I am a lover of all things related to educational technology and have spent countless hours poring over websites and clicking on blog posts, trying to keep up with the latest-and-greatest. I'm a dive-right-in kind of teacher when it comes to technology and willing to try anything that might be engaging to my students, but often feel that as a North Country teacher there are few people to rescue me (or at least coach me through with a more reasonable approach to technology integration). Many of our smaller schools, especially, have a limited number of "human resources" dedicated to technology, and those folks are often stretched to their capacity trying to maintain infrastructure, manage student accounts, and handle the administrative aspects of running a network. On top of that, content-area departments are often only two or three people and there may likely be only one teacher per grade at the elementary level. We work in these small and often rural schools because of the supportive, community-like environment, but while each person is an expert in their own right it's often difficult to get together to network, problem-solve, and move forward with common educational technology goals because everyone needs to move in different directions. The number-one professional development request from teachers in our schools seems to be that they need the time to investigate and implement good strategies; this is especially true with new edtech tools. Being connected to a professional network with the goal of supporting each other's use of technology can help ensure that our time is used in the most efficient way possible.
I started blogging earlier this past school year as a way to get my ideas (and their successes or failures) down in a format that I could refer back to when networking with colleagues at conferences. It's nice to be able to reflect on the educational choices that I make in the classroom and have someone else potentially learn from them. Likewise, it's a great way to compile and share those countless resources that might spark ideas further down the line. In a region like the North Country with its unique geography, it helps me feel more connected to other educators, either regionally or within the blogosphere.
This spring I was further inspired by a post on Edutopia by Emile Ferlisi, "What is the greatest edtech tool?" (http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/whats-greatest-edtech-tool) It turns out that he was able to put the positive feeling I was getting from blogging and online networking into words:
Ironically, the greatest edtech tool isn't available on your tablet, smartphone, laptop or desktop. The greatest edtech tool is informed, inspired teacher leadership complemented by a culture of collaboration and risk taking. It's not about the technology, it's about the people and their commitment to meaningful learning.
In the North Country, the culture and community extends beyond the walls of our school districts, by necessity. Collaboration happens within our schools, yes, but the true power and inspiration can come from building regional networks both within content areas and to support educational technology. As a science teacher I would encourage you to increase your connections with STANYS and other professional organizations, especially as we adopt the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) over the next few years. And as our schools shift more curriculum and instruction toward the integration of educational technology, build up your professional network virtually as well. Have an online presence via Twitter, connect with other educators such as Google Educator Groups, and find a way to share your own successes and failures. In the meantime, check out my own blog (http://northcountryedtech.blogspot.com/) and help me build its resources for all of us to use.
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