Dive Brief:
- For the PD Learning Network, Ann McMullan, former executive director of educational technology at Klein Independent School District in Texas, describes six tips for classroom innovation relating to digital tools.
- According to eSchool News, McMullan highlights the fact that engagement with technology can improve student attendance and behavior, and that schools will see different outcomes with major tech initiatives so they should be prepared for it.
- For teachers, McMullan says to embrace the changing role, take small steps in new directions, break through the “wall” that prevents change and get empowered by the ways technology benefits students.
Dive Insight:
While many teachers have embraced the digital age, incorporating technology into their classrooms with zeal, there are the holdouts that are simply not comfortable with the change. Schools would do well to allow for this variety in their schools, at least at the beginning of major tech rollouts. Some of the most successful tech initiatives have started out with a pilot with the most enthusiastic tech adopters, letting them inspire colleagues who ultimately take the initiative to adopt the technology in their own classrooms.
Administrators must provide the professional development to prepare the wariest teachers for a sometimes frightening new world. In St. Clair, MO, this professional development and staggered rollout was critical to the local school district’s success with a 1:1 Chromebook program.