TF+Standard5

Productivity, it is far more than a simple presentation, video, or parent letter. It might seem ironic to choose a video with a little adult language, but this poem passionately cuts straight to chase on what teachers make. (Mali, 1999) media type="custom" key="6458709"


 * Technology Facilitator and Leadership Standard 5: Productivity and Professional Practice**

Technology brings new ways for teachers and students to learn, collaborate, and produce content. This standard is focused on teachers using technology to improve their practices and productivity. (Williamson & Redish, 2009) For a long time we have been focused on word processors, presentation software, spreadsheets, databases, and research on the Internet. All of that is still important. The online course I managed for the internship focuses on all of that because that is the foundation for much of what is available. There are many other opportunities now such as video conferencing and web conferencing. One of the activities I included on the field based log is a weekly principal meeting that I manage. This is a web conference that our district leadership uses to meet with all of the campus principals. These are new tools for collaboration. It gives our principals the opportunity to ask questions directly to district administration. District administrators are also able to speak directly to the principals. New collaboration tools like Google Docs are also making it easier to work together. We prepare a presentation with a slide from each administrator for the weekly meeting. Each Monday, I send a reminder to the administrative team asking them to send the information they want in the presentation. In January, I placed the presentation on Google Docs. I sent the link to the administrative team in the weekly reminder, and told them they could send information to me or put it on the presentation themselves. Now almost all of them add their content themselves. Technologies like Google Docs are making collaboration more powerful and effective than ever before.

Video conferencing is getting much easier also. Our district purchased big Polycom video conferencing units for every campus in 2001 and have been adding them to each new campus since. Two years ago, I became the distance learning facilitator in addition to my job as technology coach. Those systems were incredible ten years ago because they were the only way to connect two classes from different places across the country and the world. We planned and carried out many educational experiences through these units. It is a clumsy process however, which makes it inefficient for a lot of professional development and classroom activities. I have to contact all of the people who are organizing the activity, then the technical advisor for each site, often including a bridge in an education support center outside a school district. We have to exchange IP addresses and other technical information, set up times for testing connections, and work through the problems that occur during the test. Then we can set up the actual experience. New technologies like Skype allow individuals to make those connections without all of the middlemen. technologies like Ustream.tv can be coupled with Skype to put together multi-point video conferences that include text and audio chat for free without a technical advisor to make the connections. Teachers need to be shown how to use these technologies, however. Technology facilitators and leaders have to know how to use these tools so they can demonstrate what is available and train them to use those resources.

Blogs, microblogs, wikis, and other technologies all can put teachers together to learn from each other. These personal learning networks are powerful opportunities for teachers. There is no reason that a teacher should be limited to my knowledge for their training and professional development. There is a world of knowledgeable educators available and they are open and wanting to share with teachers. We have to prepare teachers to use the tools of connectivity and then give them the power and opportunity to make connections. Part of that process is creating learning opportunities for teachers using these tools. Another part is sharing the activities we have participated in and inviting them to join. We as leaders have to be a part of the global community in order to get our teachers there.

Mali, T. (Artist). (1999). //Taylor mali on what teachers make//. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU Williamson, J, & Redish, T. (2009). //ISTE's technology facilitation and leadership standards//. Eugene, OR: International Society of Technology in Education.