Field+Based+Activities+Reflection+TF+VIII.D

Standard VIII is about leadership. In the absence of a strong vision for effective use, technologies will be underutilized (Williamson and Redish, 2009). As we develop our vision at my school, I am the person responsible for making many of the purchase recommendations to ensure the effective use of technology at my school. Several upgrades and additions to our compuer labs are being considered to keep our school moving forward with our technology vision. One of the costs that must be included is that of addtional licenses and software. In the case of our Visual Arts computer lab, the software is very costly.

According to Jones and Crochet 2007), "The vision becomes critical for school improvement because it also includes the desired functional levels - providing the framework for action steps toward improvement." That means that the vision has to be more than a group of ideas; It must be a plan for improvement. As part of my plan, I had to do some assessment of existing hardware, as well as what software licenses must be renewed. This was my first experience with software licenses. There were several in question. None of the licenses I researched had to be renewed unless we wanted the lastest upgrade, or continued technical support. As I did my research and found information about the software applications, I made notes about where to find installation discs or files,as well as install codes.

The second half of this activity was in assessing the hardware in each classroom. I already knew which teachers had requested new computers, but I really didn't know who //needed// new computers. I got that information on a walk through of the buiding.

The information form the walk through, as well as the information about software license requirements and costs are important components for planning the action for improvement.

References

Jones, L., & Crochet, F. (2007). The importance of visions for schools and school improvement. Connexions. Retrieved on May 4, 2013 from []

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). // ISTE’s technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. // Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.