ISTE 5

Standard five reads as follows:

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership 

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

a. participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

b. exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.

c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

d. contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community. 

    Standard 5 stresses professional development and a commitment to lifelong learning. In any given professional field, it is essential to become a lifelong learner, as any job requires providing service to various clientele. The needs of the clients must be met, and as time passes, these needs change or evolve. In the field of educational technology, this is especially pertinent, as technology is constantly evolving and changing rapidly. As a technology coordinator, it is important to keep up with the changes in technology and the potential troubleshooting problems that may occur. As Frazier (2012) points out, teachers -as clients- will expect the technology coordinator to be knowledgeable about and able to help with all areas of need they have. The need for the technology coordinator to be a life-long learner is especially stressed here, considering that the needs of teachers extends far beyond technical assistance and troubleshooting, when it comes to using technology in the classroom. They will also need assistance when it comes to the pedagogical implications of infusing technology into instruction. This can sometimes be a cumbersome task, as teachers will have different skill levels and attitudes towards using technology. For instance, "...technology coordinators are often responsible for designing and implementing technology professional development instruction for teachers and staff members. Because the technology coordinator must constantly evaluate the comfort level of teachers and design instruction appropriately, they must have good interpersonal and communication skills...and understand what teachers go through on a day-to-day basis" (Frazier, 2012). As such, being a life-long learner cannot be more or less important than having the combination of managerial, technical and pedagogical skills, as having these sets of skills and maintaining proficiency with them will require one to be a life-long learner. The following artifacts provide feedback from professional development sessions in which I present on technologies that I have explored, in my coursework, as well as videos that I created, demonstrating use of technology for purposeful and practical purposes. Among the technologies discussed are iMovie, Smart Response software and equipment, and Google applications. They demonstrate my own aptitude for improving my own professional practice and promoting and demonstrating effective use of digital tools and resources, in order to contribute to the vitality and self-renewal of the teaching profession. 

Cited

Frazier, M. (2012). The technology coordinator's handbook (2nd edition). Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.