How to Increase Tech Integration in the Classroom | Cheska Lorena

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” -Charles Darwin

I found this quote while navigating the blog of this week’s blogger of the week, Cheska Lorena, also known as @MissCheska – a 3^rd generation professional educator, certified High School biology teacher, masters student at the College of Saint Rose in upstate NY, and self proclaimed “quirky, but lovable ed tech geek”. While the quote is directly referring to Darwin’s own theories of evolution, it also holds some very valuable insights for schools and classrooms today.

With the rise of social media and web 2.0 tools – our world is changing. In order to authentically engage, instruct, and prepare our students we as educators must be responsive to this change. Our professional development, pedagogies, schools, classrooms, units, and lessons must transform to integrate the best of social media and web 2.0 tools.

Cheska Lorena’s blog, “Teaching Miss Cheska” is an online portfolio of tools and reflections on Cheska’s mission to keep up with these changes in education. One post in particular caught my eye this week, “7 ways to Increase Teacher Technology Integration in the Classroom“. The post summarizing Miss Cheska’s action research project answers the following questions:

• What is technology integration? 
• Why should teachers integrate technology in the classroom? 
• What effective strategies exist to encourage higher levels of teacher technology integration?  
• How can these strategies be used?

The post, written after careful discussion, reflection, and analysis  with Cheska’s own professional learning network, is great for administrators and coaches to utilize when planning a tech integration professional development training session or workshop for teachers. Miss Cheska makes tech integration look easy by advocating for small, measurable goal setting and providing non-intrusive action steps for teachers. From designing a personal tech integration plan, building on campus, online, and even student-centered learning networks, and developing reflective practices with tech integration in the classroom – the post covers the critical starting places for teachers and administrators to get started with edtech.

Here is the short list of Cheska’s 7 Ways to Increase Teacher Technology in the Classroom. Read the entire post for a more in depth description.

1. Create a clear vision of what an ideal classroom with integrated technology looks like.
2. Build an on-campus professional learning network.
3. Build an online professional learning network.
4. Invest in yourself.
5. Expand your learning network to the classroom.
6. Publish, publicize, and advertise your students’ technology-related work.
7. Develop a reflective practice with your integration of technology in the classroom.

Check back later this week for an interview with Miss Cheska on tech integration, web 2.0, and professional learning networks.

Have more ideas on increasing teacher tech integration? Please share your story, tip, or advice below.

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