Education technology is an integral part of the education industry. If the pandemic has proven nothing else, it has provided indelible proof that education technology is here to stay and the impact it has on student learning and academic success is irrefutable.
Recent
years have seen a great evolution the technological world, which makes it
essential for teachers to be innovative in engaging students in learning (Lin,
2021). A positive outcome of the pandemic is that educators were thrust into
the technology age and were forced to reshape their practice. Meetings did not
look the same, and neither did learning platforms. Teachers [as well as Administrators
and District Leaders] had to navigate learning environments that were brand new
to everyone, including virtual and hybrid learning (Klein, 2021). The swift
move to a fully digital platform was uncomfortable even for those proficient
with technology, but we all banded together to help make sure that students and
educators alike were able to thrive through this era. The problem now is that teaching,
and learning are going back to normal instead of going back to better (Klein, 2021).
Teachers have resorted to what is most comfortable for them as educators, which
means for the not-so-tech-savvy teachers a repertoire of worksheets and seat
work. However, student engagement goes down the tubes as does academic
achievement. The use of technology is important for today’s learners because it
improves their communication skills and performance in school and provides them
with a fun and engaging learning experience [that the old system of education cannot
provide] (Lim, 2021). This makes technology professional development critical
to creating that success.
The possibility
of technology positively affecting teaching and learning is related to support
teachers get for teaching (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017). However, the level
and means of providing professional development is flawed. All the evident over
the years has been that most professional development is not doing the job
because it is not personalized, and the priority is decided by the administrative
team as opposed to relying on developing PDs centered around what the teacher
needs (Klein, 2021). The biggest issue (for me at least) is teacher get a
one-time professional development session on a new tool or strategy and are
expected to take that information to work ‘magic’ in their classrooms. The
average teacher will lean on what they know if they are not taught to properly
implement and integrate technology into the curriculum. Having a strong
professional development program to support digital learning is critical to
academic success (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017). It is also important that
training is practical and customized to how teachers teach as well as to how
teachers learn (Klein, 2021). Just as we would differentiate instruction based
on the learning needs of students, teachers, have different learning needs when
it comes to their experience with technology and their technological skills.
Professional development should therefore be relevant to their needs. Assessing
the needs of educators as well as getting their input will help with creating a
plan for professional development. Ongoing support is also critical if the
expectation is that teachers fully integrate technology into daily learning. The
following links will provide you with resources assessing professional
development needs as well as planning and implementing professional
development.
Kirkpatrick Method for Evaluating
Professional Development
Learning Forward Seven Standards for Professional Learning
Download of all ISTE Standards
References
Bray, B.
(1999, May 1). Ten steps to effective technology staff development: Getting
teachers on board. Edutopia. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from
https://www.edutopia.org/ten-steps-effective-technology-staff-development
Frazier, M., & Hearrington, D. (2017). The Technology
Coordinator's handbook. International Society for Technology in Education.
Klein, A.
(2021, May 19). How to fix 7 fatal flaws in tech professional development.
Education Week. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-to-fix-7-fatal-flaws-in-tech-professional-development/2021/05
Lim, A.
(2021, September 20). Educational technology: How important is it in today's
education industry? eLearning Industry. Retrieved March 11, 2023, from
https://elearningindustry.com/how-important-is-technology-in-todays-education-industry#:~:text=The%20benefits%20of%20using%20educational,well%20as%20their%20physical%20health.
I completely agree that educational technology is here to stay! However, there is definitely a disconnect between the levels of technology integration happening in classrooms across schools within a district and even within classrooms in one school. Along the technology integration journey, substitution is a natural first steps as teachers first must get comfortable with the technology. Professional development that is ongoing, personalized, and sustained will be critical if technology impact will be more than just substitution for paper and pencil work. Honestly, it goes back to shifting from teacher centered classrooms to more learner-centered classrooms, and technology supporting that shift to more innovative teaching and learning. Katie Martin states, "Some teachers may fear that making the shift to a learner-centered education will require them to completely overhaul their curriculum..." Often times, teachers just need support in how this looks and sounds in a classrooms, and teachers can easily see that minor shifts in framework or integration of new strategies can create an environment where students hone 21st century skills and do most of the "heavy learning lifting." I believe that varying the types and mode of professional learning where technology integration is concerned is most important. Instructional technology coaching can greatly benefit teacher understanding of technology integration and how to move along a continuum of integration from substitution to transformative. Frazier and Hearrington (2017) state, "Educational Administrators promote an environment of professional learning and innovation that empowers educators to enhance student learning through the infusion of contemporary technologies and digital resources" (p. 222). These experts go on to further explain that providing time, support, and resources for professional learning on technology integration will be key (Frazier & Hearrington, 2017).
ReplyDeleteReferences:
DeleteFrazier, Max; Hearrington, Doug. Technology Coordinator's Handbook, 3rd Edition (p. 152). International Society for Technology in Education. Kindle Edition.
Martin, K. (2021). Evolving education: Shifting to a learner-centered paradigm. IMPress.
Demetrius,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, technology integration is here and its potential for student engagement and learning is undeniable. Unfortunately, as you mention in your post, this technology is only beneficial to students if their teachers are using it in meaningful ways. You also point out that the best professional development is customized; I agree! According to Sheninger, “professional learning has to be relevant to teachers, contain numerous choices, and be hands-on” (2019, p. 63). Frazier and Hearrington state that “the development of a comprehensive and ongoing system of technology training and instructional support for effectively using technology in the classroom will maximize results” (2017, p. 172). It seems obvious that in order for a teacher to use technology to its fullest potential, that teacher must be properly trained. Sadly, despite how obvious it seems, this type of training isn’t that common. Our students have been born into this technology driven culture, so it is imperative that we teach them using the resources and devices they are most familiar with. According to Zhang, “Using technology in education is of higher importance in current times, as educators also need to keep pace with the technological information of their learners (Richards, 2014) to satisfy the demands of the current digital natives, who are rather skillful, and in a manner, reliant on computers and other Internet-based tools (Prensky, 2008)” (2021, p.4).
Resources
Frazier, M. & Hearrington, D. (2017). The technology coordinator’s handbook. (3rd edition). International Society for Technology in Education.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Zhang, W. (2021). The role of technology-based education and teacher professional development in english as a foreign language classes. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.910315
My experience teaching has been contained within a computer lab, and when the Pandemic hit, I cried like a baby because of how ineffective I felt trying to reach my students. I still vividly remember my students having questions about how to connect to Schoology and sending emails of all connectivity issues. There was not enough support to go around to supply the students with what was needed. Fast-forward to now, I agree - we have been given a great deal of the technology - but we have not been trained on best-practices of how to utilize and incorporate it into the learning environment to effectively engage our students.
ReplyDeleteSchools are now navigating to the programs and technologies that are "easiest to use, have the clearest evidence of effectiveness, and are most flexible in a variety of settings, from core instruction in traditional classrooms to at-home practice to online tutoring" (Herold, 2022). Thinking back, Jefferson County did not want us to utilize Zoom at all - because it was "not safe" for all parties using it. How are any of the other programs any more/less safe? WebEx was purchased and used and we were all expected to use that program. Then, not only did others use Zoom, we were involved in online trainings where the trainer used Zoom and we had to connect on our school devices...to the very program they said not to use. There were many users that were new to this platform and there were others who had used it enough to know what to do to get by. Google quadrupled its user base, from 40 million to 150 million during the Pandemic (Herold, 2022). 110 million people...new to the remote society and dangling out there trying to figure out how to best connect to others in their field and professions.
This leads into an area of privacy, which I believe, will be the next "big" item that is attacked by outsiders and made public to users all over the Internet. We go to extreme lengths to keep student data private. However, more and more information is being populated digitally, which gives attackers the opportunity to find and publish. One opinion was stated, "Federal agencies must step up enforcement and federal and state policymakers should use their power of influence to provide guidance on which tech tools are aligned with data privacy laws" (Lauraine Langreo, 2023). While I agree that privacy must be at the forefront, I am not sure about how I feel with asking our government to mandate who is safe and who is not...that leaves little room for the establishment to make an informed decision. These discussions will be held in the coming days; I look forward to reading them!
References
Herold, B. (2022, April 12). How Tech-Driven Teaching Strategies Have Changed During the Pandemic. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/technology/how-tech-driven-teaching-strategies-have-changed-during-the-pandemic/2022/04
Lauraine Langreo. (2023, March 8). Why Student Data Privacy Is a Civil Rights Issue. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/technology/why-student-data-privacy-is-a-civil-rights-issue/2023/03