Now that you have worked through the print version of Teaching the iGeneration and the companion resources posted on this wiki, it is time to start planning and preparing for your own digitally-enhanced classroom project. The resources posted on this wiki page can help you to do just that. A central point of emphasis during the planning process will be that sustainable digital projects are build on a foundation of what a school is already doing well.
One of the simplest truths of driving change in any organization is that change is evolutionary, not revolutionary. It starts with edge of the box thinking INSTEAD of out of the box thinking. When looking for logical starting points for digital change efforts, then, it is important to think first about the kinds of things that you ALREADY believe in and/or do well.
If you are passionate about classroom discussions, then it would make sense to tackle collaborative dialogue projects. If you are already teaching your students about how to evaluate online sources, then information management projects are the right place for you to begin.
Use this Essential Skills Check to identify the kinds of technology integration projects that are likely to be worth pursuing in your buildings.
Once you have spent time reflecting on the kinds of work that you believe in and are ready for, it is time to start drafting a tangible plan for a new project. This Blueprint for Building Digital Projects handout can guide your thinking.
One of the reasons that technology integration efforts fail at the school level is that schools have spent little -- if any -- time defining just what effective technology integration would actually look like in action. Instead, we buy tools and subscriptions to services without careful thought about how those tools and services are going to change what we are doing with students.
If that sounds like your school, you might find the following resources and activities worthwhile:
High-functioning learning communities are driven by the core beliefs detailed in their mission, vision, values, and goals statements. Working together, parents, principals, and teachers define priorities that carry great implications for instruction. Those priorities should play a role in all of the choices made by a school—including choices about the kinds of technology to incorporate into classrooms. Use this handout to ensure that your technology plans align with your school’s mission, vision, values and goals.
Stories help to make complex ideas concrete—and will keep you focused on the core beliefs of your learning community when making decisions about digital behaviors, tools and projects to pursue. While every school should write their own collection of technology integration samples that detail the decisions of fictional teachers and teams that are effectively translating their mission, vision and core priorities in action, this piece is designed to serve as an example of the kinds of stories that can help to guide actions.
Crafting Technology Vision Statements
In Professional Learning Communities at Work (1998), Rick DuFour and Bob Eaker argued that effective vision statements in a PLC articulate, “a vivid picture of the organization’s future that is so compelling that a school’s members will be motivated to work together to make it a reality.” Use this handout to begin crafting a set of 5-10 vision statements that articulate a vivid picture of what technology use will look like in your school’s future. Remember that all vision statements must be connected to your school’s mission.
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