Technology has the ability to change lives.

It gives low-income students a digital passport to anywhere in the world, tools to create new ideas, and is capable of transforming our instruction in the classroom. Because we live in a 21^st century world, our teaching methods have to reflect this change. We can no longer rely on printed materials to be the basis of our curriculum. Much of what we teach today will already be out of date in 3 to 5 years.

We also have to prepare our students to fit into a global society and collaborate with like-minded individuals across the globe. Our students must have opportunities to be taken on a digital journey throughout the world with the use of technology. As teachers, it is our responsibility to navigate our students through the tumultuous world of technology.

We have a responsibility as educators to expose our students to the amazing world of technology and to provide them with the skills to use them correctly. Many school districts do an excellent job at providing a comprehensive technology curriculum, but forget to provide teachers with the knowledge on how to use it correctly.

“Part of the problem, we argue, has been a tendency to only look at the technology and not how it is used. Merely introducing technology to the educational process is not enough. The question of what teachers need to know in order to appropriately incorporate technology into their teaching has received a great deal of attention recently (International Society for Technology in Education, 2000; National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, 1997; U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, 1995; U.S. Department of Education, 2000; Zhao, 2003). It has become clear, however, that our primary focus should be on studying how the technology is used (Carr, Jonassen, Litzinger, & Marra, 1998; Mishra & Koehler, 2003).”

This is my primary focus as a technology educator: to make sure that teachers know how to use technology with fidelity in the classroom. I believe that technology is the missing piece of education and will provide those building blocks to bridge instructional gaps.

There is a paradigm shift happening in education and has been happening since the beginning of the 21^st century, or 19 years ago. School districts and state curriculum are slowly turning away from worksheets and workbook assignments. Instead, they have seen the necessity for teaching our students real-world applications: critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, innovation and problem solving. By teaching these skills, we are preparing our students to think and thrive in an advanced society. Students who are graduating today not only have to compete with each other for jobs, but from students around the world. STEM professions (science, technology, engineering and math) are the fastest growing and most competitive jobs in the marketplace today. We must use technology as a tool to meet the goals of a 21^st century learner.

I also believe that in order for technology integration to work successfully, teachers are going to step away from their role as the primary lecturer. Instead, I would like to show my teachers a theory that I believe is the most productive in the classroom. Since I became a teacher 8 years ago, I have used the theory of constructivism. For this teaching theory, the students are required to gather knowledge on their own terms, rather than have it given to them by the teacher in lecture format. The teacher still has to provide guidance and encourage higher order thinking, but the actual work comes from the students. Technology plays a big role in this theory because it allows for students to be independent in their thinking. The use of a computer engenders critical thinking by requiring students to use multiple parts of their brain at the same time. They are required to not only know how to use the computer but also use their skills to find, or create, the information they are looking for.

There is an assumption that technology will somehow replace teachers in the next 10 years. The argument is that if technology provides rich instruction, why is it necessary to have a teacher in the room? I think of technology as an artist's palate: it has the capability of producing a masterpiece, but you have to be taught the basics before achieving that level of success. It is the same with technology. Teachers have to play an active role in technology integration so they can guide their students in the right direction. Essential questions must be asked to stimulate critical thinking. Group collaboration and innovation must be present to solve real-world problems. All of these are components of rich, student-driven instruction that can be achieved through the use of technology.

Technology is wonderful and necessary tool in today’s educational environment. Through strategic planning, school districts can begin looking at how technology is being used on their campuses. Educators, parents, administrators and students can be utilized to create a comprehensive plan for their schools that incorporates technology into the curriculum in a meaningful way. What schools have been doing for the past 100 years is no longer working. We must shake the antiquated chains off our classrooms and begin journeying into the digital world.

It is my goal and passion to prepare our future teachers to be 21^st Century educators. We must make technology part of the everyday learning process, rather than something we do only on special occasions. I want to inspire students and teachers to think outside of the box, and to create new worlds as limitless as their imagination. I want teachers to always feel comfortable using technology in their classroom and to become digital risk-takers. I want to inspire everyone to let go of dated 20^th century notions about education and embrace the wonderful and amazing possibilities that are present in the 21^st century. It is my hope that through my continued leadership as a technology specialist, I will continue to find new ways to inspire my students and staff to use technology whenever possible.

“Technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of the human imagination.”

–Daniel Bell

References

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers college record, 108(6), 1017.

During my time as an instructional technology specialist, I have been given many opportunities to present at educational conferences. Right after I took my first class, I was asked to be a featured speaker at the Bill Martin Jr. Symposium at Texas A&M Commerce. I wanted to put into practice what I have been learning so far in my graduate studies and decided to present on the paradigm shift in education. I implored to my audience that we can no longer afford to teach in the same way as our parents generation. Our students must have opportunities to communicate and collaborate with one another. My presentation was a big success and it was at that moment that I knew I wanted to be a change maker in the world of educational technology.