“The road is long, with many a winding turn…”

Wow, where do I start…..?

       I came into this Technology 101 course with just enough knowledge to, shall we say, get me in trouble!  Our district is on the fast track into the technology integration arena.  Thanks to a generous Race to the Top grant, all students in Warren Township have access to technology as a learning tool.  I have had the privileged of being a part of our first ever 1:1 initiative and have worked closely with staff to provide, through professional development, them with the skills they need to be successful.  We are well on our way of winding down that highway and are having to assess where we are…how far have we come, where will we go next???  This course has given me a wealth of resources and a PLN that has triggered a great deal of research and reflection of where we need to go and how we are going to get there.  I am extremely grateful that I have had the opportunity to participate in this class and learn from others. 

       As Harvey Mackay said, " A great accomplishment shouldn't be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next leap forward."  Warren Township has experienced some great accomplishments is the past few year where technology integration is concerned.  Technology integration is not a destination, but rather, a journey and I am ready for the next leap forward!

Who’s in the driver’s seat?

       Gone are the days when the teacher held all of the information, when she stood at the front of the classroom spewing her knowledge to students that were sitting in neat rows waiting to soak it all in!  If students are going to be able to critically apply what they are learning, we are going to have to switch drivers!  Unfortunately, many students don’t want to this responsibility because they are unsure of their skills.  It is up to teachers to help them become comfortable with this change in drivers.  Technology is a great tool to help students transition to the student-centered classroom, teachers just have to show them how to use their device as an educational tool.

       Teaching students to learn by using technology is not something that will miraculously happen; it will be a process.  The best way to teach this concept is by modeling.  If students see their teacher using technology to help solve a problem they will be more inclined to turn to technology as a tool when presented with their own set of problems to solve.  Students need to see the technology tool as a means of gathering information, collaborating with their fellow students, and presenting their findings.  The more they use these tools the more confident they will become and will begin to rely more on themselves than on the teacher for knowledge.

       Demonstrating mastery or understanding without providing explicit requirements is also a process.  I can remember when I first began my teaching career, I told my students exactly what I wanted in a project…PowerPoint was the only tool, they had to have X number of slides, slide number 1 had to include X, the slides had to have X number of pictures, etc.  I would even stipulate what websites they needed to use.  I took every bit of creativity away from my students.  The project was mine, not theirs; they just did the typing!  I now think that modeling expectations would be the first step to prodding students into taking ownership of their own instruction and providing quality work.  They are not going to get it right the very first time.  Providing constructive feedback is a great tool in helping with future projects.  Tools such as VoiceThread are great for giving feedback in a positive, constructive manner.  Eventually students will begin to take the ball and run with it!