brass_integrator (Photo credit: xmatt)

A recent group of colleagues, tech integrators from around the world, have recently connected through email contact.  One of the cohort posed a few questions, “[I am} interested in Tech lesson ideas for PK – Grade 5.  Also how you’re day is spent integrating technology in your schools. If you teach classes or are full time integration.”

I thought I would share my response here:

Hello,

I am going to try to get back to you about specific tech ideas because there are so many.  Our team is presently developing a website to showcase tech integration ideas using 3 New Literacies: Community, Tools, and Information.  This is being developed for PYP, MYP, and DP.  When it is populated I am eager to share it.  For now, I will point you to the Florida Tech Matrix: http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/

Concerning how the day spent as a tech integrator, it is interesting to compare this year to others.  Essentially as a tech integrator, and as John D’Arcy puts it, we are working our way out of a job and into a learning coach role who spends more time researching and promoting learning theory and practices.  However, teachers will usually need help learning new tools.  Jeff Utecht states, “We are in perpetual beta”.  The way he explains this idea is that online and offline programs and operating systems are continually updating and upgrading.  This means that we never really become experts because a version with all new bells and whistles keeps us and other teachers on their toes.  This is the reason I know we will always have a job as researchers, testers, implementers, and promoters.

As a tech integrator, originally I was working in classes in the capacity as a lead-teacher, co-teacher, or support teacher depending upon what the teacher needed and specified.  More recently I am finding that I am working much more with teachers individually who have lists of questions they would like answered.  I work with them on a weekly basis and help them with everything from blogging, to email and Google Drive organization, to SMARTboarding, to iPad app exploration, and so much more.  They are figuring out and adapting lessons from previous years but still ask for my help once in a while.  I write more about the idea of tech integration here: https://ict-design.org/2011/09/02/technology-integration-a-six-pronged-approach/ and share Keengwe, J., & Onchwari, G.’s (2009) tech integration rubric here: https://ict-design.org/2011/10/25/technology-integration-rubric

With regards to your last query, I am a full-time tech integrator with an open schedule.  I use and share my Google Calendar with staff here: https://ict-design.org/make-appointment  I found that if teachers were able to edit my calendar I would have some of them coming up to me at the end of the day saying, “You didn’t come visit my class” because I missed an appointment they made minutes before the due time.  Therefore, I make my calendar read-only, which means they need confirmation from me about appointment details.  It seems to work much better.

Hope that helps.
Thomas Johnson
Technology Integration Specialist | Learning Coach