EDLD+5370+Reading+Reflection+for+Technology+Facilitator+Standard+I

Technology Facilitator Standard I deals with technology operations and concepts. Many are familiar with the operations part, but few are sure about the concepts. Many of the staff developments that I have been apart of are pretty much a waste of time. They always seemed to be rushed and nothing ever gets implemented.

Until reading this chapter, I was unsure of the difference between a technology facilitator and a technology leader. This has now been cleared up. I now know that a technology facilitator operates pretty much at the local level, whereas a leader operates at the state and national level. The facilitator deals with the "how to" and the leader deals with the "why" when it comes to technology.

After the reading, I would classify myself as a facilitator. I am a hands on person that enjoys showing others how to make something work for them. This is where the current staff development setup is missing the mark. Staff development training is pretty much useless unless you can show teachers how to use what they have been taught in a real classroom setting. It will do no good to show a math teacher how a program works, but you did not show them how the program works to help teach math. There is also no follow up after staff development training to see how everything is going, are they using what they were taught, or if they have any further questions. We have a website that is purchased by our school for every teacher in the school. I was shocked to find out that very few teachers are taking advantage of the website. In speaking with some of the teachers, I found out that they are not using the website because they do not know how to use it. I began working with some of these teachers to show them how to use the website and put information on it. They realized that this could be a powerful tool in their classroom.

The reading confirmed much of what I felt personally, and this is what I want to correct. There are so many technology resources out there but no one is showing teachers how these resource can be used to help them teach their students. At my campus we have many pieces of technology that is going unused because no one knows how to use it. This is a problem. This is were collaboration among colleagues can be used via wikis, blogs, youtube, or teachertube. Someone can post a how to video so that this does not become a problem. If there is no one on a campus that is able to teach others how to use the equipment and other resources, why not post instructional video that is available for all in education.

This is where I come in. I will take what I have learned and use it to fill a void that exists in staff development training. I will use wikis, blogs, and other outlets to assist those that I can.