I have just finished re-reading an article by Lucy Santos Green "Through the Looking Glass: examining technology integration in School Librarianship," from Knowledge Quest, September/October 2014. She raises some very interesting points, making me reflect on the fact that this is not an uncomplicated process and simplifying it by referring to unsubstantiated models like the SAMR scale or TPACK a pedagogical and content model intended for teachers of pre-service educators may be more detrimental then helpful when encouraging teachers to re-think their practice as it relates to the students' experience with technology. Green, quite successfully, makes the case that the SAMR model lacks any substantive research supporting the assertion that this is the logical progression toward technology integration. "However, applying simplistic models to the development of large-scale technology integration programs, professional developments, and the like without investigating the research and pedagogical beliefs that shape those models is irresponsible and dangerous" (Green, p.40). Oh no! Next, she tackles the misuse of technology integration models, TPACK to be specific. This model is grounded in peer-reviewed, scholarly research and would seem to be the answer to anchoring technology integration in pedagogical and content knowledge areas. Yet the research shows that TPACK is not a technology integration model it is a model better used to design professional development, giving much-needed deference to the pedagogical and content expertise of the teachers.
The most powerful statement in the article and the one that resonated with me is, "If the misuse of technological models hurts our ability to be effective technology leaders then the emphasis we place on technology over pedagogy may negate our influence altogether" (Green, p.41).
Finally, and this I truly believe, "no matter how much technology training and how many resources we provide, without a corresponding and overarching emphasis on pedagogy, the training and resources have little to no impact on teachers' technology practice and on the interactions with technology their students experience" (Green, p.42).
Should we be calling this technology enabled learning instead? According to Brantley-Dias and Ertmer (2013) as quoted in Green (2014) the primary emphais should be on content-based pedagogy of teachers' lessons followed by consideration of all the tools teachers might use to implement it, in order to effect student learning. That would of course include technology and a learning environment that is active, constructive, collaborative, authentic, and goal-directed. Lesson learned!
Green, L. S. (2014). Through the Looking Glass. Knowledge Quest, 43(1), 36-43.
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