Reflections+on+Technology+Facilitator+Standard+VII

**Reflections on Technology Facilitator Standard VII: Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments**

**__Self –Assessment __**  **__Learn as a Learner __** **__Lifelong Learning Skills __**  Abshire, S. (n.d.). //Funding Your Technology Dreams//. [website] Retreived November 7, 2010 []
 * This standard deals with "procedures, policies, planning, and budgeting for technology environments focuses on the managerial and technical tasks associated with providing aducators and students with high-quality access to technology" (Williamson & Redish, 2009). It asks technology leaders and facilitators to "work closely with educators to create and support modern learning facilities" (Williamson & Redish, 2009). But also iterates that, "the technical and administrative tasks described in this standard far exceed what is expected of teachers" (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 148). The information gained in this standard reading was extensive in detail for which I currently feel inadequate to deal with providing high-quality maintenance and support, as these skills are limited to basic hardware and software problems. I was, however, excited to read adaptations and expanded form of Roblyer's (2006) strengths and weaknesses of the different levels of technology arrangements in schools (as cited in Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 151-155). I am interested in pursuing a mobile lab for our school, but need data to help back up my claims for the specific advantages of having such technological additions to our campus. This would enable me to implement Standard VII by "describing and identifying recommeded specifications for purchasing technology systems in school settings" (Williamson & Redish, 2009).
 * My field-based activities that pertain to Standard VII were those that involved the modeling integration of software used in classroom and administrative settings, including school management tools, computer-based instruction, and information access. The daily use of our new student information system, Skyward, was a process in which staff members were briefly trained to use simple processes for attendnace and grades, but most others application devices were hands-on, trial-by-error practice. I learn by having to create, so the environment that I learn best is by example. The needed ingredient in that process is one thing: time. Ibelieve that being able to integrate Standard VII tasks into a workday for me as a technologist will involve time to learn systems for application and maintenance. The interaction that I had with collegues while completing Standard VII tasks during my field-based activities was very beneficial to be able to talk about processes that they had grasped and combine that with the knowledge that I had gained through experience.
 * An area of this standard that I see as a continual challenge within our district is that of technical support. Because many campus instructional technologists do not have the technical background needed to fix problems with hardware, it takes time for those assigned to certain campuses to provide technical relief for teachers and computer labs. How do we effectively balance the need for technical and instructional support in each school setting? Our school currently has two working labs for entire classrooms to have simultaneous use for everyone, but how is that providing on-going and continuous teaching and learning through technology if not everyone can be in the lab at one time? The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) states that "If most students have to go to computer labs and media centers to get online, Internet access does not seem to be an easy or everyday activity — underscoring the finding that schools have yet to fully integrate technology with classroom teaching and learning. The findings suggest that classroom technology is either widely underused or in need of maintenance, upgrading, expansion or replacement" (2005, p. 9). This furthers propells me as a future technological facilitator to continue to capture the needs of all students with whatever means necessary in monetary funds. Grants and scholarships are options for specialists to help meet technological needs, as Abshire shares in her comprehensive list of grants funding technology dreams (Abshire, n.d.).

Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). (2005). //Digital leadership divide//. [PDF document]. Available from []

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.