Membership Call with Tim Magner
 On April 27, Tim Magner, the newly appointed Director of the Office of Educational Technology for the U.S. Department of Education, participated in a conference call with ISTE SIGTC subscribers. Fielding member-submitted questions from ISTE CEO Don Knezek and SIGTC president Camilla Gagliolo, Magner outlined the direction he plans to take educational technology in his new role.
During the call, Magner said he hopes to guide the future of technology education by taking a more systemic and structured approach in its implementation. By doing so, he envisions future classrooms that would place information at the fingertips of students and teachers and where “technology will be transparent, like turning the light switch on, or getting water out of the water fountain.”
Working toward this goal, Magner will partner with ISTE at its annual conference (NECC) this year in order to gain more perspective from a key constituency, ISTE members.
“I’m hoping that we will be able to get some information from you about what’s working out there, about the kinds of systems that you have in place, some of the kinds of challenges you face, so that we can understand and learn about those implementation scenarios that do make a difference,” he said.
Before his appointment to his current office, Magner most recently served as the Executive Director of K-12 Education for the Microsoft Corporation. He has also served as Deputy Executive Director for the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Deputy Director for the Office of Educational Technology, and the Director of the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF).
He began his career as a social studies and theater teacher at the high school level in the United States and Europe, before moving on to a position as the Director of Technology for the Framingham Public Schools in Framingham, Massachusetts. He has also taught graduate courses in educational technology at Framingham State College and George Mason University.
Magner received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of William & Mary and a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University.
A Roundup of the Winter/Spring Discussions in SIG Communities
Did you know that each SIG has a discussion community on ISTE’s Web site? The communities are a great place to ask for help with a particular issue, share best practices, and combine resources. Below is a sampling of community discussion over the past few months.
SIGAdmin
- MySpace.com: Use in Schools
SIGHC
- Handheld computing resources: lesson plan sites, soft reset podcast, discussion forums
- NECC 06 Planning
- Active discussion on handheld wishlists—spreadsheet graphing, mobile phones, guided reading program, lesson plans, etc.
SIGIVC
- Ah-ha moments in interactive video conferencing use
SIGTE
- Addressing technology standards
- Classroom teachers: technology challenges and opportunities
SIGTC
Introducing New Classroom Teacher Forum in SIGTE's Online Community
Michael Freedman, a SIGTE subscriber and classroom teacher, is interested in connecting with fellow classroom teachers via a new forum in SIGTE's online community. Hoping to spark a discussion that supports teachers in becoming more effective technology users in the classroom, Freedman will also lead a Birds of a Feather session at NECC on the same topic, and is considering proposing a new classroom teacher SIG with enough demonstrated interest. SIGTE subscribers can visit MyCommunities to participate.
SIG Surveys
Over the past few months, ISTE’s Membership Department disseminated several member surveys to gauge knowledge and satisfaction of the Special Interest Group Program. We appreciate the input from everyone who participated in the surveys.
Several key observations were gleaned from the responses, namely that members would like to hear from us much more frequently, and that many members find that they have too little time to participate as fully as they would like. Below are more detailed takeaways.
Communication
Key Takeaway: Members would like to hear from us much more frequently.
- The vast majority (82%) of SIG subscribers would like to hear from ISTE (via their SIGs) at least several times per month.
Reasons for Participating
Key Takeaway: Members primarily value Special Interest Groups as a means for collaborating, sharing best practices, and convening like-minded colleagues.
- The top reasons SIG subscribers gave for adding SIGs to their ISTE memberships were sharing professional best practices, collaborating with colleagues, and receiving their SIG publication.
- When asked the open-ended question, “What is the main purpose of a Special Interest Group,” the majority of responses (72%) fell into the general category “Knowledge-sharing/collaborating.”
Member Satisfaction and Recommended Changes
Key Takeaway: Most members would recommend the SIG Program to a colleague. Members would value more frequent communication, clearer program definition, and more useful content.
- The majority (77%) of SIG subscribers would recommend the SIG Program to a friend or colleague.
- When asked the open-ended question, “If you would not recommend the SIG Program to a friend or colleague, why not?” the top answer (37%) fell into the general category, “Unfamiliar with the available resources.”
- When asked the open-ended question, “What changes or improvements would enhance your SIG subscription?” the top reasons included more frequent communication from ISTE, better definition of purpose, more useful content, and benefits that were easier to access.
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