Vision and Mission Statement

Vision and Mission Statement

“If the technology revolution only happens for families that already have money and education, then it’s not really a revolution.” -Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education (1)

Educational Technology, when implemented properly, has the potential to engage all learners. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (2) opened the eyes of educators to the variety of learning styles used by children while learning. The addition of technology into the curriculum can reach more students, by matching their learning styles. Teaching through the use of various forms of media, technology tools, and project format options, will touch on some of the learning styles that have in the past been ignored. Ensuring a balance between technology integration and traditional directed teaching, will help in meeting the learning needs and thus engaging students of various learning styles.

Technology should be integrated if it’s a benefit to a particular project, not just to “use it”. It’s important to determine if, how, and what technology would be appropriate to reach the goals of an assignment, and whether the necessary tools are available. In an elementary school or middle school (I work in a K-8 school), a balance between the use of digital resources and traditional resources is crucial in order to ensure that students are meeting the needs of the curriculum and of their bodies. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that schools, “Encourage the continuation and expansion of media education programs, or initiate implementation of media education programs in settings where they are currently lacking.” (3)  A good balance between directed teaching (teacher led instruction) and Constructivist Models (ability to problem solve in unique ways) will ensure that students possess the basic skills and knowledge necessary to creatively solve a problem.  Collaboration, professional development, and the availability of technical support are all essential to the success of a Technology Integration program.

In order for ideal Technology Integration to be possible, one-to-one computer access should be present, so that when the need arises, the tools of choice are at their fingertips and technology use becomes second nature. The idea of 1:X computing, “one-to-many” computing (4), making many different devices available to students to choose from, and makes choice possible. Enabling students to choose the best “tool for the job”, will equip them with the skills necessary to enable them to transfer knowledge to other tasks, whether it be at school, at home, or in a job later in life.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”     Mark Zukerberg, Facebook (5)

Implementing an Educational Technology program in a K-8 school offers unique challenges and wonderful opportunities. By collaborating with teachers at each grade level, entrance expectations are determined at each grade level, thus creating a skill map to use as a guide. The mission will be to ensure that students have the skills, the tools, and the opportunity to show their individual strengths and talents, by providing them with the opportunity to choose the tools that they feel best meet their needs, while meeting the requirements of their assignments, and ensuring a balance exists between the time using digital resources and traditional resources . Digital tools make it possible to transform school models from "lecture, demonstrate, memorize, and regurgitate" models to "facilitate, explore, discover, and create" models.

Works Cited:

1. (2014). Office of Educational Technology. Retrieved January 23, 2016, from http://tech.ed.gov/.

2. (2009). Big Thinkers: Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences ... Retrieved January 23, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-howard-gardner-video.

3. (2013). Children, Adolescents, and the Media - Pediatrics - AAP News. Retrieved January 23, 2016, from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/10/24/peds.2013-2656.

4. (2013). '1:X Computing' Aims to Tailor Digital Tools to Learning Tasks. Retrieved January 23, 2016, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/10/02/06el-1x.h33.html.

5. (2010). Mark Zuckerberg Quotes - BrainyQuote. Retrieved January 23, 2016, from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_zuckerberg.html.

6. (2014). How much screen time is OK for my kid(s)?. Retrieved January 23, 2016, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/screen-time/how-much-screen-time-is-ok-for-my-kids.