Leading the Way
Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL) is a certification available for educators. By completing a certification exam and adhering to the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) framework, technology leaders in education "are consistently the most qualified, skilled, and knowledgeable technology staff on their team" (CoSN, 2018, para. 4). CoSN also reports that having earned the credential and staying current with the certification process places technology leaders in a position to keep up-to-date on the latest happenings in technology as it relates to the field of education (CoSN, 2018).
Leaders in technology should use the CoSN framework as a guide to their work regardless of their certification status. The framework includes 10 skill areas with items specific to accomplish those skills. The items that fall within each skill area provide summaries of the what is included within each skill.
Leader:
"IE - Leverage appropriate relationships (opportunities) between emerging technology resources and the education process
Knowledge of: focus on effective, challenging, and engaging learning for all; value of new
technologies" (CoSN, 2018, p. 2).
Engineering is Elementary (EIE) has added the Engineering and Computer Science component to their product options. The grade level specific modules extend the learning from the company's science modules. Each module integrates a science concept into computer science learning experience. I am working with fifth grade teachers at Thompson Intermediate School to pilot the EIE "emerging technology resources" in their classrooms. I provide support through collaborative planning, co-teaching, and resource development.
During one class session, students were learning about the importance of pixels in photography. A photographer was the guest speaker during class and showed students how she changed the pixels in a photograph to add a hidden message. As she zoomed in on the photo, the message became visible. The classroom teacher used this experience to teach about binary code. Students created their own images using binary code in this Google Slide Deck.
The students had a blank slide to create an image and write the binary code for the 5 x 5 grid. Students were then given the binary code of a classmate and a blank grid. They used the code to build the image.
Observer:
"3E - Maintain safety of students and staff
Knowledge of: potential vulnerabilities and issues; best preventive practices; cybersecurity and
physical security; policies impacting vulnerabilities" (CoSN, 2018, p. 6).
I attended Parenting Day in Alabaster City to continue my relationships as a parent in the school community. One of the sessions I attended was led by a Shelby County Sherriff to inform parents about safety when it comes to our children and the Internet. Everything he discussed was new information for me because I had not looked through this lens as a parent before. I remember my heart racing as he talked about the various dangers that our children face as they become users of the Internet, social media, gaming, etc. I realized that I needed to stay aware of the most recent information on this topic. I took a picture of this particular slide because it was a quick reminder to me of how I felt that day and the importance of protecting my children from the cyber world.
Participant:
"4E - Stay abreast of state and national standards, benchmarks, and frameworks for technology literacy
Knowledge of: organizations responsible for developing and modifying standards; collaborating
with staff to share updates regarding standards; professional development associated with
standards" (CoSN, 2018, p. 7).
I was asked to join several colleagues to work on writing proficiency scales for the K-2 Digital Literacy and Computer Science (DLCS) standards that were released in 2018. We used the unpacked standards and our learning of proficiency scales from The Handbook for the New Art and Science of Teaching by Robert J. Marzano to support our work. We met over the course of two months to determine criteria for each level 1-4 for all of the DLCS standards kindergarten through second grade. Due to restrictions from the pandemic, we met virtually via Zoom to complete our work. The virtual meetings allowed us to work with colleagues across the state. We were assigned strands to review based on specific questions using the guidelines in the image below. Our work will now be reviewed by the leadership in our organization. We will then begin to provide professional development opportunities for teachers in the state regarding proficiency scales.
Leading the Way:
I work in a role that lends itself to many leadership opportunities. After closely reviewing the CoSN framework, I saw that "Leadership and Vision" and "Team Building and Staffing" were areas of strength for me. I had examples from my work with the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) in many of the items within these two areas. I was also able to identify some key items to target for my growth to support the work of AMSTI. I do not currently work directly with policies and procedures within the organization. I feel that I could still play a role in supporting these areas by increasing my understanding of state and federal laws as they relate to technology, reviewing the record keeping process within our organization, and volunteer for collaboration opportunities.
References
Consortium for School Networking. (2018). Value of the CETL, superintendents and edtech
https://www.cosn.org/framework
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