One of the errors that I when creating a document is typing my title as the Director of Academic Teachnolgoy, rather than the Director of Academic Technology. I do not know if somewhere in my brain that this is an intended slip, because I believe that the way to best integrate technology into the curriculum is to provide opportunities for teachers to

a.) develop individual technology learning goals and provide the pathway and opportunities to reach those goals

and

b.) to be involved in discussions around curriculum and curricular change early in the process, so that technology can be woven into the fabric of the curriculum rather than being squeezed in or retro-fitted once the foundation of the curriculum had been established. It makes for a much more enriching experience for all around.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to work with our Middle School Humanities teachers on reviewing their curriculum. We had an engaging discussion on the goals that they had for their students around writing. One of the take aways from this meeting was that I was able to steer the group towards using a web 2.0 technology, a wiki, to frame the questions so that the next time that they meet face to face, they will be able to get the most out that face to face interaction. They were also excited to be able to have the ability to engage in a threaded conversation in this collaborative work space.

One of the hooks in getting them to try it was the Time article and the fact that they acknowledged the need to gain experience in the technologies that their students use outside the classroom. The teacher’s modeling will enable the teachersto mentor and guide their Middle School students in the responsible use of these new tools at this very impressionable age.

A small step forward.