Hope Myles Scott

Today's classrooms are becoming more academically diverse in most regions of the United States (and elsewhere, for that matter). Many, if not most, classrooms contain students representing both genders and multiple cultures, frequently include students who do not speak English as a first language, and generally contain students with a range of exceptionalities and markedly different experiential backgrounds. These students almost certainly work at differing readiness levels, have varying interests, and learn in a variety of ways. Based on your readings for the week and the activities that you have completed in this course, describe 4 strategies you would use to assist teachers/co-workers with creating a personal plan for implementing technology-supported instruction for diverse learners.
Planning for implementation of technology is not for the faint of heart. Teachers, the most creative people in the world (most can take nothing and make something awe-inspiring), feel that they do not have time to learn anything that will take more than a few minutes to understand and implement. In other word, they want it yesterday!
Strategy 1: I would begin by showing teachers the value and usefulness of technology that is to be implemented. Most of the tools we have learned about are free. The only program which needs to be downloaded is Scratch. I know that teachers can find useful applications for all projects we created.
Strategy 2: Implementation must include in-depth instruction. This could include practical uses. We get new technology and a drive-by approach to training. I would share how to create the projects in their classroom. Instruction should be needs based; those who understand can move on, those needing more help would have one-on-one help.
Strategy 3: Next, teachers want to know how will this new technology help make my life easier? The next step would include practical implementation. After I share some of the projects, I need to show how they can be used in their classrooms. Teachers will then need time to practice and learn, instead of a sink or swim approach to new technology. For example, we had two lesson plan programs available on campus. Some teachers felt that they learned how to use the old program and did not want to learn the new program. Once they learned that the old program would no longer be available, they were forced to learn the new program. The good thing is that it took more than a year to phase-out the old before the implementation of the new program. That gave teachers time to really learn the new before the crutch of the old was removed. But, on the other hand, we have technology that is still in the box in many classrooms. Again, the drive-by approach to training did not stick, so teachers have not used the technology. The good thing about the programs and software we used is that it is readily available for free or is already installed on most computers.
Strategy 4: My final plan would be to have access to training, either in person or online, available at all times. Our tech support are teachers, so they can not stop whenever someone has a crisis. They could create videos showing teachers, step-by-step, how to use new technology. All of the projects we created for this class are very easy to teach and share. Only one required a download. The logo could be created in Paint or any free on-line photo editing software. The animation required download, and this may be a problem for district techs. The newsletter could be created with any document software, including Word, Publisher, or free programs like GoogleDocs.
I found the following quote not only true, but applicable to the need for technology integration on our campuses: "Because technology continues to play an important role in modern industrial society, integrating technology into the schools will help prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing world. 'Technology is transforming society, and schools do not have a choice as to whether they will incorporate technology but rather how well they use it to enhance learning' (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory & Illinois State Board of Education, 1995). Technology integration also is important because it supports the goals of education reform"(North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1998).

Critical Issue: Developing a School or District Technology Plan. Revised 1998. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved December 16, 2010 from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te300.htm.