- How does working with the public, school board, administration, and teaching staff differ from working with students?
There are many obstacles that can arise when trying to discuss technology with seasoned colleagues. Many are set in their ways and do not want to entertain the idea of learning anything new. This is something that truly baffles me. Once the decision has been made to be an educator or work within the school system the idea and understanding of being a life-long learner should already be well driven into the brain. There are constant changes that have happened for as long as I can remember and there will be more to come, so why the resistance? Not quite sure. If it is for the betterment of the students there should not be any hesitation.
However, when introducing technologies to students it seems to be a welcomed idea. Students are always plugged into some form of technology and when they come to school should not have to power down for their education. We need to be able to adapt and be willing to formulate ways to incorporate the technologies without hesitation to be able to offer a more engaging, challenging and enticing learning environment.
- What are the potential challenges a technology integrator faces from school communities?
I believe one of the biggest challenges for a technology integrator (TI) is getting everyone on board with the concept. As mentioned above there is much resistance to the change. Technology is not going anywhere and must be embraced to be able to function and offer the highest quality of education to our students. I think that being a TI could be overwhelming in the respect that trying to make sure everyone is putting forth the same effort that the entire weight and responsibility will be on their shoulders. Trying to make sure that technology is implemented correctly and at the same pace the TI will just do it to make sure it is done and handle any and all issues instead of making or encouraging the teachers to try to work with them and figure it out. We all know that once someone does something for you a few times it gets easy to rely on that as the norm. Teachers need to be willing to take on the responsibility and ask questions to learn the correct way to integrate technologies into their classroom.
- What do you believe are the best strategies for tackling these challenges?
The best practices that I think would be best are being available for questions/collaboration, sending out links to useful sites, scheduling staff meetings and simply checking in. I believe that if the TI can maintain a good rapport with the staff then the transition and focus stays on track. The willingness to educate and assist must be a priority of the TI. Keeping an open line of communication and being open to suggestions is always beneficial as well. My understanding is this: We are all adults and here to educate let's work together to offer the best educational experience and journey possible and do it together.
