I have found that sometimes, the biggest obstacle to integrating technology for your content area is getting other teachers in your department on board. When the staff works together to integrate technology lessons into the content, you’d be surprised how progressive the environment can be as far as utilizing 21st century skills. The school I am working at now has a computer cart for our science department and it has been a refreshing change from the last experience I had in my previous position. Although not a classroom set of devices permanently in my room, access allows me to utilize the opportunity to get my students using 21st century skills for days at time, and at least twice a month. I am fortunate to have only four other teachers who use them, and two of which are also advocates of integrating technology. I also have support to use technology by the administration and it’s quite the perfect fit for my professional growth and the learning experience of my students.
No matter what the situation in any school, the conversation for integrating technology in every department should be taking place. If they aren’t already doing so, teachers should be talking about how to integrate online tools in their content areas. “For the 45 states who opted into Common Core, using technology in the classroom is no longer a choice — it’s required. Common Core’s Standards insist that for any student to be prepared for college and career requires they be digitally and technologically savvy.” (Murray, n.d.)
The first step to getting as many of the teachers on board as possible is to show support for the use of technology in a positive way. There is commonly resistance when there is someone in the group unfamiliar with how to use technology to fit into the content they are already quite comfortable teaching. Taking small steps in professional learning collaboration meetings (PLC) and expressing the benefits for both teachers and students is a great place to start. The best approach to dipping into the conversation is to give some examples of why it’s a great direction for everyone involved to take. As an educational technology advocate, I am always prepared to address the highlights of lessons where that student centered environment is working well on the most recent project my students are engaged in. That conversation can take place in any department.
Once there is a collective decision to integrate technology within a department, think of ideas on where to incorporate those online activities based on access to devices. “However varied access and readiness may be, tech integration can successfully occur in any classroom.” (How to Integrate Technology, 2007). Collaborating and sharing devices with other teachers requires discussing how best to use technology to reach your learning goals, and the timing involved in scheduling for the win. Try a team collaboration session where technology is the focus and explore some resources that will work best for a common theme. For instance, in my department, we may be teaching different topics in Earth, Life, and Physical Science, but we can all agree to use an article or the building of a graphic organizer for a technology integration lesson plan. Once everyone has had their integration lesson, the team should compare results. Be open to suggestions for improvements, new ideas, and constructive opinions that are positive and easy to adapt to for everyone on the team. Above all, listen just as much as you lead, and a smooth road to successful technology integration in your department will ultimately be the reward for everyone involved.
Resources:
How to Integrate Technology. (2007). Retrieved on July 29th, 2017 from https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation
Murray, J. (n.d.). 13 Reasons for Using Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved on July 29th, 2017 from http://www.teachhub.com/13-reasons-using-technology-classroom
Greene, K. (n.d), 50 Fab Apps for Teachers. Retrieved on July 29th, 2017 from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/50-fab-apps-teachers/
Muthler, S. (2014, May 8). The Best Interactive Web Tools for Educators. Retrieved on July 29th, 2017 from http://www.edudemic.com/best-web-tools/
Dawn Bolen 
Hi Dawn, I totally agree that one of the first steps is ensuring all the teachers are open to the idea of technology integration. Without that its an up-hill battle and only leads to everyone becoming quite frustrated. Instead, a certain amount of buy-in is required on the part of the educators. With being deceptive, it seems that it almost needs to become their idea. I think its just a matter of leading them to that conclusion without trying to force tech on them, like districts have attempted before. Even with Common Core expectations, it will be some time before technology integration is totally commonplace. I think one other factor, which I forgot to mention in my own post, is that parents should be driving this expectation. It is, after all, their children who stand to benefit from using modern tools more and more and if they stand united in their expectations then school administrators will certainly oblige.
All the best,
Tim J
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