Curriculum-Driven Tech Decisions

Introduction

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." (Angelou, 2019) This idea introduced by Maya Angelou and reiterated through the Advancement Course will be the cornerstone for this artifact.

In education, leaders lead, teachers teach, and students learn. There is an ebb and a flow to each and every academic year, school is constant and predictable. However, in this 21st century, that predictable pattern is changing. Students are changing, society is changing... We as educators must also change; we must alter our teaching practices to accommodate the 21st century student.

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Technology Integration - What is it really?

Educational practices are changing at a rapid pace. In this 21st century, curriculum can still be accessed in a traditional print format; but it can also be accessed online. Technology integration is the idea of transferring your classroom content to an online platform.

By transferring your content online, you are able to create a curriculum that is multi-faceted. The content that you are delivering to your student population can be transformed; lessons can draw the student in through engaging activities, data can be analyzed and results immediately delivered to students and parents, and instruction can be tailored to accommodate the needs and interests of each student as an individual.

Through technology integration, the entire world can become your classroom...

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Technology in the Classroom - Priorities to Consider

The online world of resources is vast, in order to narrow down your potential technologies, you need to compare them to a set of criteria. To ensure your selection is best suited to your institution, you need to consider a programs: safety, consistency, effectiveness, equity, access, inclusiveness / accessibility, and adaptability.

Safety

To begin the process of utilizing technology in your classroom, you have to set a precedent. All technology that is used in education must place safety above all. A student's privacy and online safety must be maintained at all times. If your selected technology compromises a students safety or well-being, it must not be used. A sign of quality technology in the classroom is one that ensures a student is safe at all times.

Consistent

Is this technology consistent across multiple platforms? When determining if a particular technology is worthwhile in the world of education, consistency across multiple platforms needs to be an area to be evaluated.

(Advancement Courses, 2022e)

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Technology in the Classroom - Priorities to Consider Cont.

Access

Is the technology that you will utilize available to all? All students must have equitable access to your chosen technology.

(Advancement Courses, 2022e)

Effective

Is the technology you are looking to implement effective in the educational realm? Will the implementation of this particular technology elevate the learning process? These are questions that need to be asked when determining whether or not you would like to utilize a particular technology.

Equity - Three A's

Consider the, "Three A's: access, accessibility, and adaptability" (Advancement Courses, 2022c)

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Technology in the Classroom - Priorities to Consider Cont.

Inclusive / Accessible

Will the potential technology make your classroom more inclusive? Will your entire student body be represented and included in the content? "Effective technology integration can help provide all learners the ability to access the general education curriculum, offering them multiple means to complete their work with greater ease and independence..." (Fouzia Khursheed Ahmad, 2015) In order to promote and obtain an inclusive online environment you have to consider one of the three A's of Equity - Accessibility.

Adaptable

When selecting technology it is important to consider the technologies adaptability. Does this tool have the ability to differentiate the content that it is delivering? Is there a review area to utilize after a concept has been previously taught? Finally, does this tool have the ability to analyze data that the user inputs to differentiate instruction automatically?

(Advancement Courses, 2022e)

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Roles and Responsibilities of Technology Integration

First and foremost, when discussing technology integration, you must know your role. Each individual within the educational system plays a specific role in the selection and implementation of technology within the school setting.

Administrators

Technology Department

Administrators are the cornerstone of technology implementation. They are responsible for creating the vision. They need to look beyond the day to day implementation and determine what the ultimate goal will be. Once they have determined what the overall goal is that they seek to achieve, they are responsible for determining the budget that is available to achieve their vision. From that point, they are responsible for selecting the technology that will be utilized and determining the best way to train their staff.

The technology department is the next big player in the technology integration process. The technology department has the responsibility of ensuring the technology works correctly and can help others with troubleshooting. They ensure that the connection between user and platform is seamless. "The technology department is less concerned with curriculum alignment and learning goals and more with technological security, compliance, safety, and privacy." (Advancement Courses, 2022A)

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Roles and Responsibilities of Technology Integration Cont.

Teachers

It is the teachers responsibility to use the technology to enhance the learning experience. Teachers use the chosen technologies to plan lessons, execute delivery of academic instruction, track and deliver data to all stakeholders, and increase engagement and learning. They are essentially the stakeholder that has the most hands-on practice with the selected technologies.

Students

The students are the stakeholders that are responsible for the "intake" of the material. They are the ones that have to engage with the technologies to advance their own individual learning. They are also the ones that will lead all other stakeholders towards or away from an academic technology through the feedback they provide regarding the selected technology. If the tool is uninteresting or if a student feels they are not learning, they need to be able to let their administration and teachers know.
(Advancement Courses, 2022b)

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Legalities

FERPA - Family Education Rights and Privacy Act

This is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. (U.S. Department of Education, 2021) This law requires written permission for student's educational records to be released. This law applies to all educational institutes that receive federal funding.

CIPA - Children's Internet Protection Act

This act ensures that schools possess and utilize an internet filter. This filter must block a student's access to inappropriate images (obscene, child pornography, harmful images). This act also requires educational institutes to monitor minor student's online activities as well. (Federal Communications Commission, 2019)

COPPA - Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act

This act requires technology companies to seek parental permission to collect data and personal information from kids under 13 years old. (Knutson, 2018) This act is especially important for elementary teachers to know and understand.

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Legalities - Continued

Copyright Laws

Copyright laws, "protect all original creative work in a fixed form; the moment a work is created, it is protected." (Lagola, 2021) This protection begins when the original work is created and lasts the duration of the authors life plus seventy years.

In regards to educational use of copyrighted material, it is important for educators to understand how and what they are able to use in their instructional practices both in print and online. Educators at SPS (a public non-profit school) are able to use copyrighted material found online if it is for instructional purposes only. For example, referencing an article for students to read online or linking a video to your Google Classroom is an appropriate use of technology.

Beyond copyrighted material, there is an expansive collection of public domain works that are usable to all without copyright infringement. If you are concerned about copyright infringement, you are always able to use these works.

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