NETS*A Now What?

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NECC 2009 was a great learning experience for me, and I continue to reflect and ponder many thoughts and ideas from my time in Washington D.C. With the start of school right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about the impact of ISTE’s release of the NETS for Administrators (NETS*A). When I say I’m thinking about their impact, I’m actually wondering if they’ll have any impact at all for us.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that the majority of people attending technology conferences and workshops are the people in the technology department with a few exceptions. There have been two groups from our school district noticeably absent from these technology conferences and workshops, and those two groups of people are regular classroom teachers and administrators. The drive behind this post is to put all the questions I have in my head in print and hopefully get some feedback on how to get them answered or how to proceed this school year. Here is why I wonder if the NETS*A will have any impact…

Will our administrators use NETS*A?
How will they use them?
How do we as an Ed Tech team get administrators involved?
What’s the best way to show administrators what good classroom technology use looks like?
How much progress is possible without administrators on board?
Will we be able to show them how important technology is in education?

Any possible answers or suggestions you could provide would be greatly appreciated. I will attempt to make this issue a priority this school year because I feel as though we need them completely on board to make the changes that are necessary in today’s educational setting. I think both district and building administrators can be great leaders. Their experience, knowledge, and leadership skills are invaluable to the goal of continued improvement in education.