Defined as the presence of proactive leadership and administrative support, shared vision means that the commitment to technology is systemic. From the administration to the grounds personnel, there is an understanding of, commitment to, and sense of advocacy for the implementation of technology. When the implementation of a technology initiative is problematic, a major reason often cited is a breakdown in the common understanding of the institution's goals among those who hold the decision-making power. These situations can occur over something as simple as unlocking the door to a lab or as complex as having the support for a technology line item in the budget. Facilitating the integration of technology may require a change in policy or rules, and the decision-maker has to be willing to look at the situation, forge compromises when necessary, and ensure communication among all parties. The collaborative environment necessary for creating a shared vision is also needed to sustain that vision.

The fact that educators need access to current technologies, software, and telecommunications networks seems simple. However, this access must be consistent across all of the environments that are part of the school. The access to funding and other resources may vary greatly between school districts and even within school districts, yet ideally, access should be adequate and consistent throughout the educational experience of students. Often it requires creative partnerships with the business community and others to make this happen.

Additionally, there needs to be access to technology appropriate to the subject areas being studied, such as word processors and Internet access in English or computer labs and microscopes for science labs. Access must be in classroom as well as lab settings, and provisions must be made for special populations. The technology should be accessible immediately when it is the best route to the information or tools needed by teachers, and students.
Skilled Educators

The educators who work with students must be skilled in the use of technology for learning. They must be able to apply technology in the presentation and administration of their instruction and facilitate the appropriate use of technology by their students. The teacher should model effective uses of technology to enhance learning and for communicating outside the classroom through other electronic means.

It is important to provide professional development to teachers to enable them to meet national and state teacher technology competency standards. It is also important to help teachers to maintain their skills by providing consistent access to professional development as the technology constantly changes. Ongoing opportunities for professional development should be available to teachers and other educators in the school The variety of venues and delivery mechanisms should take into consideration issues of time, location, distance, credit options, and so on. Professional development is not a one-time event—it should be focused on the needs of the teacher, or administrator and sustained through coaching and periodic updates.

Educators require technical assistance for maintaining and using technology. The focus of the teacher should be on teaching and learning; not on maintaining, repairing, and trouble-shooting the technology beyond basic trouble-shooting. When the technology does not function well, a learning opportunity is lost and teacher frustration grows. Technical assistance in a timely manner is imperative for teachers to feel confident that they can use technology in their teaching and learning. There are many ways technical assistance can be obtained, including asking community members or student assistants to maintain a help desk. Timely technical assistance is a critical factor for success in implementing ICT.

Educators must be knowledgeable in their subjects’ content and current in the content standards and teaching methodologies of their disciplines. Teachers must learn to use technology in powerful, meaningful ways in the context of teaching content. Technology brings relevant resources from the real world to subject area content, provides tools for analyzing and synthesizing data, and conveys content through a variety of media and formats. Teacher candidates should learn to use technology in ways that meet the content standards and the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Students and Teachers.

Teaching in all settings should encompass student-centered approaches to learning. Technology should not be used only as a tool for demonstration, as an electronic overhead projector; rather the use of technology by students should be an integral part of instruction. In student-centered approaches to learning, students become the source for problems investigated. Students must have opportunities to identify problems, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions, and convey results using electronic tools to accomplish these tasks. Teachers should model the use of the technology to communicate the usefulness and appropriateness of it for collaboration, acquisition of resources, analysis and synthesis, presentation, and publication.

In addition to assessing teaching and student outcomes, schools should continuously assess the effectiveness of technology for learning throughout the school’s learning environment. The data obtained from this continuous assessment:

• informs the learning strategies used,
• ensures that the vision for technology-use maintains the appropriate direction,
• pinpoints potential problems, and
• provides data for altering policies and instructional strategies and acquiring resources.

Changes necessary over time and changes due to technology innovation will exemplify informed decision-making.

The visioning process includes the community and school partners who provide expertise, support, and resources to extend and advise on technology implementation. The community must see that technology is a valuable tool for teachers and their students and must be willing to support it in the political process from the boardroom to the state house.

Policies can either support or hinder the implementation of technology. As decision-makers develop new policies, they must consider how the policies affect and acquisition of and access to technology. Some major barriers to the use of technology relate to faculty expectations regarding incentives and reward structures. The expectation for the use of technology must cut across all subject areas and teacher preparation contexts so that faculty and teacher candidates can be assured that their work will be valued.

Policies related to technical assistance should also support the use of technology rather than obstruct it. For example, although firewalls are essential in the school environment, there are ways to provide dial-up and remote access while maintaining the security of campus servers. At the school level, there are ways to control students’ Internet access to unwanted images and information while maintaining an environment of exploration and inquiry

1. Low Technology schools offer students computers which lack sufficient memory and processor speed to use common web browsers or access multimedia content. Computers are usually in a lab environment, rather than in classrooms. Low Tech teachers have little or no technology training. Low Tech schools may look on the cost of technology for education as a one-time capital expenditure and lack long-term technology plans.

2. Mid-Tech schools often use computers to encourage students to complete traditional class work. Most students do not use computers regularly, and software is not regularly upgraded. In these schools, computers are "extras," used by students for isolated, fragmented activities. Students report that computer use is routine, sometimes boring, and only remotely related to the curriculum. Computers are rarely used for research or creative functions. The main barrier to technology integration in Mid-Tech schools is the lack of professional development and technical support. A majority of teachers in these schools have had no technology-related professional development.

3. High Technology schools offer students networked multimedia computers that are connected to the Internet and World Wide Web in the classroom. Many teachers have integrated technology into the curriculum and students use technology to research, create and communicate. High Tech school may lack on-site technical support, which causes teachers to loose time with students over technical problems.

4. Target Technology schools integrate technology throughout the curriculum. Students and teachers use current digital resources both in the classroom and online. Students and teachers use digital means to communicate with each other internally, as well as with parents, students, teachers and experts around the country. These schools provide on-site technical support and exhibit an ongoing commitment to educator professional development. "The common element in these schools is an excitement about collaborative learning that engages students in relevant, real-world problem solving."

The University of Texas at Austin 
For comments or more information, please e-mail us at itpm2004_instructor@teachnet.edb.utexas.edu.  
© 2004 Paul E. Resta