I have been very fortunate this year to be able to attend lots of different trainings that have been offered to teachers throughout our district. Why would the Instructional Tech Teacher need to attend K/1 writing training or 2nd-5th Small Group training or be part of a Middle or High School PLC? I believe with my whole being that Technology CAN'T be separate from what teachers are already doing in the classroom. Good instruction is good instruction~ no matter the grade level. Throughout our system I see teachers striving to become better, to reach more students. They are all grappling with the HOW. We know the WHY...we need students to love learning and be engaged so they can create, collaborate, communicate and problem solve. The HOW is tricky. But what I notice as I meet with teachers, is that no matter if they teach Kindergarten or High School, it's all about the instruction. Teachers throughout our District are asking WHAT and WHY as they think about their own instruction. Lessons are being intentionally developed through the lens of reaching more of our students in an authentic and meaningful way.
So what does this have to do with technology? In an article by Edutopia called Why Do We Need Technology Integration the author states: More and more studies show that technology integration in the curriculum improves students' learning processes and outcomes...Students are engaged in their learning using these powerful tools, and can become creators and critics instead of just consumers.
Technology is a tool to help improve the good instruction that is already happening. It can't replace the teacher or the good instruction. However, it can make our job easier, engage students, take us(teachers and students) to places we never thought possible.
My goal is to learn as much as possible, through various staff development opportunities, so I can have meaningful conversations with teachers about HOW we integrate technology. Technology can't be separate from what we are doing. It can't be ONE MORE THING teachers need to fit in. Technology has the power to transform our teaching and our students' learning! Now we just need to figure out the HOW!
I love that you mentioned how technology can't replace the teacher! I feel like so many students right now feel like they don't need a teacher to learn content anymore. So I appreciated your insight into why it is so vital to have that face-to-face instruction!
ReplyDeleteThe piece about technology improving good instruction is so true. If someone doesn't value collaboration, critical thinking, communication, etc. without devices - that's not going to magically change when a device is involved. It completely comes down to good teaching based on sound principals that are rooted in brain research and the reality of the world students are in. As an instructional coach, I love that you are attending various trainings. There are times where I go to some trainings that surprise my principal, and I always just point out that if I'm to be an instructional tech leader, I have to be, at my core, and INSTRUCTIONAL leader. Thanks for the re-centering back on the foundation: good teaching first, tech second.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that my daughter is involved with Federal Way Online Academy where the teachers present every subject with technology. My daughter must use the same technology to reply, interact with others and create assignments. There are then many different uses of the technology for the teacher and student but both the teacher and student MUST be there to make it work. Technology can't replace the teacher like you mentioned or the student and when both understand how to use it a lot of new paradigm shifts take place that foster new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
ReplyDeleteGood Post!