Creating a Shared Vision and Integrating Technology in Our Schools

When I entered the Instructional Technology EdS program, I wanted to learn more about technology and how I could use it to improve my instruction. While I hoped that would make me a more effective teacher, I also wanted to gain confidence in my ability to help other educators. Technology coordinators hold a key role in the integration of new technologies within schools and they are responsible for a large part of the technology training for teachers that takes place within their buildings. “A technology coordinator also needs to exhibit specific leadership skills such as being visionary and being collaborative” (Sugar & Holloman, 2009, p.67). The more I learn about the roles of technology coordinators, the more I become aware of just how demanding their responsibilities can be. Technology coordinators (TCs) have an obligation to coordinate with administrations and handle budgeting and maintenance for schoolwide technology integration. According to Frazier and Hearrington, “the technology coordinator is usually the person who leads the school or district toward a coordinated vision” (2017, p. 20), that’s a lot of pressure!  For this post, I will focus on discussing TCs responsibility to stay up to date on current technologies and their role in leading colleagues' professional learning and technology integration.

 “In order to set the direction for the organization, the technology coordinator must know the trends in educational technology in particular and in information technology in general” (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017, p. 13). By forming a professional learning network (PLN) and engaging in their own professional development, technology coordinators can stay up to date on these new trends and bring that knowledge back to the teachers in their schools and districts. “Technology coordinators can accomplish this integration and professional development by modeling best practices in either formal or informal staff development sessions and by establishing professional development learning communities (Riel & Fulton, 2001)” (Sugar & Holloman, 2009, p.67). By providing the needed support to teachers and colleagues, TC’s can help ensure that technology is being utilized to actually enhance the curriculum and help students learn more effectively. “The promise of technology to positively affect teaching and learning is largely related to the support teachers get for teaching” (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017, p. 111). Lotta Larson says “it’s important to differentiate between meaningful integration of technology through learning tools, as opposed to ‘teaching’ or ‘doing’ technology in schools” (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017, p. 50). By accessing the shared knowledge of educators from around the world, TCs can keep up with the latest innovations in technology and find creative ways to infuse that into the curriculum of teachers in their schools.

“To become technology leaders, technology coordinators must be cognizant of the broad influence of their role” (Sugar & Holloman, 2009, p.73). The job of technology coordinators does not stop once a new technology is introduced to the staff in their building. TC’s are not only responsible for phasing in new technology, but also providing continued training to ensure staff members know how to properly use the new technology once they receive it. Therefore, these coordinators must provide “instructional design support . . .  to help teachers actually design lessons, interactions, projects, and assessments that are mediated by technology” (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017, p. 112). 

“There is great need for all educators, including technology coordinators, to understand and discover their individual leadership potential and develop it within their realm of professional practice” (Sugar & Holloman, 2009, p.71). As educators, technology coordinators, administrators, parents, and community members, we have a responsibility to “move students from learning to use technology to using technology to learn” (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017, p. 63). Ongoing professional development is a big part of a technology coordinator's job and as educators, we all have a responsibility to seek continuous self-improvement. In an effort to improve my own instruction, I have joined Twitter and started building professional learning networks. Through social media, I have connected with other art educators and technology specialists. These connections have helped me improve my use of technology as well as my instruction. You can check out my Twitter lists to see some of the PLNs I have formed online. Continuous self-improvement is the job of any educator, especially a technology coordinator and it is the job of an effective TC to be supportive and set an example for professional growth (Sheninger, 2019). 

Resources

Frazier, M. & Hearrington, D. (2017). The technology coordinator’s handbook. (3rd edition). International Society for Technology in Education. 

Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 

Sugar, W., & Holloman, H. (2009). Technology Leaders Wanted: Acknowledging the Leadership Role of a Technology Coordinator. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 53(6), 66–75.