The classes I would quite happily allow someone into to evaluate the technology integration in my classroom are those that I have had a key role in designing the related unit.  In these my classroom displays effective technology integration due to the fact the technology is seamlessly embedded in my expectations of the actions and outcomes of the students and me.  For example my “flipped” year 12 physics class which both provides the students with a new approach to their own learning and also allowed for the further use range of online simulations and mastery questioning.

There are also lessons, sometimes in units I have designed and sometimes not,   where I am taking a risk and trying out something new.  I recognise that it is not yet happily embedded but I am being informed by the experience which makes it invaluable for future technology integration

However, there are also lessons where prefer that no administrator is going to visit whilst brandishing Lisa Nielsen’s (The Innovative Educator) interesting technology integration classroom visit rubric.  These lessons are more often than not units which I did not have a role in developing.  Yet as they do comprehensively teach the required scientific content I do not feel the right to criticize.

I have been thinking about the best way to encourage technology integration throughout the department I am a member off.  Here I feel that the way forward is by modelling best practice.  This means by placing it at the core of my own unit planning and therefore exposing others.  Yet for this to be successful I cannot just drop it into the unit planner and expect people to follow I know that I will also have to support those how find technology challenging and accept that it is not always for everyone and offer other pathways if necessary.

With all this in mind I am about to start creating a new energy transfer unit for year 11.  My present idea is centred on a project based unit where students create and analyse the energy transfers within their own Rube-Goldberg Machine.

How to tee up a golf ball without bending over

Now what is interesting here, and I recognise in myself, is that I have become very lost in a quite a non-technology focused idea here.  So I intend to ask my school’s own technology support team in on this planning to provide their own perspective and help me see beyond my out of character blinkers.  So I will keep you informed on how this all progresses as we move forward.