A Vision for Technology Integration in the Classroom

Our district technology leaders have created an ideal vision of technology integration and are effectively using their 2010 federal Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund grant to enhance technology among the stakeholders outside the school building - parents, students, community and leaders. It's the technology integration inside the school building that is lagging. Going forward, let us ensure that our school is at the forefront of technology integration in the classroom.

Rationale for a Change On the surface it would seem that we have already arrived in technology nirvana. Our student achievement is always at the top of the state as measured by test scores. If a visitor were to stroll down any hallway in our building he would see students routinely working on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, iPads or smart phones. It would be easy for this visitor to draw the conclusion that successful test scores are directly related to technology integration. Unfortunately, this would be a faulty assumption.

I'm a witness to the fact that technology is underutilized. It's typically used as a replacement for traditional instruction. Presentation software applications and flash drives have replaced hand drawn pictures, Google images has replaced newspapers and magazines, copy/paste functions have replaced scissors, answers.com and Wikipedia have replaced textbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. If all this technology was improving student learning, shouldnt our CRCT scores be improving rather than remaining flat over the last 4 years?

We are not alone. Much research has been conducted about this issue. In a nationwide examination of technology use in the classroom Boser (2013) points out that "students often use technology for basic skills" (Boser, 2013, pg. 2). Similar conclusions were made 10 years earlier by Creighton (2003). In making a case for constructivist teaching methods, he states that there is "excessive use of drill and practice, absence of student interaction, and the lack of real-life problem-solving activities" (pg. 47). He issues a more damaging blow to technology integration when he suggests that "Technology that does not advance student learning even gets in the way of other types of learning" (pg. 68). Each of these practices occur on a daily basis in our school.

It does not have to be this way. Technology could be used as a tool to enhance instruction and improve student learning. Technology had tremendous potential to support constructivist teaching practices and engage students.

Roblyer & Doering (2011) provide a succinct list of the benefits of technology integration. When used properly technology "gains learner attention, illustrates real world relevance, engages students through production work, connects students with audiences for their writing, engages learners through real-world situations and collaborations, and provides support for working cooperatively (p. 26).

Vision for the Future Our vision for how we can improve technology use in our school over the next 3-5 years is summarized in the following four elements:

All teachers should be able to integrate technology "that provides a rich context for students' understanding of the pertinent concepts, themes, and processes. Technology based tools are integrated in a routine manner" (Moersch, 1995, p. 42).

The school will provide "appropriate staff development programs that allow teachers to enhance skills and remediate deficiencies" (Creighton, 2003, p. 48).

Our school will continuously strive toward obtainment of and adherence to the Essential Conditions: Necessary Conditions to Effectively Leverage Technology for Learning as outlined by the International Society of Technology in Education.

If it is determined that technology is not enhancing performance it will no longer be used.

Achievement of this vision begins with the mutual agreement among our teachers and administrators that access to technology resources alone does not ensure their utility in improving education outcomes. Beyond this understanding we will need comprehensive teacher training and adherence to research-based best practices on how to best use technology to improve student performance.

References

Center for American Progress. (June, 2013). Are schools getting a big enough bang for their education technology buck? Washington D.C.: Boser, U.

Creighton, T. (2003) The principal as technology leader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Inc.

Moersch, C. (1995). Levels of technology implementation (LoTi): A framework for measuring classroom technology use. Learning and Leading with Technology, 23, 40-40.

Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A. (2013) Integrating technology into teaching, (6th ed). Boston: Pearson.