The Class of 2011 was the first group of graduates to have known life with the internet for the entirety of their K-12 careers. This means every student that started Kindergarten in 1998 and beyond experienced school with technology and internet based tools. This does not mean, though, that every teacher was ready to adjust what had always worked to meet this new reality.
When I started teaching in 2003, my 4th graders were absolutely enthralled with the two desktop computers we had in our classroom. We found that looking up images of new words was very helpful for language & vocabulary acquisition and my students were soon navigating the internet and tech tools beyond what I knew. I quickly learned I needed to brush up on my tech skills in order to keep up with their desire to learn, and produce, with technology. I was ready for the challenge while many of my colleages were not.
Fast-forward to 2010 when the opportunity to work as an educational software trainer came my way. I jumped at the chance knowing the benefits, but also the mindset required to advance technology in the classroom. I knew I'd need to know my stuff, teachers can be a tough crowd, but also empathize with teachers who were hesitant or outright resistant to this change. With this in mind, I know my team has to approach our partners with our hearts before we can win over their minds.
WHY Statement- We believe teachers can harness the power of technology in a seamless and cohesive manner to reach students where they are and with various teaching modalities.
HOW Statement- We will use job-embedded coaching and modeling practices to build confidence in using tech tools to enhance learning opportunities for each student. We work alongside teachers to help them move edtech programs beyond the headphones.
WHAT Statement- Educators will be empowered to make data-driven decisions using web-based programs and various tech devices.
Teachers are on a strict timeline to teach all objectives in a specific scope and sequence during the school year. We know that if students begin class reading below grade level, the gap only widens as the years go on. We also know that reading on grade level in 3rd grade is a strong indicator of graduation rates. Even more dire is the school to prison pipeline (American Civil Liberties Union, n.d.) with connections to literacy rates and abilities. We don't have time to play around with literacy rates and teachers don't have time to differentiate as they'd like. That's where edtech tools can greatly help close the gap...when implemented correctly.
For over 47 years, Waterford.org has been on a mission to combat illiteracy, increase reading skills, support educational partners, and strengthen the school/family/community relationship. For me, it's been 14 years since moving from the classroom to the training room. This year, I shifted from being a Sr. Professional Learning Consultant to guiding a team of consultants as the Director of Educator and Family Partnerships.
We have years of testimonies from both educators and teachers, plus internal and 3rd-party research to show our programs' effectiveness. I believe in what we do and why we do it, but I also believe HOW we do it can be improved upon and look forward to furthering my research and hands-on approach with my team and school partners.
American Civil Liberties Union. (n.d.). School-to-Prison pipeline [Infographic]. https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/school-prison-pipeline-infographic
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