I work as an AP English Language and American Literature teacher at Lakeside High

School in Atlanta, Georgia. When I started teaching English-first as an ESL teacher in

Europe and in Atlanta and then as a literature teacher at Lakeside, schools didnt have the
internet or on- line grading systems and many teachers still used hand-written lesson
plans and assignments. I believe I would have continued my pencil and paper approach to
teaching had I not participated in a year-long Department of State Teachers for Global
Classrooms Program.
I dont participate in summer institutes or seminars for teachers or seek out optional
educational programs because I receive professional development credits or
compensation; I do so because I genuinely like learning. I also believe teachers must
possess a fundamental desire to learn new ideas and new methods. And I have learned
many new ideas and methods during my instructional technology studies.
Ive learned how to move multi-day presentations of projects in large face-to-face
classes to computer labs where students evaluate-and appreciate- their classmates digital
projects. Ive learned how to facilitate digital discussions that give all students a chance
to think, to reflect, and to interact with each other. Ive adopted Google Docs and
Edmodo course announcements into daily or weekly teaching practice. And I cant think
of a unit for which students dont access multiple digital resources.
Ive also encountered challenges when using technology in and for instruction.
However, Ive never conflated technology existence and technology use. Often the
absence of Wi-Fi or the inability to sign up for the computer lab turned into an
opportunity to adapt to a multimedia approach or a collaboration with a colleague based
in a computer lab. In many cases, my students and I have figured out how to adapt-a

useful skill for any field of study or career. By the time we have become comfortable
with one technology tool or application, another one has been introduced.
It is this adaptive quality of instructional technology that seems most important to me as
a teacher, a mother, and as a citizen.