The #michED chat is a grassroots effort dedicated to giving teachers, students, and parents across Michigan a bigger voice in the conversation about education in our state. We welcome all voices through a variety of projects, media, and social networking. We’re trying to address educational issues through apolitical conversation, spreading ideas and stories of success from Michigan classrooms across the state, and helping teachers and students regain the courage to connect and demonstrate that schools in Michigan are creating amazing opportunities for learning. We want the face and voice of education in Michigan to be a mural of shared experiences and positive examples of connected learning.
Hey everybody! Welcome to tonight's #michED chat! The topic? Tech Integration. The questions: https://t.co/NnfOHQHP6c
Take a quick moment to introduce yourself, your role, where you are, and share the last song that you listened to!
I'm Daniel from Saint Joseph! I am an instructional tech coach for Coloma Community Schools in Michigan's Great Southwest! I am also on the steering committee of the #michED-mets. Learn more here: https://t.co/OkUc3GcZcM. Last Song - Bell Bottom Blues by Derek & The Dominoes
A1: I am fortunate to have the leadership role defined as part of my role in my district! I work to be intentional & model best practices for my staff to see. Before having full release, I worked as a tech leader from the classroom always offering more to help the school! #michED
A1: Back in the day my role was more tool focused, finding the next new thing. Now effective edtech is more about empowering and personalizing. #miched
A1: Back in the day my role was more tool focused, finding the next new thing. Now effective edtech is more about empowering and personalizing. #miched
So important! The modeling of the technology that goes beyond simply using and consuming with technology. It is so important. Our kids may know a ton, but there is still somethings that us old dog teachers can show when it comes to tech in the classroom and for learning #michED
A1: I’m a big believer in leading from the front. I try to be the example to share-out new tools w/ all, present to staff and at conferences to #LeadLearnGrow, and always find new tech for inspiration & S success #michED
Agreed! Our students need to see authentic and meaningful ways that adults use tech to fuel learning and then have the opportunity to use tech as more than a toy #miched
A1: I’m a big believer in leading from the front. I try to be the example to share-out new tools w/ all, present to staff and at conferences to #LeadLearnGrow, and always find new tech for inspiration & S success #michED
A1.1 Effective edtech leadership is also knowing when technology is not the answer, encouraging instructional strategies over digital worksheets #miched
A2: Effective integration is different for everyone! But really, there needs to be a focus on learning and learning needs to take the precedent over the shiny cool tool. I feel that is lost sometimes with the newest tech! Sometimes pencil & paper is what works best! #michED
A2: I get most excited about technology in the classroom when some devices are on, some are off. Ss and Ts are moving seamlessly between learning with and without. Tapping into the power of tech to bring in the world, provide rapid feedback loops, and empower creativity #miched
A2.2: Effective technology integration also looks like teachers pushing their own learning boundaries, being willing to take risks, learn from students, and trying something new when the time is right. #miched
A3: We have no formal process for measuring at this point, but I know that there has been a conversation, even brief, about looking into a tool that measures it. The challenge is the same as for measuring students, there is not a one size fits all model to integration. #michED
A3: New Curriculum Director in new district, so just attempting to get a handle on what they have, what support and training they have had, who my innovators are and how it is being used. #michED
A2: I get most excited about technology in the classroom when some devices are on, some are off. Ss and Ts are moving seamlessly between learning with and without. Tapping into the power of tech to bring in the world, provide rapid feedback loops, and empower creativity #miched
A3: This is a spot for growth. We don’t have an official model in place yet, but plenty of resources out there to get the ball rolling. Student engagement, learning should be the focus for sure. #michED
A3: I think it's always challenging to separate good instruction from good tech integration, but we have tried using some staff surveys as base line data. We also look at anecdotal evidence and compare to achievement data. Searching for better measures. #miched
A3b: I think each one has a unique role. SAMR is a great introduction to common language. TPACK is good for measuring what you are actually asking students to do. Triple E provides a user friendly rubric. Each has a purpose, which makes it hard to measure. See A3! #michED
The learning about the culture that is already in place and who is a leader within is an excellent strategy. Once talked with a guy that wanted to change everything the first week on the job. Have no idea how long he lasted! #michED
A3: New Curriculum Director in new district, so just attempting to get a handle on what they have, what support and training they have had, who my innovators are and how it is being used. #michED
A3.This is honestly such a tough question. It's the TEACHER who is the catalyst for change and growth. How are they using tech to push the ISTE standards? To make learning accessible for all? How are they coaching students to use tech to make the world a little better?#miched
A3: To measure the effectiveness of tech integration, pay attention to what Ss are able to do... How do they share and communicate online? Do they use tech to learn about their passions? Measuring it is more about the kind of thinkers your Ss are, not a test score. #miched
A3: New Curriculum Director in new district, so just attempting to get a handle on what they have, what support and training they have had, who my innovators are and how it is being used. #michED
A4: One skill other than basic troubleshooting. I think I would want Ts to be able to the mindset of thinking outside the box and taking some risks with Ss. I think that the Ts would be surprised at how supportive many Ss are in times of things not working! #michED
Absolutely! Even small elements of choice in learning and ways to personalize how Ss can show what they know can transform the culture of a classroom #miched
A4: Flexibility! One app, program, or tech device can't do it all. Be flexible in exploring new things and find what works for you and your Ss. Have options in your 'pocket' to pull out when the time is right. #miched
A5: Ts that are stuck in their ways. The phrase "This is the way that we have always done it." Sometimes Ts need to see some of the other ways of thinking. It's not always possible from my role to convince them otherwise! Need to see other Ts #michED
A5. There isn't adequate time to give quality, personalized, repeated over time PD on what awesome tech integration looks like. We are all stretched so thin... #miched
A5: My district's biggest challenge is a lack of technology, outdated tech, & unreliable tech! When I did Genius Hour as a teacher, I had Ss bring their & use their own devices for research & creation #miched
A5: Biggest challenge. Teaching digital citizenship and literacy. Instilling the habits of mind that will help our Ss make the best decisions and positively engage with a complex world. #miched
YESSSSSS. I think it's a challenge to teach it to the kiddos AND the families. I think part of our role is to help the entire village grow and learn how to be positive online! Parents want to do better, they just need help. #miched
I like this idea, but I would love to be able to compensate teachers for that time. I think we constantly ask them to do more on their free time. I want to honor their time and pay them...but budgets are scarce. #miched
A6: Opens 1000s doors & windows for students to explore. It also opens 1000s doors & windows for students to explore. The openness is fantastic, but we need ways to harness energy and use it for practical application to classroom material when it is relevant and rigorous #michED
A6: We need to meet Ss where they’re at, and at the same time prepare them to be problem solvers, creative thinkers, and to find inspiration in their learning. #michED
A6: I see Ss using a variety of tools to remove barriers to learning like screen size, text-to-speech, re-watching a learning video. But I also see the internet's powerful distracting elements that compete for their attention. #miched
A6. Perfect example...I was in a dr. office waiting room today. One teacher was telling me about how Google translate has helped her communicate with a new Russian student. LOVE.
Everyone else in waiting room was staring at their own cellphones mindlessly. BOO. #miched
A6: Tech provides our students with up-to-date information that wouldn't be accessible otherwise. It can be a hindrance when Ss haven't learned how to find research based facts. #miched
A7: The MITECS (ISTE Standards for Students) are amazing! The move to competencies that are integrated was fantastic! The hardest obstacle is helping Ts realize what some of those look like and how they fit in what they are already doing! #michED
A7. I like the new MITECS. They are really about good pedagogy and preparing students to be empowered learners, not just tech. It's the vehicle that can drive all learning. #miched
Why do we just assume people are “staring mindlessly”? With all that technology can do we have no idea if that person is playing a game, reading a book, listening to a podcast, doing their banking or even taking part in a #miched chat?
A7: The MITECS/ISTE are good next step in defining effective tech integration. I'm most interested in the concept of computation thinking and how technology is a problem solving tool. #miched
