EdTech Integration in classrooms

 EdTech in classrooms: When is it not enough? 

        Technology integration in classrooms has become an expected norm within our current educational systems. Districts spend many dollars in purchasing technology devices and software programs for teachers and students. When one thinks about the availability of technology in school, one usually thinks well it must be helping the educational process because they have it within their reach. But one begins to question if all these technological integrations are actually effective in classrooms? And why are they not being used in efficient ways? Because the availability of technology does not automatically ensure the effective and efficient integration of it into classrooms It does not decipher the successful use of those technologies in the educational process for students and teachers alike. 

    
           I think there has not been good technology integration in a majority of classrooms yet for various reasons, mainly a lack of educator training and professional development. The reason I feel this way is that the teacher is the head of the classroom and the facilitator of learning, so if their district has not invested its time and money in adequately training them in educational technology, then it will not ultimately benefit their students.  It is not solely enough to provide teachers and students with devices and software without the proper training on how to use them effectively and show them best practices. Teachers must feel comfortable and confident enough about how to use these technologies in order to integrate them into their instruction.  Educators are at the heart of educational systems and I firmly believe that nothing can replace a great teacher. Teachers are the direct link to students and they are in charge of their learning journey. They create effective classroom environments where students are immersed and actively learning. This is why I feel that it is essential that educational systems help educators develop ongoing skills and support them adequately when need be. Professional development should be when vital resources are provided to educators by their schools for specific training topics such as the effective integration of educational technology and in order to better their skills and confidence in this area.

    

            

            Tips I would offer other teachers and administrators is to invest in their own educational technology journey if no one else does. It is unfortunately how I have grown to love EdTech, by researching, immersing myself, and using trial and error on occasions. After speaking to different teachers, I find that many feel the same way as far as they needed to learn EdTech for the most part on their own.  Professional development should be an essential part of educational systems, it should be a great resource for teachers to go to when they are seeking education for themselves to be more effective educators. But when such circumstances are not available teachers are then left with the decision of learning best practices themselves or leaning on other tech-savvy coworkers to walk them through their journey of building familiarity and confidence with  EdTech. This is something I am personally passionate about as I am part of our school's technology committee formed by tech-savvy teachers. Our own teachers are often the best resources, so we go around and help our fellow coworkers with EdTech questions and show them how to use it. I feel this is a great tip for any schools not implementing this currently within their schools.

        It seems that teachers talk about this topic often, as far as what professional developments we would like to have and skills we need to acquire or brush up on. I think there has to be better communication between teachers and administrators and district offices as to the areas of need teachers have. They must hear teachers out as they express their needs and why they feel other professional developments are not being effective and what they can do to make them more efficient for teachers. All of this can lead to better integration of educational technology into daily instruction. Ultimately we want to create the best educational journey for our students to be successful and that will only happen if we make adequate use of the resources available to us. Teachers must gain the knowledge and confidence necessary with EdTech to use it efficiently in their classrooms because technology is a careful balance that must be executed with much skill, if not having it becomes not enough for success.