1.1 Shared Vision
Candidates facilitate the development and implementation of a shared vision for the use of technology in teaching, learning, and leadership (PSC 1.1/ISTE 1a)
Artifacts:
1. Responsible Use Guidelines for Forsyth County Schools' Community
2. T.R.U.S.T. Presentation for Elementary Students
1. Responsible Use Guidelines for Forsyth County Schools' Community
2. T.R.U.S.T. Presentation for Elementary Students
Reflection:
In April 2013, the Forsyth County
Schools community made a decision to move from acceptable use policies to
responsible use guidelines in regard to using technology tools and resources. Implementation
of the Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) initiative and promotion of the 4Cs
(critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration) changed our
perspective about having a set of rules for students and staff to follow when
using technology. We wanted to set aside the long list of things users
should not do and create a list of clear expectations that would help us become
a community of responsible digital citizens.
I was honored to be invited to serve as a committee member for this process. I worked alongside principals, teachers, instructional technology specialists, media specialists, and board members to develop the guidelines that would reflect our vision. Our goal was to establish the same set of responsible use guidelines for staff and students of all ages. We wanted the guidelines to be short, precise, simple to understand, and easy to implement with teachers and students. The committee met multiple times in April-May 2013, and, as our outcome, the Responsible Use Guidelines document presented as artifact #1 above was created.
The development of this document began with research and exploration of responsible use guidelines from different counties and states. Our committee divided into smaller groups based on the school level: elementary, middle, and high. Each group looked at many examples and determined which guidelines were critical to represent our county's beliefs and vision about technology use. Collaboratively, the three groups designed a final draft of the document that was submitted for Board approval. The Board members provided feedback, revisions were made, and the final document was included into the Forsyth County Schools Code of Conduct and published on the County’s website.
As a next step, our committee worked to develop a plan for implementation of the newly formulated guidelines. As a representative from an elementary level, my job was to design a presentation for elementary school students that would explain each of the guidelines in a simple, easy to understand way. In collaboration with two other instructional technology specialists from elementary schools, a T.R.U.S.T. model (Think about privacy before posting, Recognize others’ work and ideas, Unleash learning with technology, Stand up to inappropriate use, Treat myself and others with respect) was created to manage the implementation of the new guidelines in elementary schools. Artifact #2 listed above is the Prezi presentation that was developed by the team as an implementation tool of the new guidelines. Every elementary student was required to view the presentation to learn about the new guidelines. In addition to the Prezi presentation, the design team worked throughout the school year to locate resources and develop lesson plans that would support and ensure the successful implementation of the program. Evidently, the outcomes described above had an impact and provided support to all schools in the district. The collaborative work of the team developed a shared vision for technology uses and developed digital resources to communicate it with teachers, students, and parents.
While reflecting on this process, I discovered that vertical collaboration can be very challenging. Educators from elementary through high school view technology integration and technology use through different lenses. Understanding and accepting the different views of all members was often a time consuming task. As an example, establishing the guidelines for using social media evoked a great deal of discussion. Elementary representatives were more apprehensive about parental opinions, while middle and high school staff were more concerned with cyber bullying issues and the need for constant supervision. A lesson learned from this process was the need for parental involvement. I would highly recommend that parents be invited to participate as members of the design team. Soliciting the parents’ views as technology is integrated into the school environment would enhance the decision-making process and strengthen Forsyth County Schools’ community.
I was honored to be invited to serve as a committee member for this process. I worked alongside principals, teachers, instructional technology specialists, media specialists, and board members to develop the guidelines that would reflect our vision. Our goal was to establish the same set of responsible use guidelines for staff and students of all ages. We wanted the guidelines to be short, precise, simple to understand, and easy to implement with teachers and students. The committee met multiple times in April-May 2013, and, as our outcome, the Responsible Use Guidelines document presented as artifact #1 above was created.
The development of this document began with research and exploration of responsible use guidelines from different counties and states. Our committee divided into smaller groups based on the school level: elementary, middle, and high. Each group looked at many examples and determined which guidelines were critical to represent our county's beliefs and vision about technology use. Collaboratively, the three groups designed a final draft of the document that was submitted for Board approval. The Board members provided feedback, revisions were made, and the final document was included into the Forsyth County Schools Code of Conduct and published on the County’s website.
As a next step, our committee worked to develop a plan for implementation of the newly formulated guidelines. As a representative from an elementary level, my job was to design a presentation for elementary school students that would explain each of the guidelines in a simple, easy to understand way. In collaboration with two other instructional technology specialists from elementary schools, a T.R.U.S.T. model (Think about privacy before posting, Recognize others’ work and ideas, Unleash learning with technology, Stand up to inappropriate use, Treat myself and others with respect) was created to manage the implementation of the new guidelines in elementary schools. Artifact #2 listed above is the Prezi presentation that was developed by the team as an implementation tool of the new guidelines. Every elementary student was required to view the presentation to learn about the new guidelines. In addition to the Prezi presentation, the design team worked throughout the school year to locate resources and develop lesson plans that would support and ensure the successful implementation of the program. Evidently, the outcomes described above had an impact and provided support to all schools in the district. The collaborative work of the team developed a shared vision for technology uses and developed digital resources to communicate it with teachers, students, and parents.
While reflecting on this process, I discovered that vertical collaboration can be very challenging. Educators from elementary through high school view technology integration and technology use through different lenses. Understanding and accepting the different views of all members was often a time consuming task. As an example, establishing the guidelines for using social media evoked a great deal of discussion. Elementary representatives were more apprehensive about parental opinions, while middle and high school staff were more concerned with cyber bullying issues and the need for constant supervision. A lesson learned from this process was the need for parental involvement. I would highly recommend that parents be invited to participate as members of the design team. Soliciting the parents’ views as technology is integrated into the school environment would enhance the decision-making process and strengthen Forsyth County Schools’ community.