Simple is Better!

This may not be a popular opinion, but sometimes I think educators go out of their way to make things hard to understand. We don't do it on purpose, we just like learning.  So we keep building on other learning, adding ideas, modifying thinking, and all of that is good!  Occasionally though, we just don't know when to stop. Technology integration in the classroom should be simple.  Technology is interesting, new, engaging, and ever changing.  People like to "play around" with technology.  They like getting new "gadgets" and exploring what they can do.  As educators, we need to work from that mindset.  How many of our students are asking for some form of technology for a birthday or holiday gift?  They WANT to use technology.  Our job is to use that drive to help them communicate and learn through the technology. 

The TPACK framework does a nice job of showing this goal in a simple Venn diagram. The target is the sweet spot in the middle. As a highly qualified, experienced educator, take what you know about a subject, combine that with what you know about teaching and think creatively about how you can deliver a meaningful product through technology. We have all the components already, we just need to modify the end product. Some might argue that they aren't sure what technology piece will be the "best fit" to deliver that content with quality teaching practices. I don't think there really is a "best". Try something. Just as we have always done, educators will think about the lesson after it has been delivered, make some judgments, and revise before the next teaching opportunity.

The model that resonates with me as a teacher is RAT (Replacement, Amplification, Transformation) and not just because of the catchy acronym! These are three easy to understand concepts when evaluating a lesson that has integrated technology.  Did we only use technology as a replacement to end up with the same product? Did we use technology to make one of our usual learning experiences easier or more engaging? Did we use technology to change the way we are learning and creating? These three questions are very straight forward and can quickly and easily help educators evaluate their lessons. Evaluation leads to modification and creation of new lessons with different end products. Not every learning experience needs to be transformed. Not every lesson needs to contain technology. But every lesson needs to be thoughtful. By thinking about our skills and subject matter and applying technology where it makes sense, we can give quality learning opportunities. 

In thinking about my level of technology integration, I don't really know where to "rank" my level. My class uses new technologies frequently. Students help guide and choose how they create and develop products with technology, but every lesson is not transformative with ICT. I'm a learner too. Remaining flexible, planning engaging content, leaving room for different responses and continually evaluating the outcomes with always provide quality learning experiences. Technology is simply one of the parts of that student-centered, quality approach.

Technology in My Classroom

My name is Pat Todd and I am a 5th grade teacher at Highlands Elementary in Naperville District 203. However, I did not begin my "work life" as a teacher. After earning my bachelors degree in Business, I worked in sales and sales management in the medical industry. Fifteen years later, I needed to find a work life that was more compatible with my life! Soon after spending some time in a classroom as a volunteer, I was hooked.  So I worked as an LBS assistant during the days and attended school to earn my masters in Education and teaching certificate. Since that time I have been lucky enough to start as a 2nd grade teacher and spend the last 4 years in 5th grade. I love being in the classroom with students.

I sincerely enjoy using technology in the classroom and feel strongly that it should be incorporated in every grade level.  Honestly, I learn so much from my students when we engaged in an activity using tech tools. So many of them have been exposed to apps and sites that I haven't seen.  They bring that experience with them to my room. They also bring that sense of exploration that makes learning fun! Canvas is used to encourage students to really manage their school life online.  We post assignments, explore literacy with reading groups, create and upload videos to explain learning experiences, keep text resources available, take quizzes and so much more.  Kahoot is a great interactive review tool in my room and we are only just beginning to truly use the Google environment. Next year we will be one to one with Chromebooks and I can't wait. It has been challenging working with a class where one person has a PC, another an iPad, and someone else a Mac. 

One of my most humbling EdTech moments occurred in my first year of teaching while I was being observed.  I was excited to have my principal watch as my reading groups ran self-paced online discussion groups with guiding questions, responded to each other and finally created a collaborative book review. Unfortunately, all internet access was dropped in the building about 10 minutes into the lesson. I scrambled to pull together an alternate activity. Lesson learned; think flexibly and always have a back up plan! 

That's what I hope to give to my students. Be willing to explore and learn technology options at every opportunity,  but don't assume it is the only way to get everything done.