As the Educational Technology
Consultant on staff at Redwood Christian Middle and High Schools, I am faced
with the goal of helping classroom teachers integrate technology into their
classrooms both as a tool for creating and presenting curriculum, and as a
means for exciting and engaging students in the process of learning. Our school
is in the first year of a 1:1 iPad integration with all juniors, seniors and
Faculty receiving iPads at the beginning of this school year.
Educational
Opportunity
I have been tasked with working on two
fronts; creating and presenting Professional Development [PD] seminars on
technology subjects, and working one-on-one with teachers to help them solve
their technology problems. These two short term goals are challenging as I have
a wide range of knowledge and experience with technology represented in my faculty.
I have first year teachers who have been heavily influenced by and their
education is saturated with technology. For these teachers, my challenge is to
slow them down and to examine their pedagogy to see if they are following best
practices in creating their curriculum. We need to ask questions like, is
this the best way to present the content? Technology should not be a
hindrance to good pedagogy. I also have veteran teachers whose primary
technology during their teacher training, some four decades ago, was a felt
board. The younger teachers are eager to use and learn about technology. The
veteran teachers, on the whole, only learn what they are forced to by the
principal. For these teachers, the pedagogy is heavily invested in the low-tech
and showing them that technology can and should begin to influence their
pedagogy is a real challenge. The diversity I am faced with, both first year
teachers and veterans with nearly four decades of experience, will make my
wicked problem quite difficult.
Another complication is though we are
primarily talking about iPads as the primary technology tool, every teacher has
a different subject matter and emphasis, so finding standardized applications
is difficult, and achieving mastery of dozens of applications as the trainer is
unlikely.
Technology-Integrated
Strategy
My wicked problem is complex and has
issues that are hard to define. First, and most important, is the integration
of technology into pedagogy. The understanding of this concept is varied. Many
would say it is good enough for a teacher to use technology to create and
present their content. My argument is that if you are simply using technology
to lecture, through a different medium, then you have missed the point
of technology integration. “We need to be creating activities that seamlessly
integrate technologies into the existing curriculum” (Transforming, 2008, p.11).
Technology needs to be used in a way
that engages the student, allowing them to collaborate, critically evaluate,
create, and publish as a method for showing content mastery (NETS, 2012). This
is a concept that is lost on many of my faculty, particularly the veteran
teacher. “Adult learners will have a high level of motivation for learning what
they perceive as relevant to their needs. Conversely, adults will be disengaged
from learning activities that are not perceived as needed and relevant”
(Knowles, 1980). So my challenge is to make the integration of technology
relevant for all my faculty.
Lack of professional development for technology use is one of the most serious obstacles to fully integrating technology into the curriculum (Fatemi, 1999; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995; Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). But traditional sit-and-get training sessions or one-time-only workshops have not been effective in making teachers comfortable with using technology or adept at integrating it into their lesson plans. Instead, a well-planned, ongoing professional development program that is tied to the school's curriculum goals, designed with built-in evaluation, and sustained by adequate financial and staff support is essential if teachers are to use technology appropriately to promote learning for all students in the classroom (Cannon, Kitchen, Duncan & Arnett, 2011)
Logistics
of a Solution
My strategy is twofold. First, I am
going to develop a series of PD seminars that I can offer during the lunch
periods on a monthly basis. These will cover a variety of technology subjects,
iPad applications, and technology/pedagogy integration. I will present them
using different presentation methods including Powerpoint, Prezi, and video
presentations (Direct Instruction). In addition, each of these lunchtime PD
presentations will be put into three to five minute video or Screencast formats
and will be available on my website for teachers to refer to and watch at their
leisure to reinforce the material. We will also video the entire 30 minute
face-to-face portion of the PD session and post that to the website as well for
faculty who are unable to attend the session. “Professional development for
technology use should demonstrate projects in specific curriculum areas and
help teachers integrate technology into the content. In particular,
professional development activities should enhance teachers' curriculum,
learning, and assessment competencies and skills as well as classroom and
instructional management competencies and skills. Specific content can help
teachers analyze, synthesize, and structure ideas into projects that they can
use in their classrooms (Center for Applied Special Technology, 1996).
During these PD sessions, I will
incorporate different instructional strategies, modeling best practices during
each session so teachers can experience how they would use the session with
their students. The topic or application will be introduced briefly (3-5 min of
direct instruction or video presentation) then we will move into small group
collaborative exercises (problem based learning) to get the teachers working
together to solve a series of problems that I will develop either about or with
the application (cooperative learning groups, problem solving, inquiry,
collaboration, peer coaching). Each session will end in an open time of
reflection about the problem solving session and a Q&A time about the
application (Reflective Discussion, Didactic Questions). I will follow each
session with a post about the training on my school EdTech Blog and a tweet.
This will provide opportunity for other teachers, who were not in attendance,
to find out what they missed, have a link to the content video, and provide a
place for teachers who did attend to post their comments or reflections
(Reflection).
Second, I will work with teachers in
their classrooms, one-on-one, to help them learn and understand the technology
tools and applications that they can use. (coaching, problem solving). By
holding these sessions in the classroom, the teacher is able to work with their
own equipment, in the environment they are comfortable teaching in. I will work
as a coach and facilitator allowing the teacher to be hands on to reinforce the
information that we are working with. I will encourage them to begin to slowly
integrate technology and to update their lessons to allow their students to use
technology to seek out information on the subject matter and present it to the
teacher and the class in a many different formats. “To positively affect
teacher action in the classroom, teachers must be convinced that these new
instructional technologies (IT) will actually lead to increased student
learning. Once a teacher has created a
personal goal of using technology, learning new technical skills is one thing, but learning how to effectively teach with IT is something entirely different” (Transforming, 2008).
Indications
of Success
It will be difficult to measure
successful completion of my goals. I will be able to document that time has
been spent with each teacher, but this does not equate to mastery of the
technological tools that they have access to, nor successful integration into
their pedagogy.
I will be able to present one PD
session during the course of this class and will be able to reflect upon the
success of the session and how well it was received. I can also reexamine my
presentation plan and modify for future sessions.
I have agreed with the principal of the
high school that making direct contact with all 40 teachers by the end of May
2013 and documenting the time spent will satisfy one of our short term goals.
The creation of a library of short video seminars, available on my website,
will provide a foundation of knowledge that can be referred back to as
necessary by the teachers, and will fulfill another of our short term goals.
Finally, I will work with my Principal to create a list of standard
applications that he would like to see used in every classroom. These will be
our focus in the 2013/2014 school year. These will include a note taking
application and an ePortfolio platform. I will track visitors to the website
and blog and will determine if there is an increase in interest for the videos
and blog.
Borthwick, A. & Pierson, M. (2008).
Transforming classroom practice: Professional development strategies in
educational technology. . (1st ed.).
Cannon, J, Kitchel, A, Duncan, D, and
Arnett, S. (Spring, 2011). Professional development needs of Idaho technology
teachers: Teaching and learning. Journal of Career and Technical Education,
Vol. 26, No. 1
Fatemi, E. (1999, September 23).
Building the digital curriculum. Education Week on the Web. Retrieved
from http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc99/articles/summary.htm
Office of Technology Assessment, U.S.
Congress. (1995). Teachers and technology: Making the connection.
Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved from
http://www.wws.princeton.edu/~ota/disk1/1995/9541.html
Panel on Educational Technology, President's
Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. (1997, March). Report to the
President on the use of technology to strengthen K-12 education in the United
States. Retrieved from http://www.ostp.gov/PCAST/k-12ed.html
