Making it Happen

Each day in the classroom, teachers are asked to do more and more, and the implementation of technology is just one in a list of many. As technology educators we are many times asked to implement a new piece of software, or encourage teachers to make use of the existing technology tools available to them on campus.

How do we do this effectively, and what results can we expect? There are a few rules that we can try in which to adhere when embarking on a technology implementation plan, whether large or small that can make the outcome more successful.

1.Teachers have to start with technology implementation in their own lives before they can ever be expected to integrate this into the classroom. Without allowing teachers to create their own “culture of use”, they will be unable to give to the students what they have yet to find as important and valuable in their own lives.

2.Show teachers how to create their own community of learners. This will allow them to talk about and learn from individuals much like themselves. They will be able to invite conversations with other educators that are as passionate about a topic as they are.

3.Implementing technology has to supersede the notion of “I have to learn this because my students are proficient at this”. Teachers can no longer be the expert in every area. They must understand the broad concepts surrounding the technology, but must not “do it” for the sake of saying they’ve done it. It must move technology from an experience to a live change.

The best thing we can do as we implement new technology is to nurture the appreciation in teachers for what technology can do. Showing them how it will help them and how it makes a positive impact on the classroom is a very powerful mentoring strategy toward successful technology implementation.