ITSE+Standard+TF-VII

**Promote the development and implementation of technology infrastructure, procedures, policies, plans, and budgets for PK-12 schools.**

To provide students and teachers reliable and “sufficient access to technology,” a technology leader will have duties in four stages: “(1) Planning for technology deployments, (2) procurement, (3) implementation, and (4) maintenance/monitoring” (Williamson, & Redish, 2009, p. 149). As a Campus Technology Support Specialist, I have been involved, peripherally, in all four stages. My internship activities provided a more in depth experience with the stages especially planning for technology deployments, procurement and implementation.

__PLANNING/PROCUREMENT__: Researching equipment and software for purchase based on the needs assessment of our students, has provided me the opportunity to delve into how funds from various budgets may be used in student academic success. Learning about the different funding sources and their impact on technology purchases helped me see the big picture and understand where the budget must be spent and where discretionary funds may be spent. One particular project, the district had to approve the equipment through a digital review process to make sure the hardware and software met the district standards that were in place and a plan was in place for how it would be implemented in the curriculum to increase student achievement. Working as at technology leader, I will need to be aware that technology will need to be purchased to meet an instructional need not just to have technology in the classroom (Jones, 2007). It will be important to continue research and collaborate with others to keep abreast of current trends and best practices when looking at technology purchases. I wonder if there is a more streamline way of making purchases rather than having five different departments approving the purchases?

__IMPLEMENTATION__: “Sometimes it feels like we are drowning in data because we cannot pay attention to all of the data available” (Golden, 2005, p. 1). One area in which teachers needed help with the amount of data being collected is with our designated At-Risk students. Teachers are required to collect, organize and report on the interventions they have used with their at-risk students. This information is then gathered together and filed by students. In a meeting with the At-Risk Coordinator on campus, I worked with her to develop a centralized database where teachers could enter their data on the students. I designed the database so teachers and administrator could also review what other interventions were being used with each student. Reports were designed for easy printing to be included in the students’ permanent folders. It was important to determine the instructional need, develop the instruction to meet then need then chose the appropriate instructional technology strategy to deliver the instruction to the students (Jones, 2007). “Without analyzing and discussing data the value and effectiveness of schools’ programs, initiatives and policies are unlikely to be fully identified and understood (Tolley & Shulruf, 2009, 1199). As a leader I would want to have the teachers of the students to meet once a quarter to discuss what they are doing for the students to see if they can brainstorm any other solutions to help the students academic needs. I wonder what might happen if we could correlate the database information with the districts’ student management system? Would it help the teachers better meet the needs of the at-risk students?

__PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT__: Throughout my internship, I offered several professional development courses, ensuring that the trainings followed adult learning theory. Professional development for teachers needs to be designed so that it is relevant, related to their daily activities, and delivered in an environment that provides peer support for learning (Speck, 1996). Offering the courses in a blended format with face-to-face meetings followed by activities and reflections posted online, teachers were given time to have the personal instruction, practice the skill, time to assimilate the information, and reflect before moving on to the next step (Blackboard, 2009). I observed that, as teachers’ confidence grew, they would share their successes and failures with others in the PLC and collaborated on other lessons that would extend their learning.

Blackboard, Inc. (2009, November). Blended learning: Where online and face-to-face instruction intersect for 21st century teaching and learning. //Eduviews: A K12 Leadership Series//. Retrieved May 30, 2011 from [|www.blackboard.com/getdoc/1b9259b9-8cf4-4140-ba45-2a35eef6651c/K12_Blended-Learning_2011.aspx].

Golden, M. (2005, July 1). Making strides with educational data. //THE Journal.// Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from [].

Jones, E. (2007). Strategies to Put Instruction Ahead of Technology. //Principal Leadership,// 7(6), 35-38.

Speck, M. (1996, Spring). Best practice in professional development for sustained educational change. //ERS Spectrum//, 33-41.

Tolley, H., & Shulruf, B. (2009). From data to knowledge: The interaction between data management systems in educational institutions and the delivery of quality education. //Computers and Education, 53//, pp. 1199-1209//.//