A Journey, Not a Destination

Technology integration would appear to be a very easy topic for me.  Our school has one to one technology, we have a young, technologically savvy principal, I am a young teacher with experience in multiple forms of technology, and our school looks for ways "to keep up with Jones" in technology and curriculum.  However, there are many twists, turns, bumps, dead ends, and detours on any journey. Module one led me on a journey, and it was not the clear cut destination I had previously imagined.  

Step One: The Research

I assumed when I began this module, I would spend a few short hours on research, and I would be able to quickly begin writing the paper.  I could not have been more wrong.  I felt as though I sifted through mounds of research to draw connections to a central theme that aligned with my research questions. When I started to support a theme and build citations for the bibliography, I saw a slightly different angle that required me to change the course of my research.  Not to mention, my initial research questions could have been appropriate for thirty page paper or a short text book. Throughout the research, I was consistently reminded of some of the simple parts of teaching. Teach using research-based methods and best practices, and integrate new ideas that fit the overall scope of the curriculum.

Step Two: The Paper 

Fresh in my mind, from my most recent graduate level course, was a colossal seventeen page research paper. All I have to write is a three to five page paper for this class? Piece of cake!  That quote, “piece of cake,” would prove to be a horribly wrong preconceived notion.  I found myself on page seven before I fully developed a a theme.  After proof reading the first time, I looked like my young son cut out chunks of my paper only to haphazardly place them in a new illogical order.  I reflected on my own advice to my high school students.  It is much more difficult to difficult to write a well written three page paper than to write a fluff-filled ten page paper.

Step Three: The Project, An Old Dog Can Learn New Tricks 

For the application project, I chose to teach new data collection strategies in a modified professional development time at our school.  I chose to use the format for the professional development as plan time meetings. I know this is always a risky proposition, but to meet the parameters of the assignment, it was the only time I would be able to meet. The reception of the strategies from the fellow teachers was outstanding.  Many teachers have been teaching at our high school longer than I have been alive.  I was afraid that they may not like to implement new ideas for interventions, but it went much better than I expected. The teachers were very receptive, and thought the idea would benefit our intervention program as a whole.

Step Four: A Lifelong Process

I took many lessons from the technology integration module.  Of course, the extra knowledge I gained on using technology for Response to Intervention (RTI)  will greatly impact the program I run now and provide a significant amount of insight as a future administrator to help struggling learners. In addition, I had the opportunity to run a professional development session for a group of teachers. Although this may seem like an insignificant activity for an aspiring leader, it was valuable practice in proposing new ideas for professional development to a group of teachers. I think this process is something that I will need continuous growth on in order to be a strong educational leader.