CONCEPTS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
CONCEPTS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
CONCEPTS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
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"A professional development project is the best solution for increasing the effective use of technology as an instructional tool"
- L.Y.J. Davidson, 2014
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Innovative Change
Progressive Education by way of Innovative Professional Development
One of the reasons we have not seen a more significant change in education is the risk of taking on the "unknown." For almost two decades, an individual who enters the field of education has had "the practice of teaching" modeled and delivered in a relatively specific way. In other words, our current teachers are simply replicating how they were taught as students. New disruptive, innovative teaching practices have not been modeled nor demonstrated to the level that our teachers have experienced traditional methods. These newer methods have been merely spoken about to the majority of the teaching workforce, therefore they remain unfamiliar.
Districts should be training their teachers using the same high-yield, research-based methods and strategies they expect to see occurring in the classrooms of their schools.
History of Midway Independent School District's effort to promote 21st century learning
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Midway ISD and River Valley Intermediate School have been operating as a 1:1 district since 2013, where every teacher and student is supplied with an iPad to use as an instructional and learning device.
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Professional development and teacher support to carry out this initiative is continually a work-in-progress and is disunified across the district, varying from campus to campus.
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The use of technology is a district-wide expectation, but specific campus goals are unclear to teachers and staff.
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There is a mix of technology integration happening at River Valley
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Evidence of learner-centered, tech infused instruction
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Evidence of low-level, drill and kill, consumption applications
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Outcomes vary based on teacher, scope and sequence, years of experience, and demographics of students in the classroom
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Current status of technology integration support/training, using the TPACK framework (Koehler & Mishra, 2009) as a point of reference:
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Content Knowledge (CK) - ongoing support through district-level content coordinators and campus-level instructional specialists.
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Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) - no systematic, ongoing training provided to teachers, where there is an opportunity to develop pedagogical knowledge and skills.
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Technological Knowledge (TK) - ongoing, individual support, but is not related to pedagogy; the current model connects only to the enhancement of classroom activities.
How to we influence change?
Campus leaders have spent years building a school culture that always seeks to prioritize the needs of the students. My proposal to campus leadership details how the improved investment in the development of teachers will directly affect learning environments and the learning experiences of our students.
A study of technology integration and effective PD shows that there are massive benefits for fully integrating technology into classroom instruction. There are also common themes among educators as to why such integrating proves to be a difficult task. Teachers' attitudes and beliefs about the value of technology are the single most significant factor when it comes to implementation. The amount of time teachers require to understand, practice and reflect upon introducing a new approach to instruction often prevents them from venturing outside of their familiar methods. Furthermore, when teachers are equipped, certain components must be present in order to maximize the effectiveness that their learning will be acted upon when they return to their classrooms. Such elements include training that is ongoing, hands-on, allows for choice, is collaborative, reflective, and provides an authentic learning experience.
To explore this research further, view this literature review:
What an opportunity and privilege it is to have the chance to invest in the development of such an admirable group of people. To improve the quality of 21st century learning at River Valley, the overall goal of this initiative is to:
Implement a professional development program with the purpose of changing teachers attitudes and beliefs towards technology integration as an essential component to classroom instruction.
This will be achieved by connecting technological knowledge and skills to content and pedagogy through research-based effective professional development strategies.
Click the infographic to access the full details of this Innovation Plan Outline