Technology in education has become a dynamic catalyst in promoting change in communication and learning opportunities for students of all ages, from all backgrounds, across all economic profiles. Technology has set the stage for a transformation in learning for students, teachers, communities and all stakeholders in a community of learners.
    The readings this week promoted the potential of how purposeful technology is critical in educational partnerships in all forms. In the district I currently am involved with, technology has been pivotal in learning for students, staff and community. At its base, all staff are routinely trained or offered training in aspects of technology critical to their role in education. The community supports the integration of technology into daily purpose. Individual web sites are created by schools, students and staff addressing lessons, information, curriculum, an district information, including district report card data. Expectations for staff are high to develop specific lessons, purposely integrate technology and technology standards into curriculum areas and use current technology as a means of communication with parents and colleagues. Examples may include taking the form of webquest development, forms of differentiation meeting individual needs, and data analysis. Staff information is accessed through intra-district connections, including registration for staff development classes, rubrics, lessons, assessments and intra-district forms. Intra-district curriculum access provides links to resources with easy access to primary and secondary sources for all levels of curriculum integration. Skill development, in the use of technology tools, such as presentation options, video editing and math and scientific applications (including calculator based labs and probes), incorporate exciting and varied connections for all learners.
    Constructivist approaches in the classroom encourage connections for all learners and embrace professional growth, provide direction and conditions for challenging performance and transformation within the school to take place. Professional development is critical for changes in the classroom to be welcomed. Major changes in the roles and responsibilities of individuals and teams, (which are present at my school at the middle school level), encourage collaboration and dynamic reform.
    Jane David, in Realizing the Promise of technology: The Need for Systemic Education Reform, talks about moving toward an image of schools and community centers as learning organizations. This move would be encouraging, as community response to ownership in the education of all learners is imperative. Using schools as community learning centers, after routine school hours, for activities other than sport involvement, would be a change for facilities. The possibilities for video technologies, telecommunications and collaborative projects would be a dynamic community resource. The new facility that our district is building has 3 separate Distance Learning Labs that have great potential for community involvement and interactive projects to be developed.
    In Live and Learn, Chapter 1, numerous references were made to approaches of methodology and inviting change and collaboration in the classroom. The proposal for the dynamics of learning that could be taking place are exciting and promote methods and applications that all learners could be part of. The system fro community and business involvement holds many possibilities.
    Along all the lines of change, professional development is key to the potential for developing effective technology. Hand in hand with changes and opportunities, is the role of educational leaders. Leadership in this time of change needs to be dynamic, not static.