Educators are faced with several challenges when it comes to meeting the individual needs of their students. From providing support to students with 504, IEP and ELL plans to ensuring their instruction is differentiated to a level that meets the learning needs of their students. When faced with these demands along with district mandates to incorporate some piece of educational technology into their lesson or unit plans, the task of teaching our students can become quite daunting. The pandemic has now added another layer of challenges to education. Between alternating schedules, virtual learning days, or students who never step foot in the physical classroom, how are teachers supposed to meet the needs of students when the needs are so great and diverse? The problem most often when it comes to technology integration as a solution to these struggles, comes down to messaging. Technology is often presented to teachers as something in addition to what they are already doing, but in fact as Khun states, "When used correctly, educational technology gives new meaning and utility to long-established educational paradigms..." (Khun, 2008)
In my role not only as an Instructional Technology Coordinator but also as an Instructional Coach, I see teachers receive new strategies and technologies as "something else to do." This is in large part to the nature of educators to jump from fads and buzzwords from year to year with no real follow-through. Teachers are not shown how technologies are a means by which to support the instruction already occurring in their classrooms. If you asked most teachers if their daily lesson or unit plans include a variety of intelligences and learning styles, most could not respond in the affirmative. Matthew Khun writes, "In the day-to-day rigors of schooling, do teachers regularly use these sorts of taxonomies to plan their lessons? Not usually. Fortunately, the power of educational technology is making it easier for teachers to ensure depth and balance in their lessons, even if they do not deliberately employ one of the popular taxonomies." (Khun, 2008) Teachers and students alike need to not only be exposed to these technologies but coached and allowed to see the practical ways they can enhance their teaching and learning.
Many districts merely think that by adopting a one: one model of devices for both students and teachers that the simple use of these devices will yield higher learning. Khun references a school system in Virginia that uses Instructional Technology Resources Teachers to support teachers and students with using technology in the classroom. (Khun, 2008) Building capacity within schools and classrooms among both teachers and students is necessary to prove that technology has a functional role within a framework that already exists in most schools. "Although investments in technology have increased significantly in recent years, simply purchasing the latest digital technologies does not necessarily lead to the acquisition of digital and media literacy competencies. Unfortunately, many school leaders mistakenly believe that simply providing children and young people with access to digital technology will automatically enhance learning." (Hobbs, 2011) In many cases, this does not require schools to add additional teacher units to provide these support roles. As the role of the library/media specialist is changing in the 21st-century school, these individuals can easily step in and provide direct technical support for teachers and students. Hobbs writes, "School librarians, teachers, and educational technology leaders can help shift the focus to emphasize how digital tools are used to promote critical thinking, creativity, and communication and collaboration skills." (Hobbs, 2011) Whether this is through in-class demonstrations through co-taught/planned lessons or inviting classes into the media center to explore the technologies through a class activity, schools can use resources already at their disposal to support the use of technology among teachers and students. When teachers and students feel supported in ventures they may feel uncomfortable with, both will rise to the challenge because they know they are not on the journey alone.
Hobbs, R. (2011. Empowering learners with digital and media literacy. Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 12-17.
Kuhn, M. S. (2008). Connecting depth and balance in class. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(1), 18-21.
Adam, I strongly relate to your closing sentence which states "teachers and students will rise to the challenge because they know they are not on the journey alone." Though I am not a classroom teacher, I often work with new technology outside my realm of familiarity. When I do not have a certain level of comfort, I sometimes hold back and shy away from the product. With a little guidance from someone who has more experience with the product, I gain the confidence to explore, learn, and try. I like the idea of using current resources to train and support teachers in the use of educational technology so that it is no longer "something else to do" but an enhancement to the teaching/learning experience.
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