Technology Specialist vs Media Specialist

We are all aware of the overwhelming consumption of technology that is taking place in the 21^st century. Students have adapted to this lifestyle as well as many forms of instruction. Technology has proven to have benefits to learning capabilities – to overall engage and help instruction to stick in one’s memory. There’s such a vast amount of options, programs, applications, software, etc. that learning opportunities are endless. There is literally no excuse for basic and non-interactive technology based learning, especially when so many resources are available. The fact of the matter is that for most schools within the US, the government and local communities ensure that schools are provided with funds to improve and grow resources in order to aid in instruction. The goal is for students to grow and learn in a way that is beneficial for themselves and society. So, why not engage, improve, inspire, and teach through a system that has proven to enhance literacy development, impact language acquisition, motivate students and enhance self-esteem – that’s technology. However, if teachers have limited scope and training of technology and/or the knowledge to incorporate technology into their lesson, then students will miss out on such great benefits. Teachers dedicate most of their time in a classroom, instructing students for most of the day. When students leave for the day or when teachers have their planning blocks, teachers can then focus on lesson planning, strategy development and data/grade analysis. Is there really enough time for teacher to seek out new technology opportunities that will compliment their classroom instruction perfectly? My opinion is, no. However, if teachers can’t, who will? And more importantly, who will inspire, advise and train teachers?

Technology Specialist

School districts are now dedicating more time and energy into the integration of technology. There is a whole department of technology specialist in many schools that focus directly on training and assisting teachers and staff with technology focused instruction. Atlanta Public Schools employs Educational Technology Specialist, who has the sole responsibility to explore, learn and teach teachers across the district new resources to compliment instruction.  From my experience, technology specialist travel to their assigned schools upon request or when there is a required training for all employees. Teachers and staff have the ability to request one-on-one time for any technology need. However, I personally do not feel like teachers use the specialist enough. The International Society for Technology in Education has standards for coaches to reference and use. Every coach should read, consider and reinforce these standards. The focus is detailed in a way that it covers all angels – that’s are very important in education. The four standards covered by the ISTE Standards are, (1) Visionary leadership, (2) Teaching, learning, and assessment, (3) Digital age learning environments (4) Professional development and program evaluation, (5) Digital Citizenship, and (6) Content knowledge and professional growth are all expanded and broken down strategically (ISTE, 2015).  Click here for the ISTE Standards for Coaches

Media Specialist

Media Specialists are next in line – or depending on the media specialist and his/her technology knowledge and capabilities, they are on the same level in many cases. Media specialists are expected to follow some of the same standards as coaches. I have noticed that teachers automatically go to media specialist for technology issues or reference. Their duties include training and exploring resources to incorporate into the library’s resources. Media specialist also has the flexibility to attend webinars, go to trainings or search for new resources to compliment various lessons. In my opinion, media specialist can be more resourceful than technology specialist because they actually work in the school; they know the students and the staff; and they are familiar with the schools data. Media specialists are accessible immediately and they regularly attend grade level meetings. During lesson planning and weekly professional development, media specialists have the opportunity to introduce and incorporate technology.

Overall, technology focus is very effective when used in the right way. Training is very necessary and having the support available is imperative. I agree with the standards and will definitely add it as a reference when considering my position when incorporating technology.

ISTE Standards for Coaches. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-coaches

Team 7 Blog 6 Technology Training Angie Wood

Summary of  ISTE Standards for Coaches/White Paper  Three case studies were conducted and these three areas were reviewed and tested. 1,  Professional Development  an dhow it could impact teacher outcomes with higher scores on standardized test for students.  These activities made connections with standards, instruction, and technology.  They realized that time had to be taken to understand the technology and use it to the maximum potential.  That for the technology to increase the students assessment scores it had to be a long duration and ongoing as it connected teaching, learning, and technology.   2.  Instructional Coaching  These leaders have to take in the Big 4 framework and use all four principles to help teachers.  a. Classroom management b. Content planning c. Instruction d. Assessment for learning.   The Instructional coaches are there to guide he teachers through the manuals, checklist and hold one on one or small group meetings to help the teachers collaborate, prepare, model, observe and also provide feedback to the teachers. I really think this is an important role to have.  The IC should be able explain and model to the teachers then allow them to take the information back into the classroom.  I think the IC should go to a classroom and teach the lesson with the technology they are exploring as a model to the teachers.  As the teachers take the information back to their own personal classroom they can then as the IC to observe and give ideas of how they can refine the process of making each lesson better with the technology available.   They also suggested having a online support area and a face-to-face support group.  Which is a very good idea.  Many times  the teacher must continue with her teaching and lesson plans when the technology chooses not to work or the internet is down etc but the students are there and waiting.  I think it is most important to make sure it is up and working before the students come in and also to have a plan b in place in case it doesn't work.  Technology is GREAT when it works! Having all this in place will help the teacher be less stressed. 3. Peer Coaching is where teachers are trained to help their colleagues as they integrate technology into their classrooms.  The main focus is collaboration.  They can strengthen each other and help improve on learning as they share activities and talk among them selves sharing what they already know will work and trying new things as they engage in instructional strategies.     They have to understand that best practices need to be looked at as they integrate technology into their teaching and into the students lives.  They have to asses, set goals, prepare, implement activities, and analyze then debrief.   The most important factor that was found here is again "teachers work and benefit from new technology as they see their coach model a technology rich lesson."   The ISTE  list 10 tips for leveraging technology, coaching and community in this link:
file:///C:/Users/pc/Downloads/Coaching_Whitepaper_digital.pdf
1, Learning with technology is more important than learning about technology - "Increase skills"
2. Relevance wins - "Keep knowledge relevant with teachers own needs"
3. Keep Millennial in mind - "Give younger teachers learning experiences"
4. Relationships matter - "Build trust in teachers"
5. Be Inclusive - "Don't work on your own"
6. Trust the Process - "long term plans "
7. Share your progress - "teachers are implementing what they are learning"
8. Make the most of your time - "work with in the budget and use what you have"
9. Take technology mainstream - "PD can benefit from the integration of technology together you are better."
10. Leverage the World  -  "Don't reinvent the wheel"

I used the ISTE standards for teachers, students, and administrators and was excited to see that they a have it broken down for coaches too.  I considered the Media Specialist in between a teacher and an administrator. It is good to see helps for the coaches as well and that all the ISTE standards link together.

Last year the school that I volunteered at had a wonderful Media Specialist that help "Tech tips" three times a month.  He would demonstrate something new and how to use it in the classroom for about thirty minutes after school. He would also come and visit a teachers classroom and show the class how to use the technology.  He was a great asset to the teachers and the school.

I would follow suit and use my mentors suggestions of holding thirty minute "Tech tips" during the school year and always being available to help the teachers with something new by allowing time to demonstrate it at a faculty meeting for about 5 minutes or schedule a time in their classroom.  I also think that the Computer lab/technology specialist in the school should work closely with the Media Specialist and collaborate these skills.  He or She can teach the students how to use a certain type of technology in their classroom and once the teacher gets training from the media specialist then the students and teacher will be on the same page and it will go smoother in the teachers classroom once she or he implements the new form of technology as an instructional piece.

The media specialist must: Have a vision and look for ways to support technology to the students, teach implementation, and help manage the process from school to classroom. They must engage learning and coach teachers by model and implementation using differentiation, creativity, higher order thinking skills and help teachers and students produce products that link to education and improve instructional practice. The media specialist can create a variety of learning environments whether in the media center, classroom, one on one, or in a faculty meeting. They must help troubleshoot issues with the technology and help teachers feel confident about their use of technology in the classroom.  They can have a needs assessment as they design, develop and implement technology.  There needs to be an evaluation tool that allows the faculty to see if the technology is being used and effective in the classroom with the teachers and students.


Jeremy's take on staff development is that he is there to help the teachers as much as he can with new technology and help them learn and be comfortable using it in their classroom.  He is also there to support them in any new endeavors they see and what to explore.  He is continuing to support the kids with learning as they come to the media center and collaborates with the computer lab manager how and when they need to work together and get the students on one page. His goal is to make learning fun and by doing so the students will soak in as much as possible and do well on their assessments. The teachers will feel confident knowing they have someone they can turn to in time of need when new technology comes in or there is a problem with making theirs work.