S. McCroskey for EdTech

For education to continue improving, we must ensure that we get the proper adults into our classrooms and teaching. The number one way to get students to learn is to have someone in the school who is competent, wants to be there, and can provide the students with the appropriate level of content knowledge. I want schools to be filled with individuals who want to see students succeed and allow students to take risks as well. My stance on technology is based on the individual teacher, their comfort level, and how effectively they can introduce/use it in their instruction. I connected with the TPACK framework on how teachers must have sound content and pedagogical knowledge before implementing technology in their classes. Of course, we as leaders should provide teachers with sound PD and technology instruction, but we should not force them to change their teaching practices drastically to meet a quota or a plan we have put out. Just like we want our students to feel comfortable in our schools, we must also make sure our teachers feel comfortable with their teaching practices and technology progress at their own speed. To bring this full circle, if we want solid teachers in the building, we must provide them with the skills they need to succeed and encourage and praise them for getting out of their comfort zones to try new technological techniques to support our students.