Instructional Technology – My Core Beliefs
To me, Instructional Technology, at its core, means being able to take an old lesson and teach it in a new way. That new way has to be engaging and interactive, allowing the students to take part in the learning. It means integrating technology into unexpected lessons – not just writing and editing or internet research – but allowing special needs or ESOL students to record themselves and listen to what they said through a computer microphone and speaker, or taking a counting change math or historical map lesson to the SMARTboard.
A core challenge of Instructional Technology is to get over teachers’ technology inhibitions and fears of change. This hurdle is usually higher for those teachers approaching retirement (not to stereotype but this seems to hold true) because old lessons have worked well for them in the past. However, with testing requirements and parental pressure that excuse will not work for teachers much longer. Instructional Technology is modeling lessons using technology to help apprehensive teachers understand how to ease technology into their lessons.
When thinking about Instructional Technology I also take into account the need to be more efficient in this day and age of teaching. Technology can help the classroom teachers can help with time management by helping teachers get and stay organized through planning and calendaring tools. Time management allows the teachers be more proactive than reactive, and thus be better teachers. Nowadays, parents expect timely and responsive technology use, and Instructional Technology can help teach a teacher how to plan, grade, organize and communicate efficiently.
Meeting the students at a technology level with technology that engages them is so important when planning lessons. Many students are easily bored in lessons using technology if it goes too slowly or uses tools and techniques they have mastered. Those teaching with Instructional Technology always have to be stretching and challenging the students’ technology skills – another of my core beliefs of Instructional Technology. Otherwise, the new way of teaching a lesson this year using technology can quickly become an old lesson. Therefore Instructional Technology means we need to be always rethinking what we are doing during lessons in order to capture all students.
