Administrator Technology Standards

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Permalink Reply by Nadine Norris on July 23, 2007 at 5:34am

What a daunting task! I'm sure you've already looked at this, but ISTE has a link to Technology Standards for Administrators http://cnets.iste.org/tssa/. The standards are developed with many educational groups. "TSSA Standards Initiative are committed to supporting the standards by providing expertise in the development and refinement of the standards, assistance in disseminating the standards, and support in implementing the TSSA Standards." I think using these standards for a foundation helps with credibility, with so much support from administrators across the country. If your administrators already meet those standards, it'll be much easier for them to move into the 2.0 world.

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Permalink Reply by Ashlyn DeWitt on July 23, 2007 at 4:38pm

Thanks Nadine, you confirm my feelings that good standards are the foundation. We talk alot about having high expectations for students but I believe that those same high expectations should flow through all of education. Not a checklist mentality, but a shared vision that evolves over time. To impact the classroom and students requires inspiring, and engaging not only the student and teacher but administrators, from the principal to the school board.
I am a former classroom teacher and worked hard to do this with my students and if I do say so myself was fairly successful. My mindset and vision is still with the students and their needs. In recent years, I have begun to develop the skills and mindset to work with teachers. Administrators are a new breed for me. The same principles apply but it is a different audience.

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Permalink Reply by Nadine Norris on July 25, 2007 at 10:36am

It's really hard to impose a vision to an administrator. They either have it or they don't. Just the fact that you've been asked to put this together must mean that they have one. I think the resources that Scott is putting together are amazing. The information that is available in terms of the research and the impact of technology is really compelling. Just to look at the videos from Karl Fisch is enough to motivate any caring educator.

In my previous position, my principal had tremendous vision. She really understood best practices and had extremely high expectations. The teachers moved forward because of she held them accountable. I don't know how that could happen if the teachers were the driving force, rather than the administration. When you were a teacher, did you feel supported and/or respected, or did you sometimes find yourself in an uphill battle?

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Permalink Reply by Scott McLeod on July 23, 2007 at 10:21am

Ashlyn, see the work we're doing at CASTLE:

http://www.schooltechleadership.org/kleaders

Drop me a note at mcleod@iastate.edu if you'd like to chat about your new training program!

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Permalink Reply by Ashlyn DeWitt on July 23, 2007 at 4:41pm

Thanks for the link. I have begun to check out the link. Good information and helpful. You will be hearing from me.

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Permalink Reply by Connie Weber on July 23, 2007 at 12:58pm

One thing I would do is have the administrators view the kids' work regularly, and talk to the kids about their work.
Beyond that, I'd ask the administrators to set personal goals for growth in technology, and have them meet with students for learning sessions in whatever technology they want to learn, as in "be tutored." It's good modeling, good sharing, and a win-win for all, if approached with open minds, ready to learn. I've found that small steps in a personalized context really add up over the long run. Fear gets reduced, inquisitiveness increases, laughter rings out. Keep it personal, nurture the growth tenderly.
Give examples of goals ahead of time: for instance, you could choose to investigate how iMovies are made, what can be done with podcasts, how teachers connect in social-professional networks. Have a list of choices, as many won't know what's possible.
Hope that helps a bit--

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Permalink Reply by Ashlyn DeWitt on July 23, 2007 at 4:48pm

Reducing fear, fostering inquisitiveness, modeling, being willing to learn yourself, laughter, choices, personalize. Create a safe learning environment. Hummm. Basically, good teaching! Keep to the basics. Small steps. Be engaged as the teacher. Show and engage them in the possibilities. Actually look at student work and talk to the students. Allow the students to have input into their own learning. Good advice. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Marian Thacher on September 23, 2007 at 12:34am

Starting with the basics is good, and the CASTLE program list of courses suggested by Scott McLeod could be helpful in thinking about what the issues are. But what Web 2.0 tools are important for administrators? My list includes blogs, RSS feeds, Google docs & spreadsheets & slides, social networking.

What would you add?

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