Technology+Facilitator+Standard+II

**Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences**
"Education Technology Facilitators plan, design, and model effective learning environments and multiple experiences supported by technology" (Williamson, 2007).

**Self Assessment**
I have found the use of technology on the college campuses is consistent with the findings stated by Williamson and Redish, that “although 85% of teachers used technology for administrative tasks, less than 50% ever used technology to support instruction.” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 34) It is amazing to me that instructors are using technology every day as they use computers to type up ideas for lesson plans, create a variety of classroom instructional handouts, and submit grading or attendance reports, but they are unable to effectively use the technology in their classrooms to instruct their students.

In many classrooms, technology can be a stumbling block, more so for the teachers, than the students they teach. As the students seem to breeze their way thru the technology issues being presented, teachers are sometimes struggling to keeping pace with their students, who embrace the technology like a second language.

**Learn as a Learner**
"Asking teachers to integrate technology into their instructional designs invariably adds new layers of complexity to the planning process" (Williamson, 2007). When teachers are not comfortable with the technology that they are attempting to present to a classroom full of digital natives, they tend to backslide to curriculum and tools that are more comfortable for them. The former method of teaching that encompassed reading, lecturing, and assessment is always a good standby in re-establishing a teacher’s confidence, or is it? What may be more comfortable for a teacher that has technology “issues” might be cheating a classroom full of technology-eager-beavers out of a lesson plan that they could actually relate to.

**Lifelong Learning Skills**
Other concerns that teacher’s may have is summed up in this quote by J. Williamson, "Because they lack strategies to integrate student computer skills efficiently and seamlessly into instruction, teachers are also concerned that training students to use technology will drastically reduce the amount of time dedicated to achieving mandated content standards" (Williamson, 2007). It is a struggle for teachers in this fast paced technology-driven world that we live in. There are the state standards that they must satisfy within their lesson plans, but they also must take the time out of those lesson plans to instruct students on the technology that is so vital to their advancement in the years to come. Educators must challenge themselves to learn the tools of our century, to better serve our students, as well as our communities. “Applied effectively, technology implementation not only increases student learning, understanding, and achievement but also augments motivation to learn, encourages collaborative learning, and supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills" (Pitler, 2007).

**References**
Pilter, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works//. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.