Reflections on ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards

Reflections on Technology Facilitator Standard I: Operations and Concepts

According to Williamson and Rediish, this standard “refers to general, basic skills that are usually transferrable skills across different hardware platforms and software applications.” (Williams, 2009)
It was no surprise that the standards begin with this first foundational standard, that is one with which every facilitator and leader must be very comfortable in order to provide information to teachers with the goal of building their skills in operations and concepts. And yet, as the facilitator exudes confidence in his own skills, it is extremely important to take time with teachers to build their confidence to create lifelong learners. I have seen trainers who rush through the instruction, assuming that all teachers catch on quickly. However, some of our veteran teachers are such new immigrants to the digital world, that they feel lost when it comes to technology. In order to foster lifelong learning, we must coach these immigrants so that they want to learn more, rather than avoid technology. Williamson and Redish offer several suggestions such as educating our teachers as we would students, with differentiated instruction and according to different learning styles. “Individualization is especially important considering that technology competency levels are more varied than they were ten years ago.” (Williams, 2009) I am making an effort to coach and encourage teachers in our district to help them be comfortable utilizing technology as a tool. A lot of what I have learned has been through either modeling, or trial and error. I try to help others see that it is almost always possible to undo a mistake, and that we learn from those, too.
Williamson and Redish also comment that “Critics has expressed concern that technology skills training has been overemphasized in teacher professional development, while support for integrating technology into academic content areas has been neglected.” (Williams, 2009) I have to agree since the only training our district has provided, with the exception of one course that I recall, has not prepared teachers to integrate technology as a tool to support instruction in core subjects. It almost seems as if we are in the dark ages. Until the time that I began to take courses in ed tech leadership, I was not aware of the standards, the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, ISTE, etc. It is past time for the word to be out, and I am working to do my part in this.