Supporting teachers is key to blending educational technology and curriculum. It helps them increase student achievement. Edtech integration specialists need to differentiate instruction and support the needs of teachers. It’s a collaborative cycle of support that should consist of setting goals with the teachers, co-planning lessons, observing the teacher in action, and then debriefing after the lesson. Best practices include:
- Form connections with teachers—let teachers know you recognize their teaching abilities and willingness to take risks.
- Have a planning meeting to discuss IT integration—work with teachers to marry technology to the content and standards they’re teaching.
- Test tech tools in the classroom—model the lesson live with students and allow teachers to observe new strategies in practice. Remember that the teacher is the curriculum expert. This collaboration is where the marriage of curriculum and technology can truly shine.
- Reflect on lessons learned from the IT demo—keep notes of what tools were used and how they were implemented to help with reflection and to serve as a reference.
- Work with teachers to implement new solutions—together, determine what went well and what could be improved.
- Remember to check back—revisit the classrooms to see how things are progressing.
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