- As a school administrator and instructional leader, what instructional technology would you expect to see in the written, taught, and tested curriculum of a school or school district striving to meet the needs of 21st century learners?
In today's classroom, I would absolutely expect that teachers and students would be using technology to enhance the instruction that is happening in the room. I would expect this weather or not technology was part of the written or tested curriculum. I have a hard time describing "what technology" I would expect to see because every classroom is different, but in a science classroom, if a lesson was to look at seismic activity around the world, I would expect the teacher would be using a source such a Google earth to help student visualize the events. In a World History course, I would expect the written curriculum would ask the students to take a virtual field trip to the Egyptian Pyramids. I would hope that the tested curriculum in our schools begins to catch up with the technology and perhaps asks students to create a Webquest as proof they understand what they have learned. It is important that we show students technology is not a separate piece instead a part of our every day lives that makes life just a little more efficient, fun and dynamic. We are doing a disservice to our future generations if we continue to teach them in separate classrooms, separate subjects and walk them down to a computer lab. We need technology to not be a specific "extra" thing we do, but instead use it whenever it will enhance the curriculum and make the lesson that much better.
- What instructional technology would you promote to differentiate instruction for all learners?
There are a lot of technologies that can differentiate instruction, WebQuests, the use of a learning management system, wikis, interactive tablets/white boards and so many more. Technology actually makes differentiation so much easier to manage for a teacher. A teacher can find various articles on the same topic and use those to differentiate for the students reading levels. Students can participate in online discussions using an LMS or wiki and participate using their strong skills and not have to be nervous about being called on in class if they are uncomfortable, instead they can prepare their presentation and have the back up of the technology to help them feel confident in their project.
As an administrator, I hope to be directly involved with instructional technology and intend to help teacher see how valuable it can be in the classroom when used efficiently. I hope to model best practices through meetings, co-teaching, and interactions with the school community.
I can appreciate your passion for this subject. By starting with modeling the use of technology you set the stage for your staff. I agree that the form of technology should be tied to the content and to the student outcomes. This reminded me of the interview qustion for new teachers: Describe the technology you are familiar with and how you use it...Most state PowerPoint, but have a hard time describing use beyond teacher presentations. The integrated use of technology should be part of preservice teaching if we are going to impact use at a higher rate.
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