The use of educational technology products in schools has risen dramatically over the last two years, and teachers have stepped out of their comfort zones to use those products to engage their students.
But there鈥檚 a wide range of skills and philosophies among 糖心动漫vlog in their use of technology to enhance student learning, and teachers don鈥檛 always have the proper support to develop lessons that integrate technology.
As technology use becomes more commonplace and sophisticated in classrooms, how can teachers effectively harness technology to benefit student learning? And what can principals and district leaders do to support teachers?
During an Oct. 19 Seat at the Table online discussion, Education Week opinion contributor Peter DeWitt, Education Week Assistant Managing Editor Kevin Bushweller, Ladue (Mo.) School District Director of Technology Patricia Brown, and South Knoxville (Tenn.) Elementary School instructional coach Megan Cooper shared their ideas.
Focus on what鈥檚 best for students
When thinking about how to utilize technology, the most important priority for 糖心动漫vlog to remember is that students have to be 鈥渁t the forefront in all the decisions that we make,鈥� said Brown, who worked as a technology integration specialist at Ladue for more than a decade before becoming technology director.
Sometimes students come to class without their laptop or iPad, or they bring the laptop or iPad but it鈥檚 not charged and ready for use. The problem, Brown said, is that the students probably 鈥渄on鈥檛 see the value in what they鈥檙e using that technology for.鈥�
But if students knew they were going to be using the technology for 鈥渟omething that allowed them to create鈥� or have 鈥渕eaningful learning鈥� through interactive activities, they鈥檇 most likely come to class with their laptop or iPads ready to go, Brown said.
鈥淲hen they don鈥檛 see the value in it鈥攁nd that goes for teachers as well鈥攖hey鈥檙e not going to put in the effort to make sure they have it,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so important to look at, first, your curriculum, and then, find the ways that technology naturally is a part of what your outcomes and your goals are.鈥�
Provide the right kind of professional learning
The best way to ensure that 糖心动漫vlog can naturally integrate technology into their curriculum is by providing them with appropriate professional learning opportunities, according to the panelists.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really [about] supporting those teachers and giving them that professional development and understanding of 鈥楬ow do I best serve my kids? What do they need and how can I support their learning?鈥� Cooper said.
But for some teachers, professional development might hold a 鈥渘egative tone,鈥� Brown said.
鈥淲hen a teacher hears 鈥榶ou鈥檝e got to go to professional development,鈥� they鈥檙e like, 鈥榰gh, I鈥檓 gonna take a sick day,鈥欌�� she said. So the first step is 鈥渃hanging that narrative,鈥� which is why she prefers the term 鈥減rofessional learning鈥� or 鈥渓unch and learn.鈥�
Here are some tips that Brown and Cooper have to make professional learning more engaging for teachers:
- Give teachers the choice of what they want to learn.
- Change it up. It doesn鈥檛 always have to be a workshop model or conference-style. Try a cohort model, where a group of 糖心动漫vlog who teach the same grade level or the same content area are learning together. Or go to a different location, like a restaurant, with a smaller group.
- There should be time built in for teachers to play, to look at the resources and connect it with their curriculum.
- Let teachers learn from each other so they know how tools work in practice.
鈥淭here was a lot of pushback at first [when our district introduced a 1-to-1 computing initiative] because a lot of teachers weren鈥檛 prepared or ready for that transition,鈥� Cooper said. But now that they鈥檙e more used to teaching with technology, there鈥檚 been 鈥渁 shift in the mindset鈥� and teachers are more willing to implement technology into their lesson plans.
But just because there鈥檚 an app for that doesn鈥檛 mean that teachers should ditch paper and pencil and hands-on activities, the panelists said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a time and a place for technology, and understanding when that should happen is so important,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e consistently throwing the technology [into classrooms] without a purpose, it just doesn鈥檛 work. It鈥檚 not effective.鈥�
