First in a series of interviews with technology directors and integration specialists, who give their "state of the union," and their views on education technology in the future.
Mary Ann Guidos, Technology Integration Supervisor at Orange City Schools in Ohio
"We work face-to-face with groups of teachers who are planning collaborative projects using tools in transforming ways, e.g., collaboration with distant schools using Skype or content development where students create podcasts. Also, we use the online environment more every day to provide opportunities, both blended and fully online. We use our Moodle server to provide online courses and resources for all our face-to-face workshops. Online professional development and just-in-time training saves us time and energy by allowing us to point our teachers and others toward the online resources, rather than making a trip across campus. Then, we follow up if there are additional questions. Those of us in the Technology Department can refresh our skills, or learn new ones, by reviewing snippets available through the same resource."
"Students will be involved in more personalized learning. In Ohio, opportunities for credit flexibility are now available. Students can choose alternate ways to earn credit for their work. Districts and teachers will need to be prepared to provide support for personalized learning and for developing world-class knowledge and skills such as authentic student voice, and anytime, anywhere learning. We’ll need to continue providing options for learning online, informational ebooks, a new interface for our current online resource, and 21st Century Learning options."
P.D. Tips courtesy of Atomic Learning
