“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” ~ David Warlick 

Ahhh…technology….what can feel like a friend to one educator can seem like a foe to another. Though advancements in technology are happening at a mind-boggling pace and the tools available today are far greater than those of a decade ago, the approach some schools take often fails to build the excitement in teachers needed for successful use. Often times “the best laid plans” of placing technology in classrooms can seem like little more than a dash and drop, where technological tools arrive in the classroom for teachers to use, having little to no training in appropriate use. Yet, despite these challenges, teachers must learn to leverage the technological tools available to them appropriately in order to best serve the students in their charge.

I remember a time fifteen years ago (give or take a few years) when all classrooms at my school were provided with a laptop computer and teachers were trained on programs available for use. Despite my excitement about having a laptop for use, many of the veteran teachers were wary, stating “this too shall pass” and “don’t get used to it….it won’t last.” Looking back now I question if those teachers were actually scared of having to use this new technology in their classrooms rather than being unsure of the livelihood of the new tool. Some of those same teachers are still teaching today and, believe it or not, the laptops are still in their classrooms, along with digital cameras, Smart Boards, document cameras, iPads, iPods, and countless other technological tools. Most of those teachers who were so uncertain of the staying power of the computer have accepted (and even embraced) the fact that technology is a tool for advancing learning and are now using those tools daily.

When I reflect back on the differences in my classroom from my first year of teaching to today (year nineteen), what a difference technology has made! I get frustrated if, upon arriving at school, I learn that Internet access is unavailable, or the Smart Board is not working properly, or laptops are not available for my students to use. What was once an occasional technological treat has now become an expected part of each day. After spending a week with my fellow Fellows at NCCAT, I know that I could be using the tools available to me at a far greater capacity….and I also know that my school has a long way to go.

The biggest challenge to leveraging technology to empower learning for my classroom and school lies primarily in the availability (or rather, lack) of technological tools and the likelihood that those tools available will work properly. No longer is the desire of teachers to use technological tools an obstacle; rather, making enough tools available for all to use has become the greater challenge. Ideally, my students should have laptops or iPads available to them throughout the entire school day for use in all curricular areas. Unfortunately, this is not a reality and I have to bargain with other teachers to ensure all students have shared time on the three laptop carts available for our 300+ student population

Also, the question must be asked, are we leveraging technology effectively to best meet the needs of our students? Can we truly say that technology is used in a transformative manner in our classroom? Just having technology available means very little….having my students use technology to to do things they didn’t even think were possible, that’s the real beauty of teaching and learning. To truly leverage technology, students should be connecting with other classrooms around the world; sharing what they are learning with others through blogs, videos, and digital portfolios; and making choices about how to use technological tools to help them learn.  

I am entering this school year with a new perspective on how to best leverage the technology available to empower my students. This will be the year when we envision, plan, create, and do things we’ve never done before. This is the time to expand my students’ minds and help them accomplish things of which they have only dreamed.

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcanevet/300763362/”>manuel | MC</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>