Thursday
Mar162006
No voting, no whining
Thursday, March 16, 2006 at 01:58PM Both ALA and ISTE elections are in progress. It takes only a few minutes to vote online. Voting is a simple way to give yourself the right to complain about your organization.
I am running for a second and final term for the ISTE Board. I encourage you to read all the board candidate profile and choose the person who you believe will best represent you. To me, it doesn't look like you can make any bad choices. Again, I can assure you that the incumbents are conscientious, thoughtful, hardworking people (present company excepted).
Below are my "qualifying statements" which I submitted when deciding to run for a second term. It's my story and I am sticking with it!
Guiding Questions
Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology, Mankato (MN) Schools
dougj@ doug-johnson.com
December 21, 2005
What skills, level of involvement with ISTE, and experiences in the area of educational technology qualify the nominee to serve on the ISTE Board? (limit 250 words)
As a classroom teacher, as a school library media specialist, as a technology director, and as a university adjunct faculty member, I have been working with educational technologies since 1976. I promise to continue to bring a sense of “pragmatic idealism” to the ISTE board if reelected.
I have served ISTE in three main capacities:
1. A presenter of workshops and sessions at the past three NECC conferences
2. Frequent contributor to Leading & Learning of both feature articles and editor/author of the Media Matters column.
3. Serving on the ISTE Board for the past two years. I have participated in all board meetings, attended both NECC conferences, and have served as an active member of the Membership Committee. I also spearheaded writing the ISTE Membership Ethics during my tenure of the board.
My past leadership experience includes working on a variety of state and national library committees and task forces, serving in a variety of official positions including president in my state media/technology organization (MEMO, an ISTE Affiliate), and working on a variety of committees and work groups for the state of Minnesota’s Department of Education. I have testified on technology issues for state legislative committees, helped write state standards and technology plans; and chaired state-wide media/technology conferences. I am a “charter” member of the ISTE SIGMS.
Identify the three most salient issues in educational technology and discuss how the nominee thinks they affect K–12 education and the educational community. (limit 250 words)
1. The use of technology as a tool in teaching information literacy, research and problem-based learning units. The “flattening world” will ask schools to produce graduates who don’t just use technology, but use it to communicate, create and solve-problems effectively. Identifying “knowledge worker” skills will continue to be a challenge in education and one that ISTE can play a lead role.
2. The use of technology in the field of school libraries. As we all grapple with the impact of “Web 2.0,” educators will need to teach students better ways to deal with both the quantity and quality of information gathered from blogs, wikis, and other new online sources. The role of the librarian and technologist continue to meld with both professions learning from and dependent of each other. We need to do a better job in assessing student performance in both information and technology literacies.
3. The safe and ethical use of information technologies. While society understands the need for students to be information and technology literate, it is also rightly concerned about the potential dangers and unethical uses of these powerful resources. ISTE needs to take a lead in assuring students and educators not only can use technology, but can protect their privacy, value intellectual property, and use technology in ways that best meet the developmental and educational needs of all students.
How does the nominee envision leveraging his/her position on the ISTE Board to benefit ISTE members? (limit 250 words)
Were I to be chosen to serve on the ISTE board for another term, I would continue to represent the teachers, library media specialists, and technology coordinators who work with technology on a daily basis - facing genuine challenges, uncertainties and frustrations everyday - but who remain truly excited about what the intelligent use of technology can do for both students and staff members.
I would remain a visible conduit from the membership to the board and executives of the ISTE organization, sharing member concerns and hopes. I would like to see an effort made for ISTE and AASL (American Association of School Librarians) to work more closely and collaborate on a single set of revised information and technology literacy standards that could be used as exemplary documents for both organizations.
Keeping ISTE a member-focused, responsive and transparent organization that can change in response to new technologies, new educational opportunities, and new demands placed on schools and ISTE members, will remain my primary goal.
Regardless of the election outcome, please know that I will carry any message the ISTE leadership I can.
Oh, and don't forget to vote in the ALA elections as well. School librarians have a poor track record for voting. (We could have had Barbara Stripling instead of current president had our school librarians all voted!)
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