Technology+Facilitator+Standards-Week+4

** Technology Facilitator Standard VII—Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments ** **Self –Assessment**

Planning for technology-rich environments is the solution to implementing technology into the classroom which gives our students a better opportunity for the future. Although administrators have responsibilities for policy, oversight, implementation, and resource allocation, technology facilitators and leaders must design, implement, and support technology-rich environments (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 148). Technology specialists are a very important asset to this equation but without the support of the campus and district administrators for the aforementioned, planning is futile.

**Learn as a Learner**

I am currently on the campus Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM) committee and although I assisted with planning, most of us were not included in the decision for resources. The administrators determined what amount will be procured for the campus technology needs. After examining the Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) document, I determined the technology budget for this school year to be only $40,000.00. The breakdown of this total is $10,000.00 for interventions which consisted of computer upgrades in software and hardware. The remainder of the funds $30,000.00 is broken down into increments of $6000.00 for each core subject. I don’t have much experience in this arena but I do know that this amount will not be sufficient enough to take our campus to another level. The most common duties related to providing educators and students with sufficient access to technology fall in the following four states: (1) Planning for technology deployments, (2) procurement, (3) implementation, and (4) maintenance/monitoring (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 149). Our campus technology specialists have not been given the freedoms to get involved at this level. My goal is to get more involved in all phases of planning.

**Lifelong Learning Skills** The opportunity to become involved on the SBDM committee and the district’s Technology Planning Committee has given me the foundation I need to move to other stages of planning. The only portion of planning that I need additional experience is the procurement stage. Similarly, budgeting requires a comprehensive knowledge of all the components necessary to ensure sufficient access to technology (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 156). Most of the components for budgeting are either regulated by our campus administrators or the district technology specialists. My goal is to make technology more accessible and convenient for students and educators on my campus. This cannot be achieved unless I am totally immersed in every aspect of planning.

** Reference ** Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //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.

=== ** Technology Facilitator Standard VIII—Leadership and Vision **   ===

The future of technology is progressing at a rapid pace and as a technology leader I must be prepared to lead my community to a higher-level. As a member of the Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM) committee, my team and I developed a “Shared Vision” for our campus. In the absence of a strong vision for effective use, technologies will be underutilize (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 178). This vision is now being implemented into our school culture for this school year. I am continuously seeking ways to create a shared interest in technology by sharing information with my colleagues and encouraging them to integrate technology into their lesson plans.

**Learn as a Learner**

Time is a key concept to most educators as an excuse for not integrating technology into the curriculum. Without a starting point such as a shared vision there would not be any progress in the process of integration. In addition to helping the school community develop an appropriate, research-based vision for technology use, leaders must sustain the community’s focus on this vision until it becomes entrenched in the local culture (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 179). I have discovered throughout this process that there must be leaders/facilitators that will lead by example or else there will be no progress, just a vision. There must be goals and a plan to implement this vision. As a technology facilitator/leader, I must take the lead to begin the planning process which will advance my community not only to the meet our local and state goals.

**Lifelong Learning Skills**

I sincerely believe that my school/district is moving forward to reach the goal established in the Texas School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart of target technology, which is aligned with the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. In current school cultures, technology facilitators and leaders will be expected to lead the community in constructing a community-based vision and a long-range strategic plan for the comprehensive use of technology (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 185). Yes, there will be challenges but with me and other technology leaders modeling and assisting teachers/administrators with this transformation, these challenges will just become stepping-stones to success.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Reference**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). 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.