It’s about teaching, not technology.
My own experiences over the last six years have led me to the conclusion that our focus on technology (the ‘stuff’) is not of benefit to our efforts at integrating it into the curriculum. About three years ago, a colleague and I developed a professional development series called Imagination, Innovation, Integration. This came about in response to a sense that teaching applications such as Word, PowerPoint and skills such as web design out of context was not getting us anywhere.
The workshop wasn’t perfect, but it did address some needs. First, it was curriculum centered. Teachers, with our assistance, developed a lesson or unit that integrated technology. If they needed to learn a particular application, they learned it in the context of their project. Doing this made the training in the application more meaningful, useful and relevant to what they were trying to do in the classroom. Teachers then implemented that project in the classroom, and returned for a session where they shared their successes and obstacles with their colleagues. This reflection/collaboration is necessary. Teachers can’t be expected to develop as professionals in a vacuum. They need to work with others to shed insight into many of the challenges we all face in this profession. And they also need to have the professional support necessary as they implement their new lessons
After my week away, I believe even more that we must focus on the curriculum and instruction - not the technology. And that we learn those technology skills in the context of the teaching and only when we need them. There is no sense in learning any technology skill if you have no need to apply it - immediately.
Lastly, what prompted this post, and acted as a confirmation for this long-held belief was an article I read this morning: Teachers, Not Technicians: Rethinking Technical Expectations for Teachers. This is a case study which analyzed data from a school over a period of five years. Basically the conclusion was the same: to lead teachers toward integration, you have to work with them from what they know, curriculum and instruction, and address the technology pieces as they are needed. Teachers will get frustrated and not use technology when they are spending all their time on the technical, not the instructional. Another interesting recommendation that is made in the study is that there needs to be a robust technical support system that will allow teachers to focus on instruction rather than troubleshooting the technology. Maybe for a later post....
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