Technology+Integrators+-+Are+they+Important?

=== Last week I spent a day at the local Christa McAuliffe Conference in Manchester, NH. As I reflect upon the experience of this day, there are several important topics and wonderings that made me want to amend my thinking about what my technology vision should encompass. Wes Fryer gave the keynote presentation or rather his fifth grade daughter did a lot of it. This in itself was a new venue for conferences. Sarah showed us many things she could do with technology on a wireless device. The ipod touch was her technology of choice. Most importantly Sarah showed us many things that she had learned with her device. She was enthusiastically sharing her creative publications, including digital storybooks, with all of us adults in the room. She was excited to share and gave all of us tips on how to create these innovative lessons and activities. Her father guided her and facilitated the conversation. It was a terrific model of what could happen in a classroom if students were the given the chance and opportunity to explore their interests with their own technologies. In my opinion, we need to give students the opportunity to use their own devices in the classroom. We need to do this by building a safe, and robust infrastructure for learning, collaborating, and documenting our evidence of the learning. ===


=== Mobility seems to be the name of the game this year in both consumer and school electronics. More than ever before, we need to make sure our school environments including physical infrastructure and people infrastructure are equipped to handle the influx of mobile devices we all carry on us at all times. These devices are so necessary for learning in this 21st century.They are also necessary for us to show others our new learning and share that learning across the community. Social learning is becoming the number one learning framework for our society. As seasoned teachers we all l know that when we show others what we have learned, we REALLY understand the concepts more comprehensively. ===


=== Here is a great 10 minute video of Wes Fryer interviewing some technology integrators from Yarmouth, ME. The role of the technology integrator is changing as well. We have lost in Portsmouth the ability to have these integrators consult and meet with teachers to help them plan their curricula projects. We need to create this flexible role so that teachers feel supported in their instruction. Giving permission to students to teach us is a new paradigm. Teachers want to make sure that they are supported in their new learning with coaches and mentors. Tech integrators are master teachers that can help all teachers learn how to use their already designed lessons and input technologies where it is appropriate They are skilled in backwards planning and mastery learning. ===

Here is what Yarmouth Integrators say about their evolving role.
Here is a great video of Wes Fryer interviewing some tech integrators:media type="youtube" key="iqWEnWzRpPk?fs=1" height="385" width="640"