Anyone that knows me will tell you that I am very modest. I don't like to talk about myself, my skills or my abilities. However, completing the Lamar Educational Technology Leadership Program has forced me to reflect on my skills as a technology leader.
After reading, analyzing, and reflecting on the ISTE Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards I realized that I’m already a Technology Facilitator in my school and the District even though I don’t have the title yet. I have always been the type of person that likes to learn new technologies and share what I learn with others. As a Technology Facilitator, I " model strategies, consult with teachers, assist teachers, and support teachers during instructional design" (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 43). Providing formal professional learning programs for teachers created by district Technology Leaders has become a regular part of my monthly schedule. Facilitating professional development training and my Lamar Course work provided me with the foundation I needed to plan, design, and model my own professional learning program related to using video for assessment.
During the eighteen months of the Lamar program not only have I assisted colleagues in implementing technology to improve their productivity and to improve student performance I have also made changes to the way I teach my students. The biggest changes that I implemented in the classroom are related to online learning and group work.
When I first started the online program I was skeptical, because at the time I had only experienced the face to face interaction that you get in the classroom. Shortly after starting the program I learned that online classes still provide the needed interaction among colleagues. The level of required interaction in online discussion, group collaboration, and flexibility lead me to create an online learning environment using Moodle for my computer applications classes. The online classroom allowed me to provide differentiated instruction for all my students. “Tomlinson defines differentiating instruction as giving students multiple options for taking in information, for making sense of ideas, and for expressing what they learn” (as cited in Wahl & Duffield, 2005, p.2). Other teachers have witnessed the success I have had with Moodle and have requested assistance in creating their own eClassroom.
Group work was once an instructional strategy that I avoided in my classes due to a lack of success in prior implementation. My experience with group work during EDLD 5364, Teaching with Technology, changed my attitude about students working together to complete a task. The class provided me with a new way to view group work. “The new way is collaborative, with information shared, discussed, refined with others, and understood deeply” (Solomon & Schrum, 2007, p. 21).
Now I can talk to others about the role that I play as a technology facilitator. I model the use of technology to improve productivity and the integration of technology into instruction. Due to my experience in the Lamar Education Technology Leadership program online learning and collaboration are now tools in my reservoir of instructional strategies. While I am currently happy being a Technology Facilitator I am progressing to the level of Technology Leader.