When an organization wants to change, there will be growing pains. Technology change moves forward with early adopters communicating success and developing instructional practices to improve student achievement. One way to look at the dynamics of change is to use the concept of disruptive innovations. Dr. Scott McLeod created a presentation for the K12 Online Conference to apply the concepts from Dr. Clayton Christensen‘s business model to education. What is good enough for our students? What is more than needed? At School Library Journal, David Loertscher discusses the concept of a learning commons to “Flip This Library” because school libraries need a revolution.
The 2008 Georgia Educational Technology Conference last week addressed this need for change when it comes to technology. The theme this year was why effective use of technology is so important to student learning and achievement emphasizing the process of change. According to David Warlick, we need leaders “who can tell a compelling new story.” We need teachers to be master learners to help prepare children for a future we cannot describe. The media specialist can facilitate the information overload that currently exists to guide students in minimizing “the extraneous cognitive load” that our students are bombarded with to access not too much information but also not too little. (Our Students, Our Worlds) One way we can accomplish this objective is to think of educational technology as a “Cognitive Art.” Patrick Crispen reminds us of integrating technology into the educational pedagogy involving connections to prior knowledge, schema, and opportunities for active learning.
Educators can utilize technology to reach higher Levels of Technology Innovation (LoTI) per Dr. Chris Moersch. A leader can enable innovative instructional practices by cultivating a culture of high expectations, demonstrating courage, creating solutions to potential barriers, ensuring commitment to research-based best practices, and communicating with all stakeholders. The media program can act as the hub as the media specialist assesses data, plans staff professional development, implements educational technology through instructional strategies, and sustains growth through coaching of the new skills teachers need to help our students succeed in a 21st century world. While we can encourage technology use in our schools and model Web 2.0 technologies for our teachers and students, according to Bernajean Porter, we need to use strategies to move toward pervasive uses of technology. All Technology Uses are Not Equal. She makes a distinction between technology change, planning, implementation, and accountability as being “doable,” “optional,” or “essential.” Where do you fall in the scale? Where does your media program? Where does your school? Looking through three lenses of tools, kids, and learning, we can use technology as tools only (literacy), act as consumers of information (adapting), or act as producers of new knowledge (transforming). How can your school and media program work to address the effective use of technology to improve student learning and achievement? How do you facilitate change to lead students to meet the Standards for the 21st Century Learner?
Kris Woods
Media Specialist
GLMA Communications Chair
References:
Crispen, Patrick. (2008, November). The cognitive art of educational technology.. Presentation at the 2008 Georgia Educational Technology Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Moersch, Chrostopher. (2008, November). 21st Century leadership. Presentation at the 2008 Georgia Educational Technology Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Porter, Bernajean. (2008, November). All technology uses are not equal. Presentation at the 2008 Georgia Educational Technology Conference, Atlanta, GA.
Warlick, David. (2008, November). Our students, our worlds. Presentation at the 2008 Georgia Educational Technology Conference, Atlanta, GA.