Achieving academic success for all students centers not on outlining more curriculum, but instead on redefining the fundamentals of education as embodied in the central and essential concept of "literacy." We call this, "contemporary literacy." Infusing contemporary literacy in learning and teaching is the heart of our vision for education in the 21st Century.
Our vision of contemporary literacy
both incorporates information literacy and builds on traditional literacy. It
embraces not only computers and data, but the critical thinking skills required
to use them effectively. Information Technology for Learning details
our vision of contemporary literacy and a strategy for making the journey from
this vision to practice.
What benefits can schools with strong, committed Information & Technology Teams expect? The members of great I&T Teams work together to create technology-rich learning environments that feature computers and computer applications as essential tools for improved achievement.
In this chapter, we examine the roles required to build and sustain an effective IT program, one that adds value to all parts of the system. The overview of the I&T Team's roles, Defining the Roles, should be read by everyone, in order to understand the talents and experience the person playing each role brings to your team. The subsequent sections, Wearing the Hats, should be consulted whenever you need more detail and guidance about playing any particular role. As you read these descriptions, think of how many of these hats you wear, and who might be ready to wear hats that aren't being worn (but need to be) in your building, as an important first step to forming your I&T Team.
Definition: Wizard - the person who knows about managing systems and processes for technology at the district level.
Is there a difference between magic
and miracle? Although Arthur C. Clarke tells us "any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic" more often it seems it will take miracles to
provide the reliable services educators must have, if they are to improve learning
through the use of technology. We see magic as tricks or illusions that let
our minds believe we've just witnessed something that can't be possible. Miracles,
on the other hand, imply divine intervention, superceding the laws of nature.
The wizardry required of the Technology
Coordinator depends on the laws of nature, both physical and human. We are not
speaking here about raising student achievement through levitation. It takes
hard, sustained, coordinated work. Instead, our alchemy depends on blending
individual talents into teams.
We've witnessed incredible growth of the Internet and Intranet infrastructure in education. This growth has created a need for district administrators and classroom teachers to meet new competencies, set new priorities and re-evaluate past teaching practices in order to make use of the latest technologies. As technology moves into schools, someone must coordinate overall technology planning, hardware/software acquisition, implementation, budget oversight and grant writing, teacher professional development, maintenance and upgrades, and curriculum support. Anyone who's ready to take on that set of challenges deserves to wear the wizard's hat!
When we are trying to satisfy
state and federal requirements (Accountability), we're thinking
about compliance. When we are considering how best to prepare students
for the 21st century (Learning), we're focusing on instructional
strategies that help them acquire contemporary literacy skills for lifelong
learning. When we are planning to move the entire staff toward contemporary
literacy (Leadership), we must consider professional development
as well as teach by example. Finally, when we are deciding how to implement
an infrastructure capable of supporting everyone in the learning community
(Technical), money and staffing come into the picture.
Accountability measures are already in place, which schools are required to address right now. Period.
Learning in the 21st century goes far beyond the "cutoff score" design of accountability measures, as well as the capabilities of measurement tools. We must design for this higher standard, to properly serve every child and strengthen every school.
Leadership's first priority is to decide how to accomplish these closely related goals, by assembling the support, resources and civic participation to make your school a place where learning demonstrably exceeds accountability performance goals.
Technical decisions cannot be made until these three required elements are in place. This means looking at your technology infrastructure in three ways. How can learning be strengthened by proper use of what you have now? What's the life cycle for your current resources? What's your plan for refreshing your infrastructure as new educational benefits become clear?
The information your team requires
resides in a constantly fluctuating sea of data. In the print version of Information
Technology for Learning, we've organized resources as responses to questions
the I&T team collectively faces. This book also provides you with access
to a more extensive updated collection of online materials
specifically selected to support the key conversations we recommend as vital
to meeting your school wide goals.