Technology in Education: Notes from the Closet

Created using NotebookLM In fall 2024, I transitioned out of working with or in a K-12 setting after over 30 years. I moved into higher education full-time. Although I’ve lived in this space for 15 years as an adjunct instructor, I still had a difficult time making the move. Not because the work was complicated or boring-it wasn’t- but because I no longer traveled in the same circles, so the people I talked to and learned with were suddenly not there anymore. That’s a hard thing to accept. Adding to the change, I also had to consider some of the certifications I achieved in K-12 that were no longer relevant to my full-time work. Some are prestigious, others not so much, and a few of them either require ongoing professional development hours or have a set expiration date. This brought a new dilemma- do I keep a certification that is no longer relevant just to have it? Do I let it go? Does keeping it mean anything when I have no intention of returning to that space? Does the accomplishme...

Mark McCrindle, a social researcher, and futurist states that Gen Z students will have 18 jobs over 6 different careers in their lifetime. This statistic used to shock me as I am of a different generation. For me, I've had one career: education. Within this field I've had 3 distinct jobs: teacher (both K-8 and adults), technology coach, and Regional Educational Technology Coordinator . Today, I begin job #4: Director of Instructional Technology Coaching. When I moved out of Chicago Public Schools after 25 years I stepped into a newly created role as a RETC. I loved the role and the variety of work, peers, colleagues, and topics I was able to explore. With all of this variety, I found myself continuing to gravitate toward coaches. After all, I had spent the previous 10 years as a technology coach. I hosted, attended, and co-facilitated coaching meetings around the Chicagoland area. During the school closures from COVID-19, I began hosting coaching meetings online. I created doc...

Ominous title? It is. But it's something that has been on my mind lately. I've spent my entire career in education in the Chicago Public School system. I spent the first 15 years as a fourth grade teacher and the next 10 as an instructional technology coach. I've achieved and grown tremendously during that time. When I began in the classroom it was tough- here I was fresh out of school dealing with a challenging population in the inner city. As is normal for any teacher there were great days and not-so-great days. Early on I knew if I was going to stay in that learning space I needed to find ways to not only challenge myself but to engage my students as well. I attended graduate school early in my career because the experience came along at the right time. I wrote multiple grants to purchase materials that would interest my students (and me). I did action research on my practice. I gained National Board certification. I learned as much as I could about my craft. When th...