Integrating Technology As the ratio of students to instructional computers drops and access to the Internet increases in the nation's classrooms, it is unlikely that either teachers or students will be able to continue to work and learn without integrating technology to some degree into their daily activities. In many classes, however, when computer technologies are adopted, the learning about technologies often supplants learning content with the help of technology. Integration is not simply buying a computer or connecting to the Internet—supplying the "wires and boxes." Integration means incorporating technology as a tool that seamlessly supports teaching and learning. School leaders play a prominent role in promoting the effective integration of technology into instruction. School building administrators are faced with many other issues, however, and find themselves ever more accountable to parents, central office administrators, and policymakers. Understanding how technology can impact teaching and learning is important to school leaders faced with such issues of productivity and accountability. Lesson Overview In this lesson you will explore key integration issues that impact teaching and learning. Findings from research support the use of technology in the classroom. These findings can provide a framework for understanding how teachers incorporate technology into their practice. Common barriers to integration are discussed and paired with strategies that other schools and districts have used to overcome them. Lesson Objectives At the conclusion of this lesson you will be able to Justify reasons for using technology to support teaching and learning List demonstrated positive outcomes from integrating technology in teaching and learning Assess integration practices in your own school or district Find resources to support integration practices in your school or district Recognize stages that teachers progress through while integrating technology into their classrooms Describe stages identified by research Identify the stage that best describes your own level of technology use Recognize characteristics of the ACOT™ stages exhibited by colleagues and staff Describe technology resources and their use in these stages Describe the teacher's role and how each changes through the continuum Explain the nature of the instruction throughout the continuum Describe student activities and engagement levels in the stages Acknowledge the developmental stages that participants pass through when implementing innovation, as described in the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Describe how patterns of use may be identified for any innovation Identify the stages of concern individuals pass through during change and the factors that affect this progression Identify levels of use which describe behaviors of participants involved in change Identify barriers to integration and strategies to overcome these barriers