The vision of Alberto Meléndez Torres High School is to develop the technological skills necessary for the 21st Century for students, teachers and the community at large. This also includes achieving and transforming educational excellence, access and equal opportunities, developing knowledge, educational experiences, and strengthening the skills of digital citizens.

This school year has been one of the biggest challenges for our education system, teachers, students and the community at large. Integrated technology was developed in accordance with the needs that have emerged during the 2020-2021 school year process. The vision, mission and goals of the Puerto Rico Department of Education and the Technology and Curriculum Unit were also taken into consideration during the development of this vision. After meeting with the school principal, I formalised the integrated technology vision to include: A 21st century educational institution, transforming students' education into meaningful, creative learning and promoting parental involvement and empowerment of educational leaders. When we talk about technology integration it is not just in the classroom with students, but rather technology empowerment, for teachers, students and the wider school community.

To begin the process of writing and formalising the integrated technology vision, I considered ideas for an integrated, global technology vision focused on students, teachers and the wider community, where they are empowered, educated and trained in technology skills for the 21st century. After determining what the integrated vision should be, I presented it to the school principal. The vision was also shared with two teachers to help me keep it aligned with the vision.

A group effort is needed to achieve the integrated vision. All roles play a crucial and extremely important role in achieving the purpose of the vision. The principal plays a pivotal role, as she knows the needs of her school community. She has the ability to determine how the vision will be set. In my role as an MRUC resource teacher, I have the ability to execute that vision because I model and train teachers on technology tools, provide strategies for teachers to master digital resources, and am able to provide mentoring to my colleagues. It is crucial to stay at the forefront of up-to-date digital media and as an innovator in the school, in order to achieve the vision and along with it the plans set out. Teachers carry out the implementation of the vision because their direct experience in the classroom gives them mastery of their subjects and knowledge of how to integrate identified digital tools. It is very important that they are involved and empowered in setting the vision for students, teachers and the wider community.

Teamwork, motivation in the evaluation process and the principal's confidence in my ability to do this work were essential parts of achieving an integrated vision of shared technology. Our integrated technology vision aims to create digital citizens and empower teachers with innovative technology tools that transform the teaching and learning process, empower students to be authors of their knowledge and provide them with the technology tools to continue their growth as digital citizens.

The Visionary Leadership for Technology Usemicro-credential requires collaborative work to envision and plan technology-focused change initiatives. When I submitted the micro-credential I had the opportunity to work on developing a vision for technology integrated into the education community. The micro-credential presented information that served as a guide and reference for establishing a vision. The requirements of the micro-credential guide you in what is needed to obtain it using existing evidence or planning future integration projects in the school. The work done will be useful for future innovative projects to achieve technology integration in educational settings.

This work was made possible through our partnership with Global Education Exchange Opportunities (GEEO). Explore the Digital Promise micro-credentialing platform and start earning your micro-credentials today.

 

Original source: https://digitalpromise.org/2021/06/28/coaches-use-micro-credentials-to-support-21st-century-tech-skills/