VANGUARD+Spring+2014

VANGUARDFEATURESTORY
licenses have copyright holders and
they permit reuse without permission.
The content is generally free or very
inexpensive and can be downloaded
and used on e-readers or other devices,”
she said.
The open content can often be
modified by teachers and students as
well, creating endless opportunities
for personalized learning. According
to the 2013 NMC Horizon Report, “…
open content represents a profound
shift in the way students study and
learn. Far more than just a collection of
free online course materials, the open
content movement is increasingly a response
to the rising costs of education,
the desire to provide access to learning
in areas where such access is difficult,
and an expression of student choice
about when and how to learn.”
Balling sees this on a daily basis
in her classroom. “Teachers should no
longer be the only source of content
and material for students,” she said,
adding that districts should trust the
teachers to be part of the process of
developing class content. “The students
and teachers need to make the
course what they believe it should be.”
IMPLEMENTING
WORKABLE SYSTEMS
Educators who are ahead of the
curve in implementing digital tools
can offer valuable advice based on
experience…and a few bumps in the
road to success.
Amy Perry, CEO and executive
director of the New York State Association
for Computers and Technologies
in Education (NYSCATE), stresses that
instruction has to be the driving force
behind technology. “You shouldn’t
just utilize technology to enhance
instruction,” she said. “The instruction
has to come first.”
Tejedor agrees, saying, “You have
to be careful not to buy into the latest
shiny thing that passes your way.
Make sure you’re choosing technologies
that will increase student engagement
and will impact
instruction in the way
you want it to.”
A slow and measured
approach will
help lead to successful
implementation. Rossitto
spent more than two
years researching and
planning Monticello’s
current digital initiatives.
“I researched, I did
site visits and connected with other
schools as partners, and I talked and
talked and talked,” she commented. “I
know that sounds crazy, but I learned
a ton from other people who already
went through the process. You have
to give yourself the time and have a
strong plan.”
Part of this process is having
stakeholder input from the start.
Rossitto involves different stakehold-
“...educators agreed that
professional development
was the top must-have
accompaniment to new
technologies.”
ers along the way, including teachers,
board of education members, central
office staff, administrators, and special
education teachers. “My stakeholder
group changes based on the solutions
I’m trying to come up with,” she said.
In Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery,
Tejedor opted for a technology
leadership team, which participates in
all aspects of the decision-making process,
as well as piloting and introducing
new initiatives. “This team really
took the lead in rolling out Google
Apps for Education to the rest of the
faculty this year,” she commented.
Once new technologies are available
in a district, Balling suggests that
teachers start slowly and collaborate
with colleagues from other districts.
In connecting with other teachers,
Balling worked through her local
BOCES to connect with educators,
especially those with whom she
shared technology-related courses.
In addition to making these connections,
the professional development
opportunities were vital for Balling’s
success. In fact, educators agreed that
professional development was the top
must-have accompaniment to new
technologies.
“The most important thing
districts can do is offer professional
development so teachers have support
as they’re making the move and
looking at what new technologies can
do for them,” said Tejedor. Her district
conducted a full day of training on
Google Apps for Education, and members
of the technology leadership team
continually provide support.
In Monticello, there are professional
developers on staff who work
with teachers daily. Rossitto also offers
“chairside” assistance to help teachers
integrate technology to improve the
12