Technology+Facilitator+Standard+VII

**Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments**
Educational technology facilitators promote the development and implementation of technology infrastructure, procedures, policies, plans, and budgets for P-12 schools.

S**elf Assessment**
“Researchers repeatedly suggest that access to technology is the strongest predictor of technology use in the classroom (Norris, Sullivan, Poirot, & Soloway, 2003). Therefore it is critical that technologists establish a stable technological infrastructure to support the effective use of technology in schools.” This statement is so true. I’ve seen technology grow within a college campus, only to hit a few bumps in the road caused by an older generation of professors. When our college campus was trying to promote the technology we had available for each classroom, there were some particular teachers that “dug their heels in” and refused to even consider the new Windows software for their DOS-based PC. They insisted that the IT department program all the PC’s in the classroom to that very same version of DOS, so that all the students would be able to follow along in the professor’s lesson plan. Teaching about retired computer systems was not the subject on the agenda.

**Learn as a Learner**
Without adequate infrastructure support teachers are easily frustrated and prone to abandon technology dismissing it as unreliable (Sandholtz & Reilly, 2004; Zhao, 2004). I was never informed as to why those particular teachers were so determined to shun technological progress, but I felt so sorry for the students that were being held captive in those classrooms. The professors were doing them a great injustice in forcing them to surrender their valuable learning time in exchange for outdated, bug-ridden computer software.

**Lifelong Learning Skills**
Being the new kid in the field of Educational Technology, Standard VII: Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments is the most difficult standard to sort through and address, because it “Highlights the need for highly technical staff who can plan for, procure, implement, and maintain technological equipment” (Williamson & Redish, 2009). I hope with the technical skills that I have learned over the year, along with the knowledge that I have gained from this master’s program that I am able to assist others in learning this new technology and reaping the benefits of what it has to offer to them and their students.

**References**
Norris, C., Sullivan, T., Poirot, J., & Soloway, E. (2003). No access, no use, no impact: Snapshot surveys of educational technology in K-12 schools. //Journal of// //Research on Technology in Education, 36(1), 15-26.//

Sandholtz, J., & Reily, B. (2004). Teachers, not technicians: rethinking technical expectations for teachers. //Teachers College Record, 106,487-512.//

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.//