ReflectionsOnStandard5

In chapter five of //ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards: What Every K-12 Leader Should Know and Be Able to Do//, Williamson and Redish discuss Technology Standard Five. From this reading, I feel much more comfortable with standard five, and what it involves. For me to learn, I must break information down into a simple form. So to simplify, Standard Five deals with how that by teachers using technology themselves in the classroom, students will benefit by this use. The textbook mentions several productivity software programs that could be useful for accomplishing better productivity in the classroom. However, the authors also warn that a "barrier to realizing higher levels of productivity from technology in schools is the extended amount of time required to master use of a productivity tool" (Williamson, 2009, p. 103). This seems to be the overlying problem for all things technology in education.

During my internship, I probably did more from this standard than from any other. On several occasions I have done some video and sound editing, created calanders, I did lots of word processings photo editing, as well as numerous spreadsheets, etc. It was very helpful to have my mentor to rely on to help guide me through some of these processes at times before I had been in a class to learn how to do these things. Because of this, much of what this standard covers I feel very comfortable working with in the future.

"The term "learning curve,"" the text says, "is often used to convey the relationship between experience and efficiency. The more difficult the learning curve, the longer it takes users to realize the benefits of the technology" (Williamson, 2009, p. 103). Future learning, as well as life-long learning in this area, I believe, will rely greatly on this learning curve. Working with other students and colleagues have really helped me in implementation of this standard and its indicators. Being able to discuss with other teachers what they have been able to do and share what I have done has really helped us as a group become better. One area that I would like to research more in the future stems from an area of this chapter in our textbook that discusses the culture of our classrooms, and that if we are to be successful in reaching todays students, that culture has to change (Williamson, 2009, p. 106). I feel that much of the belief in my current district is afraid to try much of this technology as they are afraid of the abuse of the expensive equipment, or not using it for learning purposes. Personally, I believe that our students need to learn responsibility before they graduate and are introduced to the "real world" if they are to be successful in life!

Williamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). //ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards: What Every K-12 Leader Should Know and Be Able to Do.// Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.