Utilizing Best Practices in Instructional Technology Kristy S. Patterson, Troup County Schools

Synopsis: Nine suggestions are offered for delivering top-notch instructional technology services to your school system.

 

Alan Preis, of the Atlanta International School, is in a unique position to be able to share insight into the use of instructional technology. He serves a population that includes students and faculty from all over the world and who speak many different languages. His presentation included a number of useful suggestions:

 

1. Focus on student learning.  Technology should be seen as just a tool, not as a curriculum in itself. The instructional technologist should partner with teachers to incorporate technology tools into the existing lesson plans that teachers are already using. While we currently offer technology courses for teachers in Troup County, I plan to send out a survey to determine what types of additional training teachers need in order to be able to best incorporate technology tools into their daily work with students.
2. Plan, but be flexible.  Every school system has a plan for procurement and use of technology, but the plan is not always used to best advantage. In some cases, the plan is never again referred to once it is written, and in other cases the plan is so strictly adhered to that it may fail to allow adjustments for fast-breaking advancements in hardware and software. In Troup County, I plan to work closely with the Director of Technology to help develop and implement the plan so that our teachers and students will have the benefit of making the plan work for them.
3. Break away from PC-based software applications.  The concept of “cloud computing” was a fairly new one to me, but it makes a great deal of sense. Instead of focusing on proprietary Microsoft programs as we have done in the past, Alan put forth the idea of using applications such as Google Docs, Open Office, and Zoho. He made the point that if teachers can incorporate tools that students actually enjoy using (wikis, blogs, etc.), they will likely elicit much more enthusiasm and interest from their students. I plan to offer training to teachers on the use of these Web 2.0 tools so that they can become comfortable using them in their classrooms.
4. Teach concepts, not skills.  While it’s pretty easy to instruct users how to use specific software applications, that practice is not as useful to them as teaching them the concepts of how to use technology tools in general. With the rapid pace of change in the world of technology, learning to use Microsoft FrontPage will be mostly irrelevant five years from now, but the concept of how to design a website is something that should remain useful. I plan to try to focus my training more on the ISTE standards (which focus on concepts) rather than on specific applications.
5. Teach technology across all grades and subjects.  While there is now a mandate for testing eighth graders to assess their technology skills, we must not wait until eighth grade (or stop there) when addressing technology literacy. The key to this, I believe, is making teachers comfortable enough with technology tools that they will naturally incorporate them into their lessons. When teachers model the use of technology, their students will naturally learn to use it too.
6. Standardize with flexibility.  Although this idea may sound like an oxymoron, it actually makes sense. While we need to assure that all our teachers and students have similar access to technology and training on how to use it, we must also allow for individual preferences and abilities. The use of Web 2.0 tools should make it easier for individuals to find resources that work best for them.
7. Balance security with flexibility.  This issue is a pretty big one for our school system. A great deal of emphasis has been put on security, blocking, and ‘locking down’ for the protection of students and of the network infrastructure. Our current filtering system sometimes squelches “teachable moments” by making many valuable resources unavailable when they’re needed. I plan to continue to encourage the search for alternative strategies that will allow greater access while still meeting CIPA standards and safeguarding our network.
8. Improve professional development.  Technology courses for teachers should be relevant, practical and “just in time” in order to be most useful. I plan to incorporate these elements into the survey that I send out so that I can deliver training that will meet these needs.
9. Seek sustainability.  When planning for and implementing the use of technology tools, Alan suggested that the total cost of ownership be considered, not just the original budget outlay. This is a good practice to keep in mind, especially in the current economic situation. With budgets being cut and systems looking for ways to save money, the use of free Web 2.0 tools is looking more and more inviting.

 

In summary, Alan’s presentation was quite useful in making me aware of ways that I can improve my service to the school system. I will encourage the use of free online tools and provide professional development that will help the teachers learn the concepts of using those tools with their students. In the process, students and teachers will hopefully be allowed more flexibility so that they can learn to use the tools responsibly.

 

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