Defining Educational Technology

By Mike Pelletier,
Head of Head of Educational Technology

Canadian International School

The role of technology has dramatically changed in schools and will continue to change how schools operate. Terms such as gamification, online learning, blended learning, and digital storytelling, are changing the way we communicate and share information.

How did this happen? When I started teaching in 1996, technology used to involve setting up a computer and connecting to the Internet in a computer lab. Now we discuss technology under the lens of creating interactions through global collaborations with content created by both learners and teachers. In essence EdTech has everything to do with the K-12 curriculum. CIS is moving in a direction that is critical to the future of student learning.

What is most interesting is that my job did not exist 10 years ago and your children will more than likely be working at a job that doesn’t exist today.  This is one of the main reasons why CIS is moving from an IT based management style to an EdTech management focus. The focus is on adjusting how the network responds to classroom learning, how we support these tools, and how learners should use these tools.

As schools support technology through a strong and stable network, professional development, up to date teacher and student tools, movement from the level of Substitution to Augmentation, Modification to the ultimate goal of Redefinition begin to take place.

Please follow us on our twitter channel @cisedtech to see what changes will be coming and what celebrations we want to highlight at CIS in the world of EdTech.