Reflections+on+Facilitator+Standard+VII

Chapter Seven of the //ISTE's// Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards manual looked at procedures, policies, planning and budgeting for educational technology environments. In the opening paragraph the reading emphasizes that it is "critical that technologist establish a stable technological infrastructure to support the effective use of technology in school" (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p147). Leading from this statement and continuing on into this chapter, the authors mentioned how critical it was that in order to build a sound technology infrastructure in a school one must plan wisely and ahead. Too often there are things that are done with no foresight in mind and resources end up being wasted. One way to accomplish this is to make sure that the goals that a technologist wants to accomplish fall in line with the vision and mission of the school. Every school may or rather will have a different vision outlined for their respective campuses and so while in some aspects of the technology infrastructure might be similar there will be slight differences that exists. The pros and cons of acquiring a particular piece of technology must evaluated. The examples that were placed inside the chapter compare the use of laptops and desktops in two types of school environments. Everything cannot be planed for but the more issues that can be identified during the initial stages of planning the better the decision that can be made. "Administrators, teachers, parents, and peers bring skills and talents to support school improvement." (Scott, 2010, p.37) This being said it should be taken into account the opinions of those individuals who will be using the software and hardware that will be acquired. A technologist should meet with all stakeholders to see what they want as well as to try to introduce them to ideas that they might not have considered. One way of introducing new technologies is by allowing people to have hands on experiences with new products. It is a tried and true method that is used in many industries. Once people can see and touch something, it makes it easier for them to buy into something new. Professional development classes and video trainings are two ways among others that a technologist can sell their technological ideas to the shakers and movers of a campus. Of course ideas and plans cannot come to fruition without funds to purchase these products. So a technologist must look for ways to acquire funding for their plans and then look for opportunities where they can maximize the value of their resources. When looking at cost is also important look at not just acquisition but maintenance as well. Hardware will begin to falter and then eventually start to fail, so it is vital that the cost of maintenance is taken into account along side the cost of the equipment.

Anderson, A. (2009-10). Can't we all just get along?. Learning & Leading with Technology, //37//(4), pp. 21-23

Scott, F. (2010). Six strategies to connect tech integration with school improvement. Learning & Leading with Technology, //37//(6), pp. 37

Williamson, J. & Redish, T.; (2009); ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards; Washington, D.C.: International Society for Technology Education