Technology+Facilitator+Standard+II+Reflections

[[file:Reflections on Technology Facilitator Standard II.doc]]
TF-II Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences

Educational technology facilitators plan, design, and model effective learning environments, as well as multiple experiences supported by technology. **__Self –Assessment __** According to Williamson and Redish(2009), in order to enact Technology Facilitator Standard II, facilitators and leaders must “introduce teachers to high-quality instructional technology tools that are well designed, developmentally appropriate for their students and tied to content standards” (p. 43). Once teachers have mastered how to use technology, they must be trained on its effective implementation in their classrooms. The technology facilitator should serve as the teacher’s guide by modeling best practices and giving relevant examples of how technology can be applied to their particular subject. There were several experiences during my internship process that allowed me to gain experience in this area. For example, our technology integrator began a heavy push on using wikis as classroom websites but several teachers didn’t see how it would be useful in their classrooms. Most teachers simply stored the same information on their syllabus on their wiki and thought they were appropriately using this Web 2.0 tool. I was a step ahead of most teachers as I used my wiki as a daily website to detail class assignments and store handouts and relevant files. However, I was still not using this tool to its full advantage in my classroom. During my master’s program, I had an opportunity to study the use of wiki’s as interactive learning tools. This allowed me to share more relevant uses for wikis with my fellow colleagues. Several teachers began using them to house student work and create e-portfolios of student work during the year with my assistance.

**__Learn as a Learner __** As one of my internship experiences, I developed an e-course using a wiki. The site completely housed all class curriculum and even allowed students to drop off assignments for grading. In addition, students were allowed to create their own wikis which they used to store work, submit it for grading and give and receive feedback from classmates. After piloting this program with my own students, I conducted small group trainings with other teachers on how they could implement similar concepts in their classrooms. As a hands-on learner, taking the time to pilot the program myself gave me time to research the best tools available for the project and develop a through example of how this could be used in any classroom. Several colleagues within my courses reported interest in creating virtual courses using free software, particularly when the concept was discussed as part of course curriculum but most moved on to other areas as a matter of study for their action research. I received favorable feedback from fellow students within the master’s program on the value in the research I had conducted and shared on virtual classes.

**__Lifelong Learning Skills __** As a result of this internship experience, I gained renewed value in the importance of modeling examples of applications of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. As stated above, many teachers initially viewed the wikis as nothing more than an electronic syllabus. But with proper support in conjunction with appropriate modeling, teachers were able to develop strategies for utilizing this tool to effectively teach in their classes. English teachers began using wikis as discussion forums for books that they were reading. They enjoyed the fact that students could work on them outside of class which did not impact time spent in class reading the book. As Bransford and Cocking(1999) pointed out, teachers “are more likely to understand, retain and transfer this knowledge when it is embedded in a meaningful, authentic contexts”(p. 202) For additional study, I would like to continue to explore the development of virtual courses using more sophisticated tools like Blackboard in order to increase the amount of courses offered to students. As stated in //The Blackboard Learning System// by Backus, Balkon, Bradford and Porciello(2007), benefits to using Blackboard include” increased availability, quick feedback, improved communication, tracking and skill building” (p.312 ). The district technology coordinator is currently exploring virtual options for Career and Technology Courses that cannot be offered on campus due to budgetary and time constrictions. In addition, during research on student retention, it was found that several students are unable to complete courses during traditional school hours so virtual courses could be key to their graduation. This research could lead to a cost effective way to solve this problem.

**References **

Backus,D., Balkon, N., Bradford, P. & Porciello, M. (2007). The Blackboard Learning System. //The Journal of Educational Technology Systems //35:301-314, 2007.

Bransford, J. & Cocking, P. (1999). //How People learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school.// Washington, DC: National Academies Press

Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). //ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards: What Every K-12 Leaders Should Know and Be Able to Do. Eugene: International Society for Technology in Education.// Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education