Competing Visions in Tech Integration

Take a look at this picture. Poor Vasco is clinging for his life to the only piece of stability he has - his raft. Where is he? Crashing ashore among conflicting lighthouses supposedly "showing him the way." Looking at this picture makes me think of all of the flashy new forms of technology that promise to be the “life-saver” you’ve been looking for. There are all kinds of tools that promise to save you time and increase your effectiveness as a teacher. As an educator lost in the “unruly sea” of administrator pressures and countless decisions, skipping from one “life-saver” to the next in the hopes that technology will be the cure leaves educators without a solid direction in which to enrich their curriculum. This approach can leave educators to crash into a “life-saver” and find themselves drowning to understand how to use it effectively. The foundation of my district’s tech planning for these past 3 years has been focused on exactly my interpretation of Vasco’s predicament - pushing new tech out to schools in the hopes that they would use it effectively, report on their use, and give their resources and advice to others using the tech tools. It wasn’t until the last year that the district realized their lack of planning was wasting money, resources, and people’s time. Teachers took away very little from tech training as they were always geared toward “an intro to learning ______ tech,” as opposed to creating goals and aligning the tech to help them achieve their goals. Planning for the needs of a school community are what were needed most and then helping teachers/schools find technology that aligned with their vision would have been more helpful to bring effective changes to schools.

Be aware that conflicting views will exist between those who have the power to hire tech leaders, those that assume the role of tech leaders, and those who are charged with learning under tech leaders. Remember, though the views of the people involved with technology may differ, keeping the focus on learning how to use technology effectively and not just using a piece of flashy tech will help to unify your community and improve pedagogical practices as a result.