You must trust that provided contextual
purpose and opportunity for mastery, educa-
tors will succeed when given the autonomy
to select the technological integration tool
that best meets the needs of their classroom.
The focus should not be on the tool or on
the latest greatest technology fad. We must
lead with learning, never with tech. A tech-
nological rubric or framework causes a fear-
ful, tech-resistant teacher to shut down. It
can lead to initiative fatigue.
Instead, guide educators to design les-
sons that empower students to engage in
communication, collaboration, creativity
and critical thinking. If you plan with these
4-Cs in mind, the tech will take care of it-
self. A focus on the 4-Cs creates coherence,
aligned to California content standards, and
prepares students for college and career. The
4-Cs allows us to demonstrate coherence be-
tween technology integration and standards.
A science teacher may lead with a learn-
ing goal of ensuring that students effectively
create a model of a plant cell, complete with
labels and explanation of the function of
18
Leadership
each part of the cell. When the teacher is
asked how students will engage in the 4-Cs
during the lesson, ideas may emerge.
As the teacher considers how students
will communicate while demonstrating
mastery of the learning goal, he or she may
ask students to create a video to document
oral communication. In considering how
students will collaborate, the teacher may
consider uploading the videos into a learn-
ing management system to create an online
discussion through which students provide
each other with feedback.
As the teacher looks for ways to encour-
age critical thinking, he or she may ask
students to think of a city and explain how
each building represents a function of the
cell. Students may be creative in the way
they reveal their thinking, by using build-
ing blocks, dioramas, infographics, virtual
building software, or other methods that
demonstrate their analogy.
The aforementioned examples go beyond the
digital textbook. When integrating technol-
ogy, urge teachers to follow the standards, not
a curriculum. Trust educators to make profes-
sional decisions that are best for the students.
As you build a culture of respect for the ed-
ucators in your organization, they will in turn
begin innovating for the benefit of students.
Resources:
• Pink, D.H. (2009). “Drive: The Surpris-
ing Truth About What Motivates Us.” New
York, NY: Riverhead Books.
• Reeves, D.B. (2009). “Leading change
in your school: How to Conquer Myths,
Build Commitment, and Get Results.” Al-
exandria, VA: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.
Katherine Goyette is an educational
technology and integrated studies
consultant at the Tulare County Office
of Education. She can be reached at
[email protected] or on
Twitter @kat_goyette. Adam Juarez is a
technology integration coach at Cutler-
Orosi Joint Unified School District. He can
be reached at [email protected] or
on Twitter @techcoachjuarez.