Running head: NETS-A STANDARD ANALYSIS

National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators Analysis: Standard Three

Matthew C. Tyler
Coastal Carolina University

NETS-A STANDARD ANALYSIS

Standard three of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for

Administrators focuses on excellence in professional practice. Standard three asserts,
Educational Administrators promote an environment of professional learning and innovation
that empowers educators to enhance student learning through the infusion of contemporary
technologies and digital resources (International Society for Technology in Education, 2009). In
summary, standard three focuses on the ability of educational administrators to keep abreast of
evolving technology which can enhance student learning. Administrators allocate time,
resources, and access to technology integration. Learning communities which encourage
communication and collaboration foster the use of technology. In addition, educational research
on the evolving effective use and evaluation of technology is implemented.
I feel that it is of great importance for educational administrators to create a strong
leadership team that can stay abreast of the evolving world of technology. Technology is
changing so quickly that it is imperative to be knowledgeable of the best ways to meet the needs
of diverse learners. In the 90s the creation of the World Wide Web and the release of the internet
to the public began the shift towards technology in the classroom. More resources became
accessible for instructors to utilize during planning and classroom implementation. In 2000
computers became more accessible and were integrated in the classroom. Now that
contemporary technology and digital resources are widely available and in place in the
classrooms, pedagogically sound implementation methods are growing rapidly. As a result,
professional growth and innovation that empowers educators to enhance student learning is vital
so that they can stay abreast of the most effective research based strategies.
I performed research regarding the application of this standard at _____Universitys ___
center, _______________. Since I am a Graduate Assistant who has worked over a year in the

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____ department, I arranged an interview with the Assistant Director of _______, ________, to
gain information about standard two. Various sources of data were used to research the digital
age learning culture of the department and university. Together, we examined the following
documents: _____ Online assessment data (a departmental self-assessment that is part of the
university wide assessment plan), the University Strategic Plan, _____ Faculty Needs
Assessment data, __faculty development session surveys, _____ newsletters, and the
departmental website. My personal knowledge based on work experience as a Graduate Assistant
within the department was also utilized.
Standard three, indicator one, focuses on the administrator ensuring that faculty are
knowledgeable about the latest technology tools and are able to utilize them. Time, resources,
and access are valuable components to ensure that this is carried out. As a part of this standard,
administration identifies technologies they regularly use to support their work. At ____ staff
meetings, effective technologies that can help instructors meet their students diverse needs are
discussed. Technology self- assessment occurs after ___ faculty development sessions. The ___
staff receives session surveys in regards to the effectiveness of their technology sessions. As a
self-assessment, the ___ staff members review the surveys in order to see how effective they are
with their technology skills, and determine how they can improve. Also, the staff has bi-monthly
meetings in which they reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in regards to technology skills.
The _____ staff recognizes that effective technology use requires ongoing education. The staff
continues their education by obtaining advanced degrees, earning graduate certificates in
specified areas, performing research on various areas of faculty development, and publishing
academic articles for associations such as the American Educational Research Association. The
____ staff also attend and present at national and international conferences. Just this summer, I

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presented at the Association Supporting Computer Users in Education (ASCUE). The ____ staff
are also members of national professional committees. For example, I am on two peer review
committees for the American Educational Research Association.
Indicator two stresses the importance of excellence in professional practice through the
implementation of learning communities that foster support for administrators, faculty, and staff
in the study and use of technology. The _____ staff realizes the importance of collaboration.
Frequent collaborative efforts occur between ____ staff, faculty development centers at other
universities, and ______ University faculty. Each _____ staff member is a reflective practitioner
and self-evaluates the effectiveness of new technology being integrated. They realize there are
various forms of technology based communication systems. Online newsletters, faculty
development websites, emails, e-boards, and social media posts have been examined and
utilized. ____ understands that ___ faculty are varied demographically. This developed a need
for _____ to use various forms of communication to reach all faculty members. Presently,
technology based communication systems are not used to determine strengths and weaknesses.
Indicator three promotes the effective communication and collaboration of stakeholders
through the use of digital age tools. Faculty have not had expectations communicated to them in
regards to the use of technology to improve productivity. This is of great concern to me.
However, the appropriate use of technology is modeled in every ____ faculty development
session. Asana and Trello are two project management programs that are effective and shared
during sessions on this topic. It helps departments assign tasks and monitor the completion of
each task. _____ offers numerous technology sessions and individual faculty consultations. They
have Certificate Institutes related to technology proficiencies. For example, the Distance
Learning Institutes, Online Course Design Coach, and the Teaching Effectiveness Institute are all

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implemented. During the summer, an entire week, called Teaching with Technology Week, is
dedicated to teaching faculty how to implement technology effectively. On-going professional
development opportunities at ______ are research based. In addition, faculty needs assessments
are used to inform _______ of faculty needs so that faculty sessions can be developed.
Money, and faculty attitude regarding their perception of change, are two of the major
obstacles we face in regards to change. Committees made up of ______ staff, ____ Advisory
Board Members, and a Distance Learning Committee collaborate and immediately make
decisions regarding obstacles as they arise. In addition, _____ awards incentives such as
certificates, grants, and badges to faculty members who participate in learning institutes or have
a given cumulative point total in a specific area. We make sure that faculty members understand
that it is okay to integrate technology slowly so that they feel comfortable doing so. If they try to
do too much too quickly they will get frustrated, the students will get frustrated, and the
integration of technology will not seem purposeful.
Indicator four focuses on staying abreast of evolving technology tools and encouraging
evaluation to determine their effectiveness. Every two weeks we review session surveys for
faculty satisfaction. We look for recommendations in session surveys and faculty needs. ____
recognizes that various technologies can be used to support staff development in other areas. ___
has researched various delivery methods for staff development. Currently, ____ delivers staff
development through individual consultations, ongoing weekly faculty development sessions,
and occasional weekend sessions. ____ just implemented ___Online, which is faculty
development sessions hosted through Moodle. This provides the faculty a flexible schedule so
that they can participate in faculty development when it best fits their busy schedules. ___ often

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has vendors speak with faculty regarding their technology product. Recently Turning
Technologies hosted a faculty development session on how to use clickers in the classroom.
In regards to standard three, I have a high level of concern primarily because faculty have
not had expectations communicated to them at an institutional level in regards to the use of
technology to improve productivity inside and outside of their classrooms. There are faculty
members who are reluctant to use technology, so faculty attitude regarding their perception of
change is a concern. If faculty are not expected to use technology in productive ways, it is hard
to develop a digital age culture. I do not feel that the university should dictate and micro-manage
exactly how the technology should be utilized. However, I feel that the use of technology
innovation and engaging strategies should be nonnegotiable. At this point in time, the university
as a whole has not clearly established an expectation that a culture should develop that
encourages innovative teaching with the implementation of technology. However, _____ is
dedicated to reaching as many instructors as possible so that they can become educated and
informed of its many benefits.
I feel that ____ has implemented strategies to effectively meet many of the indicators that
are within their realm of control. At _____, the staff realizes that students need to be actively
engaged and allowed processing time in order to retain knowledge in long term memory. Positive
interdependence, individual accountability, equal input, and simultaneous interaction all play a
role in productive classrooms because they are proven to enhance learning. In regards to
technology, it is a tool to accomplish student learning outcomes. When choosing tools it is of
great importance to choose the tool that is most effective, and to use the tool correctly. Therefore,
an extensive amount of time is spent on researching the most effective tools in various learning
environments. _____ staff collaborates to determine effective tools that meet faculty needs as

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indicated on faculty needs assessments, surveys, and faculty development session requests by the
instructors. Through attendance at national and international conferences, membership in
professional associations, and membership in professional special interests groups, _____ staff
are able to create a network with other experts in the field. This enables everyone involved to
share research based ideas and their effectiveness.
Once faculty needs, researched based tools, and strategies are determined, then it is
important to market the sessions and institutes effectively. Presently ____uses online and printed
newsletters, e-boards, social media, email, and the _____ website for such purposes. In regards
to further development in the area of marketing faculty sessions, I feel that there are ways in
which ____ could improve upon their effectiveness. Currently, there are no methods used to
determine the most effective marketing strategy for faculty development sessions. In regards to
marketing analytics, it would be beneficial if _____ session surveys included an indicator that
asks attendees how they heard about the specific session they attended.

NETS-A STANDARD ANALYSIS

References

____________ (2016). CeTEAL Mission Statement, Vision, and Departmental Goals. Retrieved
from https://www.coastal.edu/ ceteal/ aboutceteal/
International Society for Technology in Education (2009). National Educational Technology
Standards for Administrators. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/ISTEstandards/standards-for-administrators