As schools continue to shell out financial resources for technology, leadership should be assured that their investments are being installed, maintained and integrated properly. The technology coordinator plays a vital role in a school district. They must be prepared to assist in directing and supporting many aspects of technology use. They should also help set the vision for how technology can be used in teaching and learning. There are specific qualities that make up a great candidate for becoming a technology director. According to Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2013), "School leaders need to know what type of equipment to purchase, where to obtain the best buys, how to train teachers to use it, and when it should be upgraded.”
Effective use of technology in the classroom means having the availability of technical and instructional support. This form of support can be provided by a technical specialist and technology facilitators. In the school district that I teach in, every school has one technology specialist person and one technology facilitator. Each play a vital part in the success of our district's technology initiative. The role of the technology specialist includes: monitoring and maintain the computer upkeep. Some of them even help with installing and configuring computer systems, installing hardware and software, and solving technical and applications problems. Can you imagine having technical issues and being required to send in a work order and wait weeks for someone to come out to fix the problem? This is why this position is so important.
Let’s take a look at the role of the technology facilitator. Their jobs are a little different. Technology facilitators provide training and support to staff members on technology integration. They play a role much like that of a coach. This role is just as important as the next. It is important for teachers to having ongoing professional development, and with the assistance of technology facilitators, this can be achieved.
No matter how small a school system may be, in order for technology integration to run smoothly, this vital personnel must be at play!
Please view this brief video about assessing readiness for 1:1 initiative.
Reference
Whitehead, B.M., Jensen, D., Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: a guide for school
administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
I agree that the role of the technology facilitator is important. Having all of the technology in the world is not going to do me or my students any good if I don't know how to effectively implement it in my classroom. Routman (2012) (as cited in Whitehead, Jensen and Boschee, 2013) indicates the importance of all educators being trained in the implementation of technology, "This is especially important because research on raising student achievement consistently revealed that an effective teacher is the most vital factor in a student's success" (p. 17). If I receive a new interactive white board, it isn't going to do me a bit of good without training. I think it is also important to note that there is a distinction between being trained on how to operate the device versus how to appropriately implement the use of the device into my curriculum in the most effective manner.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Whitehead, B.M., Jensen, D., Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for Technology:
A guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and
curriculum leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
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