1.1 Shared Vision
Candidates facilitate the development and implementation of a shared vision for the use of technology in teaching, learning, and leadership.
(PSC 1.1/ISTE 1a)
(PSC 1.1/ISTE 1a)
Artifact: School Technology Vision Statement
Reflection:
The Technology Vision statement is a statement of my school’s vision for the use of technology for teaching and learning in the present and in the future. The technology vision statement took into account the overall vision and mission of the school in its development. As an individual assignment, I worked on the technology vision by myself, but I collaborated with the administration at my school in its development. In developing the technology vision statement, I also discussed the availability of technology at the school with other teachers and administrators, and I surveyed other teachers about their opinions on the use of technology in the classroom.
Standard 1.1 establishes the expectation that candidates collaborate with teacher peers, administrators and stakeholders in their schools and districts to develop a shared vision for the use of technology for learning. The Technology Vision Statement as an artifact underscores this collaboration between fellow teachers, administrators and stakeholders. In the process of writing the plan, I used skills in collaboration and consensus building in order to interview other teachers and administrators. While the school did not previously possess a specifically stated technology vision, an overall vision and a mission statement did exist. Both statements had been written during the beginning of the current principal’s tenure, so I interviewed him about the reasoning behind the vision and mission in order to create a vision for the school that would be consistent with the prior direction while leading the school into a more effective technology future. While working with the principal, I also interviewed long-tenured teachers at the school to gather their input and support for the technology vision. Through both activities, I was able to gain support for the technology vision.
Following the development of the plan, I joined the School Strategic Plan team at my school. With a position on the team, I suggested to the rest of the SSP team that the school should develop a school-wide vision statement for the use of technology. While many members of the team felt that the development of an official school-wide technology vision should be a priority, the team as a whole decided to postpone the development until a later date because of new testing regulations for this school year. Even though the SSP team voted not to adopt the technology vision, I continued to work with the professional development team and the data team at the school to increase the amount of technology integration at our school. Specifically, I helped to develop professional learning options about the meaningful implementation of technology in the classroom and the use of technology to analyze data.
The main lesson that I learned from the creation of the technology vision is the importance of collaboration in the creation of a school-wide plan for technology integration. In my case, the buy-in of the longer-tenured teachers was instrumental on the overall acceptance of the plan by the staff. While the SSP team ultimately chose not to adopt the plan, their reaction would have been much more negative had the level of staff buy-in been lower. In the future creation of such a plan, I would actually seek more collaboration and input from stakeholders. For example, our school currently has four administrators, but the administration was in a state of turnover with two administrators leaving and two new one taking their place. In the future, I would seek input from all administrators. Additionally, I would time the development of the plan to include more input from teachers.
The work that went into the technology plan will first and foremost affect the professional development of the school. The technology plan seeks to educate teachers about methods for determining the level of meaningful use of technology in their classrooms and ways to improve that use. Improvement among the staff would lead to an improvement in student learning through the more meaningful use of technology in the classrooms. That improvement in student learning would further translate into an overall improvement in the performance and effectiveness of the school.
The Technology Vision statement is a statement of my school’s vision for the use of technology for teaching and learning in the present and in the future. The technology vision statement took into account the overall vision and mission of the school in its development. As an individual assignment, I worked on the technology vision by myself, but I collaborated with the administration at my school in its development. In developing the technology vision statement, I also discussed the availability of technology at the school with other teachers and administrators, and I surveyed other teachers about their opinions on the use of technology in the classroom.
Standard 1.1 establishes the expectation that candidates collaborate with teacher peers, administrators and stakeholders in their schools and districts to develop a shared vision for the use of technology for learning. The Technology Vision Statement as an artifact underscores this collaboration between fellow teachers, administrators and stakeholders. In the process of writing the plan, I used skills in collaboration and consensus building in order to interview other teachers and administrators. While the school did not previously possess a specifically stated technology vision, an overall vision and a mission statement did exist. Both statements had been written during the beginning of the current principal’s tenure, so I interviewed him about the reasoning behind the vision and mission in order to create a vision for the school that would be consistent with the prior direction while leading the school into a more effective technology future. While working with the principal, I also interviewed long-tenured teachers at the school to gather their input and support for the technology vision. Through both activities, I was able to gain support for the technology vision.
Following the development of the plan, I joined the School Strategic Plan team at my school. With a position on the team, I suggested to the rest of the SSP team that the school should develop a school-wide vision statement for the use of technology. While many members of the team felt that the development of an official school-wide technology vision should be a priority, the team as a whole decided to postpone the development until a later date because of new testing regulations for this school year. Even though the SSP team voted not to adopt the technology vision, I continued to work with the professional development team and the data team at the school to increase the amount of technology integration at our school. Specifically, I helped to develop professional learning options about the meaningful implementation of technology in the classroom and the use of technology to analyze data.
The main lesson that I learned from the creation of the technology vision is the importance of collaboration in the creation of a school-wide plan for technology integration. In my case, the buy-in of the longer-tenured teachers was instrumental on the overall acceptance of the plan by the staff. While the SSP team ultimately chose not to adopt the plan, their reaction would have been much more negative had the level of staff buy-in been lower. In the future creation of such a plan, I would actually seek more collaboration and input from stakeholders. For example, our school currently has four administrators, but the administration was in a state of turnover with two administrators leaving and two new one taking their place. In the future, I would seek input from all administrators. Additionally, I would time the development of the plan to include more input from teachers.
The work that went into the technology plan will first and foremost affect the professional development of the school. The technology plan seeks to educate teachers about methods for determining the level of meaningful use of technology in their classrooms and ways to improve that use. Improvement among the staff would lead to an improvement in student learning through the more meaningful use of technology in the classrooms. That improvement in student learning would further translate into an overall improvement in the performance and effectiveness of the school.