Rachel Turner

EDTC 630

Technology Professional Interview

Kaneene Livingston is the technology coach at Rolling Terrace

Elementary School. RTES is a large Title 1 school in Montgomery County,
serving over 960 students. Within this large school there is one computer
lab, which is home to 30 desktop computers. This year, RTES has
integrated Chromebook carts in every third and fifth grade classroom, with
enough Chromebooks for every child in the class. The fourth grade team
at RTES shares 1 laptop cart for the grade. The integration of these
various technology tools, planning for tech use, and professional
development training for staff all fall under the role of our technology
coach.
The typical day for the school technology coach is a busy one. Days
consist of training meetings, planning meetings, co-teaching with
classroom teachers, fixing technology issues in the building, and
instructing students in the computer lab on digital citizenship. After
speaking with Ms. Livingston, it was evident that the most important part
of her day is working with teachers to ensure that student learning is being
supported and enriched through technology use. According to the ISTE
Technology Coach Standards, a technology coach assists teachers in
using technology effectively for assessing student learning, differentiating

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EDTC 630

instruction, and providing rigorous, relevant, and engaging learning

experiences for all students (ISTE, 2011). This support is offered in a
variety of ways. The technology coach attends grade-level planning
meetings each week. At these meetings, the technology coach assists the
classroom teachers as they plan for the curriculum standards. As the
teachers plan each week, the coach is there to offer guidance and ideas
about various tools and ways to integrate technology into the lessons to
supplement the learning. The technology coach also attends planning
meetings to assist in planning for and integrating information literacy
standards of the curriculum. For example, current 4th grade curriculum
requires students to research specific social studies content in order to
create podcasts about the topic. During this unit, information literacy
standards state that students need to use a variety of print and non-print
sources, evaluate sources to meet the information need, and use
appropriate citation of sources used (MCPS, n.d.). In this example, the
technology coach is able to provide teachers with a plethora of ideas,
sites, programs, tools, and apps that can be used by students during both
the research and podcast creation phases of this unit. By co-planning, the
classroom teacher and technology coach are combining efforts and
expertise to provide students with the best learning experience possible.
While planning with classroom teachers, the desire and need for
specific trainings and workshops becomes evident. As the technology

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coach shares different ideas and tools with teachers, she is able to see
where certain trainings might be needed. As stated by Ms. Livingston,
When I was working with the 5th grade team a few weeks ago, I was
showing them a new app for math on the Chromebooks. During that time I
noticed that several of the teachers were still uncomfortable with
Chromebook use. Right then and there, we planned a meeting for later
that same week where I could go over basic Chromebook functions and
capabilities with the team. This allowed for the teachers to get the
necessary information through a training that was more appropriate for
their level of technology use. Ms. Livingston also spoke about a time
when several teachers, across grade-levels, came to her about hosting
Skype interviews/sessions in their classrooms. After seeing this great
demand, the coach hosted a school-wide training session about Skype, its
uses, and possibilities. An integral part of being a technology coach is
providing professional development trainings for staff. By providing staff
with the necessary trainings, they in turn have the tools needed to go back
and support their students. This part of the technology coachs day
directly connects to the ISTE Standard 4, which states Technology
coaches design, develop, and implement technology rich professional
learning programs that model principles of adult learning and promote
digital age best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment (ISTE,
2011).

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EDTC 630

Another necessary part of the technology coachs day is troubleshooting, maintaining equipment, and assisting in technology issues that
occur. Throughout such large school buildings, errors or problems with
technology are bound to arise. In such instances, the schools technology
coach is able to assist in getting technology back up and running.
Assisting staff with issues pertaining to computers, documents cameras,
Promethean Boards, printers, Wi-Fi connections, is part of the role of a
technology coach. By ensuring that technology is up and running
properly, the coach is supporting each classroom, teacher, and student, by
providing them with functional tools! As stated in standard 3 of the ISTE
Technology Coach Standards, another responsibility of the technology
coach is to Troubleshoot basic software, hardware, and connectivity
problems common in digital learning environments (ISTE, 2011).
After planning, training, and meeting throughout the typical day, the
quoted best part of the technology coachs day is interacting with
students. Co-teaching or teaching in classroom/ computer lab allows the
technology coach to apply their expertise directly to student learning. In
the classroom/computer lab, the technology coach is modeling appropriate
and effective use of various technology tools that support curriculum
standards. When working with students, the children are learning more indepth knowledge about specific programs or apps, and are getting
firsthand experience interacting with a variety of tools. The technology

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coach is excited and eager to integrate new tools for student use. With
the assistance of the coach, students are able to manipulate, explore, and
use a variety of tools at such a young age, including: eReaders, document
cameras, tablets, video cameras, sound boards, digital cameras, and
more.
Another aspect of my career is heading the technology committee
at our school, stated technology coach, Ms. Livingston. As the
chairperson for this committee, the coach works closely with
administration and other committee members to bring as many
technology tools to the school as we can. In years past, this role has
involved writing grants and technology requests for technology funding.
As part of the technology leadership standard, the technology coach
Advocates for policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to
support technology programs at the school (ISTE, 2011). School
funding and budgets are often tied up with politics, which means
technology coaches need to be savvy in getting technology funding for
their school. Applying for grants, updating requests, and advocating to
donors are some of the funding requirements of the technology coach. By
receiving additional funds for technology, the coach is supplying the
school and students with the tools they need to be successful.
Technology coaches throughout Montgomery County Public Schools
in Maryland are supported through the districts Office of the Chief

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Technology Officer. This office helps supply technology systems and tools
for schools and students throughout the county. Each technology coach
works closely with assigned Information Technology Systems Specialists
(ITSS) for larger maintenance issues in the building. While the coach is
capable of maintaining equipment and helping to troubleshoot smaller
issues, the ITSS is needed when/if networking or software configuration
issues arise. The ITSS serves as a contact person to the districts
technology office and is an additional support for the technology coach.
These two positions work closely together to ensure that both the
hardware and software are the school is working in a proper manner.
Ms. Connors, the principal of Rolling Terrace Elementary gave insight
to the qualifications of the technology coach position. This position is to
be held by an educator who is highly qualified for the job. These
qualifications include: Several successful years of experience of teaching
in the general classroom. Has an advanced degree in the field of
technology as it relates to the world of education. Someone who has
strong leadership abilities and is skilled in the areas of coaching and
collaborative planning and instruction. Lastly, since this position requires
the coach to collaborate and work with staff and students throughout the
entire building, solid organizational skills are essential. Together, the
above listed qualifications help to create a well-informed and effective
technology coach.

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EDTC 630

After interviewing Ms. Livingston and discussing the role of a

technology coach, it is clear that this is a highly useful and influential role
in schools today. The technology coach provides benefits for teachers,
administration, and students alike. Through professional development
trainings provided by the technology coach, teachers gain the skills
necessary to integrate technology into their classrooms. Students benefit
from informed teachers, as well as from teaching/co-teaching
opportunities from the technology coach. Schools benefit from the
technology expertise, financial funding through grants, and the strong
advocacy for technology integration provided by the technology coach.
The technology coach position positively impacts the school, student, and
staff community as they work towards technology integration for
educational enrichment.

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EDTC 630

References
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2011). ISTE
standards for coaches. Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-C_PDF.pdf
Montgomery County Pubic Schools (MCPS). (n.d.) Grade 4 information
literacy standards. Retrieved from https://mymcpsinstruction.mcpsmd.org/sites/ic/_layouts/mcps.olc.home/resourceview.
aspx?ResourceID=21374&ViewPage=1