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Temple University Center for Research
in Human Development and Education |
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Defining an Emerging
Role: The Instructional Technology Specialist in the Mid-Atlantic Region
111
by
Glenn E. Snelbecker, Susan Miller, Jill Teitelbaum, and Robert A. Coopers
The increased demand for teachers to use technology
resources has heightened the need for assistance in overcoming instructional
technology problems. To this end, a growing number of school districts now
employ "instructional technology specialists" (IT specialists) whose titles and
functions may differ across localities. In comparison with technicians who
install and repair equipment, IT specialists focus on ways that technology can
enhance teaching and learning along with solving hardware and software problems.
After briefly reviewing expectations about teachers' uses of
technology resources, several important issues are
identified concerning the kinds of instructional technology
support needed, along with a list of IT specialist
preparation opportunities in the mid-Atlantic region
(Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey,
and Pennsylvania). This techno-brief will (a) help
administrators and other educators become aware of IT
specialists, (b) promote cross-jurisdiction comparisons, and
(c) stimulate national as well as regional examinations of
these matters.
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Expectations About Teacher Competence and Use of
Technology Resources
Reflecting technology's growing role in the
teaching-learning process is the widely accepted assumption
that a typical classroom teacher should demonstrate at least
basic IT competencies. For example, the National Education
Association endorses the use of IT resources to improve
student learning (www.nea.org),
and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
has published National Educational Technology Standards
(NETS) for classroom teachers (http://cnets.iste.org/index3.html).
Many states have established teacher technology competencies
or have indicated that teachers must be competent in using
technology resources in helping students to attain
state-designated academic standards. Teacher preparation
programs have been modified to include stand-alone IT
courses or have embedded technology education across the
curriculum.
Determining the Titles and Functions of IT Specialists
Even as IT resources have become more common, important
changes are occurring in the nature of these resources and
in the many ways they can be used to facilitate learning.
Consequently, teachers and other professionals will need
support not only to get started using IT resources but also
to keep current with the rapidly changing nature and
educational application of IT resources. Educators and other
professionals need to recognize that life-long learning will
be necessary to become fluent in the use of changing
technology resources (see National Research Council,
Committee on Information Technology, 1999).
Despite general agreement about classroom teachers' IT
responsibilities, there is a lack of clarity regarding IT
specialists' roles. ISTE, in collaboration with the National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), has
prepared draft standards for IT specialists that include one
set of standards for IT facilitators and another set for IT
leaders. IT facilitators typically serve at building/school
levels, whereas IT leaders formulate policies at
state/regional/large-school-district levels.
There are various reasons for the ambiguities concerning IT
specialists. Questions exist about what ongoing support will
be needed by teachers and other educators. Erhart's (1997)
comments still are applicable today: "Schools have been
rolling along into this new era of technology entering into
the classroom, but no consideration was even given to the
concept of hiring a 'technology coordinator.' The truth is
that no one even has a clear picture of what a technology
coordinator really is, much less what the job description
would look like" (p. 64). There are different, and
justifiable, views about the kinds of roles and
responsibilities for IT specialists. Research designed to
address specific roles of school and district-level leaders
(Moallem & Micallef, 1997) indicates that technical
assistance and instructional guidance are chief
responsibilities. Some researchers seem to expect classroom
teachers to function on their own or to assist colleagues
(with or without release time). Others (Lowd, 1998; Strudler,
1994) have cast technology coordinators in the role of
change agent and political activist. After spending time
shadowing a computer coordinator, Marcovitz (1998)
identified major functions such as technician, trainer,
consultant, designer, and policymaker. It is generally
agreed that an IT specialist should not simply be a person
who initially sets up equipment and software, only to return
when there is a problem with equipment or software.
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