Technology+Vision

T eamwork
Teachers, principals, administrators, and technology coordinators need to work together to make decisions involving technology that create the best possible learning environment for all students. There should be frequent communication and dialogue between all parties involved in the decision-making process. School administrators and technology coordinators need to initiate conversations with classroom teachers to learn about the knowledge and skills that students are expected to know and be able to do in a particular grade level and subject, so the right kind of technology can be introduced into that learning environment to help all students accomplish those learning tasks. Classroom teachers need to keep technology coordinators regularly informed about the effectiveness of technology that are being used by students and teachers in the classroom and make recommendations for improvement. It is also important for everyone on the team to have the goals and expectations for how technology ought to be integrated into teaching and learning. Team members need to have a clear purpose for why technology is being used and how it will have a positive impact on student learning. Parents should also be well-informed of the technology decisions being made at their child’s school.

E valuation
Technology has opened new doors for how teachers can evaluate student learning. Teachers can utilize differentiated assessment techniques to meet students’ individual learning needs. Instead of just giving students a paper-and-pencil test, teachers can have students complete projects to demonstrate what they know and what they are able to do. Students can create PowerPoint presentations, Prezis, videos, websites, blogs, infographics, or other multimedia products to demonstrate what they have learned and share their work with others. Students can receive feedback from their peers, and the teacher can provide feedback throughout the project to help students improve the quality of their work. Teachers can also use clickers to evaluate how well students are mastering objectives and use this feedback to make future instructional decisions.

C ommunication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking
Integrating technology can help students develop skills that will be vital to their success in the 21st-century workforce. First, the 21st-century student must be able to express thoughts and share ideas and knowledge through oral and written communication, both online and offline. Second, the 21st-century student must be able to work together with people from diverse backgrounds, respect other people’s opinions, and assume individual responsibility to help the group achieve a common goal. Third, the 21st-century student must be able to develop innovative ideas and realize that making mistakes is a part of learning. Fourth, the 21st-century student must be able to interpret information, analyze evidence, and draw conclusions.

H igh Expectations
Whenever technology is introduced into a learning environment, teachers should always set high expectations for how students should use the technology. Teachers should model how to use technology in a safe, responsible, and respectful manner and work to instill these important values in their students. Teachers should hold students accountable if they don’t follow rules and procedures. Teachers should help all of their students recognize that using technology for learning is a special privilege that has been granted to them and appreciate that technology can be such a valuable tool for learning. Technology should help students reach high levels of academic achievement.

N ew Experiences
Students should have the opportunity to participate in a variety of new experiences involving technology at school. Teachers should work with technology coordinators to plan meaningful learning experiences that students would not be able to have at home. These new experiences for students include, but are not limited to, virtual field trips, videoconferencing with other schools, building virtual models, making digital collages or storyboards, creating brochures or magazine articles, having a web chat with a guest speaker, and posting art projects or other original student work to a website for peer review.

O ngoing Professional Growth
Everyone who is involved in making technology-based decisions need to continually improve their technology skills. Teachers and technology coordinators should regularly attend training workshops or participate in global online learning communities. Since technology seems to be changing at a constantly rapid pace, 21st-century teachers and technology coordinators need to stay up-to-date with the latest research and keep updating their knowledge of the latest technology trends. Teachers should always be willing to try new digital tools and resources that can help their students reach their highest potential. Everyone should be working together to achieve this goal.

L eadership
Teachers and technology coordinators should also demonstrate leadership by sharing original ideas about how to integrate technology effectively with colleagues in their educational setting. Any new digital tool or resource should be carefully analyzed by teachers and school leaders to determine whether it would meet the learning needs of all of the students who would be using it. Teachers should always make sure there is an actual need for the technology before trying to implement it in the classroom. Technology coordinators should assist teachers to complete the ADDIE process when designing instruction that involves technology.

O nline Safety and Security
Keeping students and teachers safe and secure when using the Internet should be of utmost importance to everyone involved with instructional technology. Every 21st-century learning environment should have safeguards, such as filters or firewalls, in place to protect students from visiting inappropriate websites and sharing personal information. Teachers should also educate students and parents about ways to stay safe online both at school and at home where students could be less protected. Students and parents should also be provided a way to report if their privacy or security has been violated online. Teachers should also work with technology coordinators to provide secure methods for students to communicate with peers. In addition to keeping all students safe online, everyone in a 21st-century learning environment should strive to keep students’ personal information secure and confidential while working online.

G lobal Learning and Digital Citizenship
Effective uses of technology can bring students and teachers together from around the globe. In our knowledge-based society, information travels at a lightning-fast pace, creating extensive opportunities for authentic, interactive learning experiences. Students no longer learn about new countries or cultures from reading textbooks or watching videos. 21st-century students should be able to learn about other parts of the world by directly communicating with people of different cultures and backgrounds by e-mail, instant messaging, or video chat. Students should be given opportunities to learn about problems facing people in other societies, analyze those problems by conducting research using digital resources, and propose solutions to the people directly affected by those problems, all with the proper use of technology. Teachers should also have opportunities to learn new ideas to improve student learning from colleagues around the globe.

Y es, It Can Be Done!
Technology will continue to change the way teachers teach and students learn. Integrating technology can seem like a daunting task with lots of questions. How will the technology be set up? Will the technology work correctly? Will all students have access to the technology? How do we arrange time for students and teachers to learn how to use new technology? How much money will all of this technology cost? From where will all the money come? With thoughtful planning, all of these questions can be answered, so that students and teachers can reap the benefits.

The key to integrating technology is that it’s not just about the technology. When teachers combine a strong knowledge of technology with a strong content knowledge and a repertoire of effective teaching and learning strategies, student learning can have a positive outcome. Technology has the capacity to extend teaching and learning far beyond the four walls of a classroom, but our vision for technology integration cannot be cloudy or blurry. Everyone needs to have clear “20/20” vision for how technology can be the engine that drives teaching and learning in the twenty-first century.