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.