• Introduction

    • Introduction

    Technology is just a tool, much like a chisel. In the untrained hand, the tool can poke holes in walls and even cause damage but in the hands of a skilled sculptor, the tool can create beautiful three-dimensional art. Educational technologies are tools that include a wide range of devices, applications, and websites that, when used appropriately, have to power to reinvent learning, engage learners, and foster creativity. Skilled teacher leaders hold the key to unlocking this enormous potential. 

    ESU logoThis Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook is written as the primary resource for a 3-hour graduate course delivered online by The Teachers College at Emporia State University. The course is designed to prepare school leaders (teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, etc.) for the integration and application of diverse educational technologies into classrooms and schools in ways that reflect a theoretical, research-based, and practical understanding of curriculum development and the effective uses of technology. The course explores practical ways to integrate technology into both teaching and learning and the critical importance of adequate training and professional development for successful integration. This intensive course is delivered completely online over a seven-week period using Canvas. Canvas is a web-based learning management system or LMS. It is used by learning institutions, educators, and students to access and manage online course learning materials and communicate skill development and learning achievement. 

    The topics covered each week also comprise the table of contents of this text. They are:

    1. Looking in the Rearview Mirror
    2. Device Possibilities and Resources
    3. The SAMR Model and Higher Order Thinking Skills
    4. The Flipped Classroom, Coding, Virtual Reality, and the PICRAT model
    5. Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction
    6. Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety
    7. Pedagogical Implication - Taking Action and Moving Forward
    Technology is not technology

    There is no one ed tech initiative or tool that works in every situation because schools are unique entities and are part of unique communities. School leaders should focus on four potential uses of technology and find the right "keys" for their unique situation. Those potential uses are:

    1. Scaling up quality instruction, such as through prerecorded quality lessons.
    2. Facilitating differentiated instruction, through, for example, computer-adaptive learning and live one-on-one tutoring.
    3. Expanding opportunities to practice.
    4. Increasing learner engagement through videos and games.

    The attached video produced by the Brookings Institution entitled, "REALIZING THE PROMISE: How can education technology improve learning for all?" discusses these potential uses and serves as an anticipatory set for the course.

    The creation of this book was partially funded by the  Class Resource Affordability Initiative Grant (CRAIG) offered by Emporia State University. 

    Acknowledgments

    Thank you to my colleagues Dr. Cecil Short and Dr. Amanda Lichteig from Emporia State University for their help and guidance in the creation of this Open Educational Resource (OER). This book is licensed under the Creative Commons licensing protocols. A Creative Commons license allows creators to maintain copyright ownership of their images while allowing others to use those images free of charge, subject to the terms of the relevant Creative Commons license. There are several types of Creative Commons licenses. They are designed to give content creators control over how their creative works are used. 

    Suggested citation

    Pitler, H. (2024). Supporting Technology Integration for School Leaders. Edtech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/integrating_technology

    This content is provided to you freely by EdTech Books.

    Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/integrating_technology/introduction.