in 2005, the percentage of teachers rating their colleagues as beginners dropped 20 percent in six years. This suggests that the more experienced teachers are gaining a higher proficiency level, and that new teachers are entering the profession with a higher degree of technology proficiency.

· How did the relationship between the old and new information you learned affect your personal experience with implementing the Standard and Indicators in your field-based internship activities? (2 Points)

Knowing that my peers, and my supervisors, were developing a higher proficiency through the continued use of technology in their daily work, I was able to introduce concepts that were more relevant to actual activities the office was conducting. For example, through small-group coaching as Williamson pointed out, I was able to instruct my co-workers on the operation and application of a new scanner the department had purchased. (2006) Rather than starting at square one and having to teach the how-tos of plugging the peripheral in, connecting it to the computer and installing software, we were able to begin with actually scanning documents and editing them with Adobe Acrobat. Likewise, since my co-workers had used Acrobat in the past, accessing and using the advanced editing functions of the software was a simple lesson.

Learn as a Learner

· Critically reflect upon your approach and strategies used in implementing the Standard and Indicators in your field-based internship activities.
(3 Points)

I have used the Standards and Indicators as a guideline to ensure that my presentations are structured, concise and relevant. By using the Tech Facilitator Standards, I have been able to create products and training that my peers can understand and process into their daily work.

As Pitler, et. al., points out the primary instructional strategy identified when planning instruction is setting objectives. (2007) This text points out that as the techer, your task is to think about how you will...activate your students' prior knowledge. Training peers and coworkers should follow the same theme, and using Tech Facilitator Standards and Indicators as a guideline helps the trainer develop those tasks.

· Critically reflect upon how you learn as a learner and how you assess your own performance in implementing the Standard and Indicators in your field-based internship activities.
(2 Points)

I have found that I am a self-directed, hands-on learner. When a problem is presented to me, I read as much documentation related to that problem as I can, then test what I've read on myself. By building my own skills in repetition, I feel that I am more prepared to present findings to my peers.

· How did your learning and interaction with colleagues (such as discussion forum, web conferences, wiki and blog participation, etc.) affect the results of your performance with respect to implementing the Standard and Indicators in your field-based internship activities?
(2 Points)

I find that interaction with peers has further refined my performance, increasing relevance and decreasing the complexity with which I try to introduce concepts to my peers. Through this course, so much material has been made available that it would be too difficult to forward it all on to my peers for them to digest. I have made every effort to in implementing Tech Facilitator Standards that are relevant to my department's daily work, while maintaining a sense of what my peers can digest at the time.

Lifelong Learning Skills

· Critically reflect upon what you gained about learning and how you learn that will impact your future learning regarding the implementation of the Standard and Indicators. (3 Points)

Relevance is the cornerstone of lifelong learning. As Williamson and Reddish pointed out, "critics have expressed concern that technology skills training has been overemphasized...while support for integrating technology into academic content areas has been neglected. (2009) If a person doesn't see the purpose of learning a skill or piece of knowledge, they won't apply themselves in learning it, and won't apply what they've learned to their classrooms or duties.

· How will your past interactions and collaborations with colleagues impact your future learning experiences with regard to the implementation of the Standard and Indicators?
(2 Points)

As noted above, I will always prepare lessons and presentations with relevancy for my audience in mind. It is easy to present a topic according to a set of bullet points or in order for the audience to grasp the basics. However if I only present according to my needs, their needs for relevant learning will be left out. Likewise, as I learn new skills with the intent that I will forward that knowledge to others, I will gather my learning while always looking toward how I can make it relevant to others.

Solomon and Schrum point out that teachers and trainers can take advantage of the features that new tools offer and tap into students' natural affinity for these tools in order to create learning experiences that expand their worldview and enhance what they learn. (2007) Later in the same work, the authors note that students expect to use technology and are strong believers in the power of technology to enrich their learning. As a trainer, I must be aware of my audiences needs and expectations, and should not assume their expectations would be the same as mine.

· As a lifelong learner, what questions or issues challenge you and are worthy of future research or investigation with regard to the implementation of the Standard and Indicators? (2 Points)

With regard to this particular indicator, the only challenge will be to modify my training methods to model the types of instruction expected of teachers in the classroom. As Bransford and Cocking pointed out, educators are more likely to understand, retain, and transfer [knowledge] when it is embedded in meaningful, authentic contexts. (1999)

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.

Solomon, G. & Schrum, L. (2007) web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

Bransford, J. and Cocking, P. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.

Pitler, H. et. al. (2007) Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria: ASCD.