By Wisdom
In the educational system, part of my observation, judging from standpoint of the number of staff that aid the effective running of a school, is that most of the staff have an education degree and a few may have degrees or certifications from other disciplines. The education sector has put some effort into bringing other disciplines necessary under the umbrella of the educational system; for example, we have educational psychology which is different from psychology as a discipline, same as computer science education or mathematics education which is different from computer science or mathematics as a discipline, etc. and the reasons for separating these major based on my assumption will be so that there are qualified teachers that can teach this subjects in school effectively following an educational standard that may not have been explored deeply in other disciplines. Aside from these claims, there are other professions that educators may not have business working with, like pharmacists, social workers, police officers, etc. The activities that go on within the school environment are beyond academic progress. The school system in most cases determines the moral, social, mental, psychological, etc. behavior of the student and the home plays a major factor in these too. Teaching and learning may not be safe and effective if there are only people with teaching skills. There is a need for schools to be able to work with people who have advanced skills in; computer science, enforcing the law and standards of the school, creating a comfortable atmosphere for students to share their struggles, providing authentic health care for the students, etc. The holistic workforce of all professions in the school system is what makes effective teaching and learning.
Elin B. & Ida D. (2019). Interprofessional collaboration in School: Effect of teaching and learning. Improving schools, 22(3), 251-266
Implementing a Districtwide Technology Initiative: By Kelli Mohn
School technology not only assists teachers in their planning and lesson delivery, it also supports daily tasks of principals, assists upper administrators of monitoring staff, allows the treasurer to finalize the payroll, and provides districts with a way to schedule absences. The article about the technology implementation of Westfield-Washington provides a backbone of how to achieve an effective technology plan and evidence of how critical it is for districts to provide staff with proper training on the use of its technology.
In 1993, the Westfield-Washington School District in Indiana, with a high school of only 500 students, implemented one of the most sophisticated technological platforms in the country by linking each classroom, building, and public library with fiber-optic and copper cable to support video, voice and data capabilities. The technology was the most advanced of its time. The district wanted staff to use the technology so they monitored how teachers were integrating the technology into their lessons, hired additional technology support staff, and developed professional development for their staff. With this new technology, students were able to take courses that weren’t previously offered (thanks to satellite communications and two-way phone connections), parent-teacher communication improved due to the voicemail capabilities on the classroom phones, computers were used for remediation and acceleration, and student portfolios were created to document student progress.
12 strategies for implementing a technology initiative were developed from the experiences of the Westfield-Washington School District. They provide a framework for school districts who are planning to invest in technology and for those that would like to improve their use of technology.
Understand why you are investing in technology, and ensure that staff understand the reason for the investment.
Hire an effective consultant.
Involve staff from the beginning and allow them to be part of the decision-making process.
Plan and budget for additional personnel early in the process.
Develop benchmarks for personnel and program evaluation to hold teachers and administrators accountable.
Develop and provide time for comprehensive staff development.
Understand the change process and the importance of school culture.
Develop a good relationship with vendors and establish mutual expectations early.
Prepare administrators for their new roles as school principals are the key to how staff use technology by establishing high expectations.
Communicate to faculty and staff that technology is not perfect.
Budget for and develop a “futurists” committee to keep abreast of trends and monitor new hardware and software innovations.
Celebrate and showcase success by recognizing teachers and their accomplishments.
School districts must keep in mind that technology will not automatically transform a poor performing school into a school with high test scores. In Westfield-Washington, there was a rise in standardized test scores during the implementation period of their technology initiative, but no direct correlation could be attributed to the technology.
Another factor to consider is that the effectiveness of implementing a new technology plan depends on buy-in from administrators. The faculty and staff of Westfield-Washington did not invariably embrace the technology initiative districtwide, though there was an apparent use of the technology in buildings where administrators offered support.
References:
Cooley, V. E. (1998). Twelve Strategies for Implementing a Major Technology Initiative in Your School District. The Clearing House, 71(6), 350–354.
Comment by Chloe Pozderac
I would agree that all of these strategies for a technology initiative are very important. We all know that technology is ever-changing, but are the strategies for implementing them changing too? I think it would be interesting to expand this investigation and add a more current reference, which would compare and contrast the priorities and strategies for implementing technology initiatives and see if they have changed or remained stagnant within the last 30 years.