I was at a conference over the summer that included many different educators that were ‘happening people’ in the field of educational technology. Most of these teachers, integration experts and lead people working in various capacities in educational technology in various districts across North America were zealous, informed and genuine.
To be sure, this was a select bunch of people. But what wasn’t evident was the rate of success that these individuals had enjoyed in their various positions with regards to integrating technology across the curriculum throughout their respective districts or schools.
Indeed, to me, it was quite apparent that there wasn’t a great deal of evidence to show that teachers in their districts or schools were successfully integrating technology across the curriculum. And to be sure that’s just the very beginning. Let me be clear. Just simply integrating technology across the curriculum is not in itself a measure of success. The measure of success that we’re looking for is that teachers are integrating technology into their classroom programs in meaningful ways; ways that enhance their program in a mode that affects student achievement.
Have students become better writers, thinkers, communicators, collaborators? Do they have a more comprehensive and thorough understanding of science or mathematics?
Can we unreservedly point to technology as the main reason, or at least one of the reasons, for this kind of success? How do we ensure that we create a school culture that embraces technology with this purpose in mind? How do we create a technology shift at the school level that moves us in that direction? Read on to find out at least one way in which a school leader can create this kind of a culture at his or her school.
