I am fortunate to be in the position that my technology ideas are heard and impact daily business in my district. I advise principals when they are spending their technology budget, I attend district level technology and curriculum meetings each week, and I am responsible for implementing the integration of various technologies. I know how fortunate I am to be in this position, because when I started the Lamar Educational Technology master's degree program in 2009, I was not in this position. I had ideas and I attempted to put them out there, but a few minutes of anyone's time was all I could hope for.
At the end of the 2009-2010 school year, at my mentor's suggestion, I arranged to meet with the assistant superintendent to discuss my technology vision. This activity closely ties to Technology Facilitation (TF) Standard VIII: "Leadership and Vision" (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 211). At the time of our meeting, I expected this to be my only internship activity that would fall under TF-VIII. She brought up Digital "Natives" and "Immigrants" (Prensky, 2001, p. 1), and I was able to make my joke about digital "tourists," who are too scared to leave their hotel room after dark. We also discussed Malcolm Gladwell and the role of campus technologists. It was such a great meeting, that it gave me the confidence to apply for my current job.
I had assumed (like many others) that another employee would get it and that her interview was just a formality, but we were all wrong and I was offered the position of Technology Curriculum Integration Specialist for New Braunfels ISD. This activity taught me that I do not have to be an administrator to have and share a technology vision. I just need to keep sharing it until it the right people hear it. That continues to be the case, now I am just trying to get teachers to hear me.
ISTE Standards/Indicators (Williamson & Redish, 2009)
(TF-II.C) Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
(TF-III.A) Facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.
(TF-V.A) Use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.
(TF-VII.A) Use the school technology facilities and resources to implement classroom instruction.
(TF-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.
(TF-VIII.C) Apply effective group process skills.
(TF-VIII.D) Lead in the development and evaluation of district technology planning and implementation.
(TF-VIII.E) Engage in supervised field-based experiences with accomplished technology facilitators and/or directors.
References
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon 9(5). pp. 1-6
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. p. 211