Vision
According to Creighton, “Even the best of schools have barely tapped the potential of technology to radically impact teaching and learning” (2010, pg. 2). So, how and why do schools begin tapping into these greater potentials that new and emerging technologies can afford? In reference to the work of Roblyer and Doering (2010), Cifuentes and Sulu state, “technologies should be integrated to motivate students, to enhance instruction, to make students and teachers work more productively, and to help students learn and sharpen their information age skills (2011, pg.60). Technology should also give students the capacity to construct their learning in authentic ways. Anything less will undermine their success as 21st century learners. Therefore it is critical that school stakeholders work towards the greater potentials of technology usage in the classroom.
Accomplishing this starts with the alignment of the administration, the instructional technology coach, and teachers towards the common goal of effectively integrating technology into every aspect of instruction. This can begin as soon as one device like a laptop or tablet is embedded into the classroom. Too often schools fall into what Tom Murray calls the “Cemetery Effect”, where teachers’ learning environments fall victim to a dated, teacher-centric, and industrial era design (Murray, 2015). Teachers and administrations should move beyond the notion that if it isn’t 1:1 it is none to none. Provided that appropriate vision and supports are in place to foster success, sweeping technological change can happen with something as simple as a few devices embedded into the classroom. It isn’t so much as what you have, but how you use what is available to you. As Murray suggests, the classroom needs to transform to an environment that is, “student-centered, personalized, and leverages the power of technology” (2015, pg.1). The best schools understand that effective technology integration begins with device one and the alignment of vision, administration, and support are paramount to the success of educators utilizing new technologies in constructivist ways that support the success of 21st century learners.
References:
Cifuentes, L., Maxwell, G. & Sulu, S. (2011). Technology integration through
professional learning community. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 44(1), 59-82.
Creighton, T. (2010). The principal as technology leader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Murray, T. C. (2015, August 6). Beyond Ditching The Desks, 9 Creative Ways To Avoid
The Cemetery Effect For All Classrooms. Retrieved March 12, 2016, from http://thomascmurray.com/cemeteryeffect/
According to Creighton, “Even the best of schools have barely tapped the potential of technology to radically impact teaching and learning” (2010, pg. 2). So, how and why do schools begin tapping into these greater potentials that new and emerging technologies can afford? In reference to the work of Roblyer and Doering (2010), Cifuentes and Sulu state, “technologies should be integrated to motivate students, to enhance instruction, to make students and teachers work more productively, and to help students learn and sharpen their information age skills (2011, pg.60). Technology should also give students the capacity to construct their learning in authentic ways. Anything less will undermine their success as 21st century learners. Therefore it is critical that school stakeholders work towards the greater potentials of technology usage in the classroom.
Accomplishing this starts with the alignment of the administration, the instructional technology coach, and teachers towards the common goal of effectively integrating technology into every aspect of instruction. This can begin as soon as one device like a laptop or tablet is embedded into the classroom. Too often schools fall into what Tom Murray calls the “Cemetery Effect”, where teachers’ learning environments fall victim to a dated, teacher-centric, and industrial era design (Murray, 2015). Teachers and administrations should move beyond the notion that if it isn’t 1:1 it is none to none. Provided that appropriate vision and supports are in place to foster success, sweeping technological change can happen with something as simple as a few devices embedded into the classroom. It isn’t so much as what you have, but how you use what is available to you. As Murray suggests, the classroom needs to transform to an environment that is, “student-centered, personalized, and leverages the power of technology” (2015, pg.1). The best schools understand that effective technology integration begins with device one and the alignment of vision, administration, and support are paramount to the success of educators utilizing new technologies in constructivist ways that support the success of 21st century learners.
References:
Cifuentes, L., Maxwell, G. & Sulu, S. (2011). Technology integration through
professional learning community. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 44(1), 59-82.
Creighton, T. (2010). The principal as technology leader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Murray, T. C. (2015, August 6). Beyond Ditching The Desks, 9 Creative Ways To Avoid
The Cemetery Effect For All Classrooms. Retrieved March 12, 2016, from http://thomascmurray.com/cemeteryeffect/