Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Technology Invades the Classroom

I know it's no surprise that technology has invaded our classrooms.  I chose that word very carefully and intentionally for the title of this blog post.  In many senses, in some of the classrooms of our schools, technology has invaded the classrooms!  We acquire technology for the classrooms, and suddenly the tech takes over and we lose focus on what the tech should be doing in the classroom.  Thus it has invaded/taken over what we do in the classroom, rather than keeping control ourselves.

In some of our smaller Lutheran schools, of which I am the principal of one, we get so focused on wanting/needing technology in our schools for various reasons.  We see it all around us, schools that have more tech tools, gadgets etc. and we become focused on the acquisition of tech for the sake of tech.  That's not what should happen.  We need to be good stewards of the money we are given and spend and use it wisely.

As leaders of our schools, we are responsible for setting the tone of the things that go on in our schools.  When we lose focus on the use of tech, where do you think our teachers get that from?  They end up doing the same thing in their classrooms.  They use the tech tools we give them with little thought to the pedagogy that needs to come first. 

In the wake of the ISTE conference that is ending today, I've tried to keep up with everything that is coming out of it. One of the things I read, and continue to read in other places is that, as educators, we need to make sure that the pedagogy of the lessons we teach come first and then figure out ways to infuse technology as it makes sense in the lesson, not the other way around!  I read a good blog post today by @mrkempnz entitled "The 4 Biggest Mistakes that Teachers Make When Integrating Technology".  He makes some great points worth taking to heart!Therein lies the challenge for some of us (including me sometimes) of making sure we are focused on the right things.  We need to help our teachers have that same focus as they plan what goes on in their classrooms.  There are so many things that can be done, but that doesn't mean they should all be done.

As we edge closer to the new school year, I am going to remain vigilant and aware of the invasion of technology in my school and help my teachers to understand its proper place in their classrooms(but strongly encourage them to use it)!  After all, they come first, not the tech!

There is a great quote I read somewhere on Twitter recently that I love that sticks with me that says "technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational".  That should be the goal for all of us as educators.  Teachers are the ones that make the difference, not technology!

In His Service!

Axel Gruen

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