Vision doesn't exist in a vacuum. Instead, it leads somewhere, because the destination is so compelling that the vision can be explained and understood in common sense terms. The vision that drives this book is contemporary literacy. Our vision of contemporary literacy both incorporates information literacy and builds on traditional literacy.
The National Academy of Sciences'
report Being Fluent with
Information Technology summarizes the challenge we face in schools.
We can't prepare students to take their role in an information economy if we
and our peers are not fluent in the languages and ways of this new world ourselves.
The report provides this assessment of the challenge:
"Generally, 'computer literacy' has
acquired a 'skills' connotation, implying competency with a few of today's computer
applications, such as word processing and e-mail. Literacy is too modest a goal
in the presence of rapid change, because it lacks the necessary 'staying power.'
As the technology changes by leaps and bounds, existing skills become antiquated
and there is no migration path to new skills. A better solution is for the individual
to plan to adapt to changes in the technology. This involves learning sufficient
foundational material to enable one to acquire new skills independently after
one's formal education is complete."
Our vision of contemporary literacy 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.
We advocate the formation of Information & Technology (I&T) Teams at the building level, in order to provide the capacity for sustained support of educational improvement. The members of the I&T Team are the people in schools who are most involved in the implementation of technology: the principal, the library media specialist, the teacher leader and the technical specialist (supported by the District Technology Coordinator). Note, we don't say support for technology: the efforts must remain firmly fixed on the goal of system wide improvement at the school level, with the role of technology clearly as servant rather than master.
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.
The reality in far too many schools leaves someone feeling like a one-man band. Staffing hasn't kept up with the demands of teaching and learning in a digital age. 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. 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.
Is there a difference between magic
and miracle? Although Arthur 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!
The I&T Team, through its interactions
with one another, learns to model new kinds of behaviors for peers and for the
community at large. It is important to distinguish between "acquiring technology
skills" and "using technology as a vehicle to solve problems" as the goal for
the I&T Team.
The National Academy of Sciences'
report Being Fluent with
Information Technology continues, "This requirement of a deeper understanding
than is implied by the rudimentary term 'computer literacy' motivated the committee
to adopt 'fluency' as a term connoting a higher level of competency. People
fluent with information technology (FIT persons) are able to express themselves
creatively, to reformulate knowledge, and to synthesize new information. Fluency
with information technology (i.e., what this report calls FITness) entails a
process of lifelong learning in which individuals continually apply what they
know to adapt to change and acquire more knowledge to be more effective at applying
information technology to their work and personal lives."
The power of I&T Teams comes
from the potential to focus FITness (contemporary skills, foundational concepts
and intellectual capabilities) upon a common vision, to address building level
challenges. In order for the I&T Team to manage change, they must initiate
and support ongoing key conversations, focused around four purposes: Accountability,
Learning, Leadership and Technical. The team members must arrive
at a shared understanding about the first three (accountability, learning and
leadership), before any consideration of technical issues can be useful.
Each member of the I&T Team needs
to acquire this new kind of FITness. Helping you make this happen is a key purpose
of this book!
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.
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