Reflection: Tech Integration (Can Tech Be a Bad Thing)

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My students, colleagues and I are fortunate that the question "In 2018, why is technology still a class kids go to to learn to use a tool and not an integrated part of the lessons we teach" is for the most part, inapplicable.  Four or five years ago, my district introduced SAMR, a model for integrating technology into teaching (developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura), for teachers and staff to reflect upon as we continued to expand our technology adoption to include 1:1 devices for every student, grades K-9.  Several factors may have contributed to our smooth-ish transition from enhancing learning experiences with iPads and Chromebooks to more fluent and even innovative results with all sorts of digital tools and technology: our district had the funds and the support of stakeholders; much of our staff is at the very least, tech literate, with quite a few belonging to the International Society for Technology in Education who regularly share all of the innovations they encounter each summer during ISTE's conference; students' families (all military) are very comfortable with using technology for personal, school and professional use; and the adoption of web-based tools and subscriptions to efficient and thorough digital resources for students and teachers makes it possible for all of us to speak the same language and work with interfaces that are intuitive and familiar.  Though there are also two computer labs available within my building, "technology class" doesn't exist: all introductions to, troubleshooting for, and regular usage of tech devices occur within the classrooms.  Our evolution has included having two labs (yes, initially for a tech class), the larger tech adoption originally focusing on doing everything we could to protect the condition of the iPads, Chromebooks, and MacBooks themselves as we simply used them as substitutions for pencils, to utilizing subscriptions to web-based resources, augmenting lessons and activities with video and audio content created by others and reviewed by us, to our present state of modifying tasks, creating and sharing original content, and seeking out ways to innovate as students and teachers continue to redefine learning experiences and explorations.  

From time to time, new grade level colleagues join our district, many moving from Title I schools out of state to Kansas.  For them, the question about effective tech integration is highly relevant.  Some are bowled over by how "saturated with technology" our district is compared to their last, and admit they've got a steep learning curve ahead: they've never put iPads or tablets into the hands of students before, have no idea how to use a SMART Board, and have never built their own library of digital tools. Some haven't yet used Google documents for PLCs or an all-encompassing resource such as Skyward for attendance, lunch count, registration, gradebook/report card, class lists, messaging, and record keeping.  The inequalities and diversity between schools and districts within even a single state are staggering, causing me to believe that the prompted question will be regularly asked as long as successful tech integration continues to be prefaced by many who are still in need of experiencing its initial adoption.  Can these schools and districts quickly and effectively motor through the growing pains that my district experienced?  If not, they may very well collectively feel that tech might be a "bad thing," resenting the cost, the maintenance, the substitutive quality, and the required growth by educators themselves as they dive (or are thrown) headfirst into the deep end of the digital literacy pool.