Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 505 - PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMISSION › Chapter 505-3 - EDUCATOR PREPARATION RULES › Rule 505-3-.64 - Instructional Technology Program

Current through Rules and
			 Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(1)
Purpose.
This rule states
			 field-specific content standards for approving programs that prepare
			 individuals to serve in instructional technology roles in P-12 schools, LUAs,
			 and other organizations, and supplements requirements in Rule
			 505-3-.01, REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS
			 FOR APPROVING EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROVIDERS AND EDUCATOR PREPARATION
			 PROGRAMS.
(2)
Requirements.
(a) A valid, level
			 4 or higher Induction, Professional, Advanced Professional, or Lead
			 Professional teaching certificate, leadership certificate, service field
			 certificate, or Life certificate is required for program admission.
(b) The program may be offered at the
			 Master's degree level or higher, or as a certification-only program for those
			 holding advanced degrees.
(c)
			 Candidates must complete a minimum of six (6) semester hours (or the quarter
			 hours equivalent) of advanced level coursework focused on the content or
			 content pedagogy of a certificate field held by the candidate. All six hours
			 may be satisfied through advanced level content or content pedagogy courses in
			 which candidates are required to demonstrate advanced skills related to their
			 field of certification. Three of the six semester hours may be satisfied
			 through a thesis (or equivalent culminating project) directly focused on the
			 content of a certificate field held by the candidate.
(d) To receive approval, a GaPSC-approved
			 educator preparation provider shall offer a preparation program described in
			 program planning forms, catalogs, and syllabi addressing the following
			 standards adapted from the standards published in 2017 by The International
			 Society for Technology in Education (ISTE):
1. Learner. Educators continually improve
			 their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and
			 promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning. The
			 program shall prepare candidates who:
(i) Set
			 professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made
			 possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness;
(ii) Pursue professional interests by
			 creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks;
			 and
(iii) Stay current with
			 research that supports improved student learning outcomes, including findings
			 from the learning sciences.
2. Leader. Educators seek opportunities for
			 leadership to support student empowerment and success and to improve teaching
			 and learning. The program shall prepare candidates who:
(i) Shape, advance, and accelerate a shared
			 vision for empowered learning with technology by engaging with education
			 stakeholders;
(ii) Advocate for
			 equitable access to educational technology, digital content, and learning
			 opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students; and
(iii) Model for colleagues the
			 identification, exploration, evaluation, curation, and adoption of new digital
			 resources and tools for learning.
3. Citizen. Educators inspire students to
			 positively contribute and responsibly participate in the digital world. The
			 program shall prepare candidates who:
(i)
			 Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible
			 contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships
			 and community;
(ii) Establish a
			 learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online
			 resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency;
(iii) Mentor students in the safe, ethical,
			 and legal practice with digital tools and protection of intellectual rights and
			 property; and
(iv) Model and
			 promote management of personal data and digital identity, and protect student
			 data privacy.
4.
			 Collaborator. Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and
			 students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve
			 problems as indicated in the following: The program shall prepare candidates
			 who:
(i) Dedicate planning time to
			 collaborate with colleagues to create authentic learning experiences that
			 leverage technology;
(ii)
			 Collaborate and co-learn with students to discover and use new digital
			 resources and diagnose and troubleshoot technology issues;
(iii) Use collaborative tools to expand
			 students' authentic, real-world learning experiences by engaging virtually with
			 experts, teams, and students, locally and globally; and
(iv) Demonstrate cultural competency when
			 communicating with students, parents, and colleagues and interact with them as
			 co-collaborators in student learning.
5. Designer. Educators design authentic,
			 learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate
			 learner variability environments. The program shall prepare candidates who:
(i) Use technology to create, adapt, and
			 personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and
			 accommodate learner differences and needs;
(ii) Design authentic learning activities
			 that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to
			 maximize active, deep learning; and
(iii) Explore and apply instructional design
			 principles to create innovative digital learning environments that engage and
			 support learning.
6.
			 Facilitator. Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student
			 achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students. The program shall prepare
			 candidates who:
(i) Foster a culture where
			 students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both
			 independent and group settings;
(ii) Manage the use of technology and student
			 learning strategies in a variety of environments such as digital platforms,
			 virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces, or in the field;
(iii) Create learning opportunities that
			 challenge students to use a design process and/or computational thinking to
			 innovate and solve problems; and
(iv) Model and nurture creativity and
			 creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.
7. Analyst. Educators understand
			 and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their
			 learning goals. The program shall prepare candidates who:
(i) Provide alternative ways for students to
			 demonstrate competency and reflect on their learning using
			 technology;
(ii) Use technology to
			 design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that
			 accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform
			 instruction; and
(iii) Use
			 assessments and other qualitative and quantitative data to guide progress and
			 communicate with students, parents, and education stakeholders to build student
			 self-direction.
8. Coach.
			 Educators plan, provide, and evaluate the impact of professional learning for
			 educators and leaders to advance teaching and learning with technology. The
			 program shall prepare candidates who:
(i)
			 Establish coaching relationships to support educators as they explore new
			 instructional strategies and integrate technology to improve student
			 learning;
(ii) Design and implement
			 professional learning based on needs assessments and the theories and
			 frameworks for adult learning;
(iii) Evaluate the impact of professional
			 learning and continually reflect on how to improve coaching and professional
			 practice; and
(iv) Foster educator
			 participation in professional learning networks to help them connect with other
			 educators and stay abreast of current and emerging technologies and
			 innovations.