Be the catalyst of change in your school.

The world is changing at an alarmingly fast rate. 

We know that.  We understand the idea of integrating technology into the classroom.  We see the benefits to getting technology into the hands of students to allow them to literally take learning into their own hands.  This article comments on teachers’ collective responsibility to utilize technology in education to help level the playing field for all learners.  It’s fascinating to see all that can be done with technology in education, so the only thing left to do is buy the technology… right?  This week I reflected much on the importance of high quality professional development to support technology initiatives in schools. 

Technology integration can be scary for teachers. 

It shouldn’t be.  What good is the technology in classrooms if there is no teacher knowledgeable enough to integrate it into his/her lesson plans?  Students today are digital natives; they are more comfortable with technology than most of their teachers.  High quality professional development should be widely accessible to teachers.  It is not enough to simply use technology in the classroom.  Technology integration to support all learners should be thoroughly planned to enhance and transform the learning experience.

Blogging brings us all together.

The days of teaching only within the context of your four classroom walls are history.  This week I reflected on Richard Chang’s article about the upcoming ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference.  It is important to simply start conversations in education.  Technology connects educators.  I’ve learned so much about the positives to utilizing blogging to support my L2 learners this week.  This week’s reflections gave me an even deeper appreciation for integrating technology in education and a newfound passion for utilizing blogging to support all learners. 

Be a passionate teacher and learner.

Students take cues from their teachers.  Be the learner that you want your students to be.  Be the teacher that goes out of the way to deliver highly engaging content.  Find new ways to teach old lesson plans.  Get out of your comfort zone.  This week I read about a new phenomenon called, “picting.”  Our students are already using multimedia to deliver messages socially.  Culture and technology of today have students telling engaging stories over Snapchat.  Bring that skill into the classroom.  Let written expression, verbal expression, and visual expression work together, even if the technology piece is a little bit intimidating.  We, as educators, are always pushing our students outside of their comfort zones because we know the power that can be unlocked by individuals who take risks.  Be the learner that that you hope your students can be.