I continue to learn so much regarding technology for learning. A reference I plan to share with administrators in our district is the ISTE Essential Conditions. These are the14 critical elements essential to successfully influencing technology for learning. They offer educators and school leaders a guide to the implementation of the ISTE Standards, tech planning, and system-wide change. This is an area that I have a lot to learn and I feel others have a lot to learn also.
There are a few areas that schools and supervisory unions may be able to be successful in more quickly. And then there are other areas that will take time and focus to reach the goal of being successful in the area. For example, technical support is an area that many will focus on when purchasing new hardware and software. Hiring skilled tech specialist that are available to support teachers when the technology is not working. Also, the importance of teaching the staff that works with the technology daily the basic skills to fix or troubleshoot certain issues on their own can help with keeping the technology working when it is needed.
Another area that supervisory unions and schools may have in place are support policies. There are school boards that would be involved in this process and examples they can research to see how other districts handle the different areas as far as acceptable use and web filtering. However, past the policies are procedures. This is an area that may need more support and work depending on each individual school. Once the policies are in place, it will take time for the administration to plan out the procedure to follow through with what is defined in the policy.
As I reviewed the ISTE Essential Conditions, I could see how many of them are so closely related that if a district worked on one area it would also improve another area. I think if a school focused on an implementation plan that includes long-term and short-term goals they would be working on building a curriculum framework to help with guiding the ways to use technology for learning. In order to follow through with the implementation plan and to add the standards to the curriculum, there will need to be ongoing professional learning and support in place for the teachers. A district can hire skilled personnel from the start but also work to help bring the current staff up to being skilled in the areas they need to be to be part of the overall process of implementing the technology. Finally, the importance of a shared vision with all of the stakeholders including educators, support staff, students, parents, and community members will help with the implementation plan. If everyone is able to provide input and recognizes how it impacts everyone and what their responsibility is in their role, the overall goal of implementing technology for learning will be a success for everyone
