Journal # 7

"Technology Integration – What Happens Now?"
By: Linda Merillat, Jennifer Holvoet, & Doug Adams

Now a days, there are many cases in our classrooms that the students know more about technology than their teachers. Teachers that have been teaching for years are stuck in a grey area between the old methods for technology and the new. Teachers used to take children to a computer lab bi-weekly so they could play Oregon Trail and other things like that but there wasn’t really communication via email or much technology integration in the classroom itself. R*Tec was created as a national program to help teachers learn how to keep up to date with present technology and integrate it into their classroom curriculum. R*Tec created websites and tutorials for teachers to access to stay up to date and get ideas for lesson plans, lesson ideas and technology tips. The success of the R*Tec program the government felt that it had done its job and was no longer necessary. What they didn’t understand was that since technology is ever changing, teachers need to be kept up to date continually. The websites created by each section of the nationwide R*Tec programs still exist and are accessible in the Learning & Leading in Technology, March 2007, pages 21-24. With the conclusion of the R*Tec program teachers are left to try and find other means of gaining knowledge in this subject.

1.) Without programs like R*Tec how are teachers staying current with the new advances in technology?
Teachers in many cases aren’t keeping up with technology which is why classes like our Ed422 are now mandatory for all credential students. Educators that recognize the importance of technology integration are creating seminars for their staff to become familiar with different facets of technology integration in their classroom. Teachers are also becoming used to collaborating via email versus snail/standard mail.

2.) What program was the California region responsible for in the R*Tec system?
California and the WestEd R*Tec program created a site for using technology to support diverse learners. With the melting pot California is, it is imperative for teachers in California to be able to differentiate their lessons to meet the needs of various students at many levels. The WestEd R*Tec program is “based on the idea that the instructional approaches should give students multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, expressing what they learn, and accommodating differences while teachers to students’ strengths and knowledge” (www.wested.org/tld/)

3.) Which resource, developed with the R*Tec program most benefits teachers now?
In my opinion I feel that the program created by the Appalachian Technology in Education Consortium (ATEC) was the most efficient for teachers. The ATEC created a handbook of sorts that compiled their best resources in lesson plans, ideas, and technology tips, providing a useful resource for teachers that also supports effective technology integration.