TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IS NOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, RATHER IT IS ABOUT USING THE TOOLS WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO ENRICH AND STRENGTHEN THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY IN OUR CLASSROOMS ALLOWS FOR OUR STUDENTS TO COMMUNICATE, CREATE, PROBLEM SOLVE, AND LEARN IN EXCITING AND ENGAGING WAYS WHILE ALLOWING OUR TEACHERS TO DIFFERENTIATE, CONNECT, AND TEACH THROUGH NEW AND INNOVATIVE METHODS. BY WEAVING TECHNOLOGY THROUGHOUT OUR SCHOOLS AND UTILIZING IT AS A TOOL WE CAN HELP PREPARE STUDENTS FOR AN EVER-CHANGING FUTURE. MY APPROACH TO TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION RELIES HEAVILY ON COLLABORATION WITH THE SCHOOL PROFESSIONALS. STARTING WITH THE CURRICULUM CONTENT AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES, I WORK WITH TEACHERS TO CO-PLAN ENGAGING LESSONS THAT ARE TECHNOLOGY RICH AND LEARNING CENTERED. CO-TEACHING IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT AS WELL, ALLOWING EACH PROFESSIONAL TO EXCEL IN THEIR SKILL LEVEL WHILE WORKING AS A TEAM TO DELIVER A STIMULATING AND WELL-ROUNDED EXPERIENCE FOR THE STUDENTS. IN ADDITION, PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWS ME TO STRENGTHEN THE SKILL LEVEL OF TEACHERS AND ADMIN WHILE BOOSTING CONFIDENCE AND FLUENCY WITH TECH SKILLS. THROUGH TOOLS LIKE WEB 2.0, VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS, BLENDED LEARNING, STUDENT BLOGGING AND WEBSITES, EDUCATIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA, AND OTHER INNOVATIVE DIGITAL IMPLEMENTS, WE CAN BREAK DOWN THE WALLS OF OUR CLASSROOMS AND PROVIDE A GLOBALLY-MINDED, FUTURE-READY EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS. TECHNOLOGY IS TRANSFORMING EDUCATION AND I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE JOURNEY.
“students should not learn computers, but rather use computers to learn.” –unknown
