Researchers and professional learning specialists at the University of San Diego's Mobile Technology Learning Center highlight what they have learned from research and practice about technology integration.

1. Technology integration: What we have learned through
research and practice
• Rich Thome
• Dr. Veronica Garza
• Dr. Katie Martin
• Diana Cornejo-Sanchez
#USDMTLC

2. Research Highlights
Dr. Veronica Garza
garciav@sandieg.edu
MTLC Research Associate

3. What we know from our research in K-12 districts:
• There is no one way that districts carry out their technology
initiatives and efforts.
– Examples: 1-1 iPads, targeted classrooms or grade levels, laptops, early
adopters
• However, despite the various ways technology initiatives or
efforts are carried out, we tend to see the same reoccurring
themes.

4. District collaboration across
multiple departments
Positive Outcomes
Culture Shifts
When initiatives involve all stakeholder
groups from the beginning, particularly
at the district office level (i.e.
curriculum, professional development,
IT, etc.), there is potential for this
collaboration to change district culture.
Departmental collaboration can
influence other district initiatives and/or
ways the district works together.
There is potential for these
initiatives to impact
collaboration and
communication across
district, school, classroom,
and student-teacher levels.

5. Challenges: purpose and vision – core understanding
Actual vision the district maintains for technology initiatives does not
necessarily carry over into how teachers perceive the purpose and vision
of technology initiatives and how they engage in the classroom with
students.
Challenges: instructional - student perspective
Students indicate that their teachers teach the same as before (with no
technology). Students have also provided examples of just being left on
the computer too long or directed to review online resources instead of
receiving teacher support. Students also want a balance of technology
use and student-teacher relationships. Students still want personal
relationships with teachers. This aligns with lack of core understanding
of the purpose and vision of the initiative.

6. There is a need for additional training and support across school and
district levels related to the use of instruction that integrates
technology in a high quality manner.
Challenges: professional development
Teachers want content, grade level specific PD; differentiated by skill; should
support lesson planning and overall curriculum development.
High level school and district administrators also indicate their need for more
professional development and support to be able to help other teachers and
staff. Administrators have shared how they have been out of the classroom
and/or have not directly experienced what it is like to teach in this new digital
environment. Training on every level needed to ensure teachers get the
support they need.

7. • Importance of shared development of
the technology initiative - key
stakeholder groups must be involved.
• Potential for positive culture shifts
across stakeholder groups (i.e.
communication, collaboration).
• Vision must align with expectations for
instructional practice.
• Do our system(s) align with our
vision?
• Do all stakeholder groups
understand the vision?
Professional development critical at all
levels:
• Teachers: content and grade level
specific; differentiated by skill; focus on
quality lesson plans and curriculum
• School and district leaders:
• Are we ready to support our teachers
and students in these efforts?
• Do we ourselves know what high
quality instruction should look like?
• Do we have the capacity to support
our schools at the teacher and
school-wide level?
Implications

8. Implications for Professional
Learning
Katie Martin
Martin@sandiego.edu
Diana Cornejo-Sanchez
DCSanchez@Sandiego.edu

9. MTLC Professional Learning

10. Developing Leadership Vision
What we’ve learned
• Develop a shared vision
• Communicate with all
stakeholders
• Technology initiatives must
be integrated with curriculum
& instruction

11. Personalized Professional Learning
What we’ve learned:
• Provide models and experiences
of the desired transformation
• Choice and voice in the time,
place, path, pace
• Need a robust system of ongoing
professional learning

12. Teachers as Designers of Powerful Learning
Experiences
What we’ve learned:
• Need models of transformational
learning
• Systems to collaboratively design &
evaluate learning experiences
• Empower and support teachers to take
risks
• Provide time for safe practice and
reflection

13. Instructional Coaching
What we’ve learned:
• Establish a culture of observation &
feedback
• Provide support for coaches to be
effective in this role
• Provide opportunities for coaching,
separate from evaluation or
program implementation

14. Collaboration
What we’ve learned:
• Time in the work day for job- alike
teams to collaborate
• Facilitation impacts the utility of
the collaboration
• Technology allows for diverse
networking opportunities

15. Thank you!
• Turn to a partner and
share something you
learned or are
wondering
• Tweet it with the
#USDMTLC hashtag