Teachers as Innovators of Technology

Teachers as Innovators of Technology Greg Butler Director, K-12 Strategy, Solutions & Programs Microsoft Corporation

Overview It allows them to learn new skills. The reason people buy software, the reason people want to use software, is intrinsically linked to learning and the process of learning. In the case of education, it allows students to operate in ways that they could not previously operate, or access information they could not previously access and use that information. The first focus is to help schools and help educators develop in students the skills they need to be successful in a digital workplace. The second focus is around working with schools and educational bodies to raise the level of Information Technology literacy for teachers and educators. The third focus is to support schools as organizations and teachers as individuals to become innovators. We know that classrooms will continue to evolve with the current technologies, the current information sources, the current needs of students. Microsoft, as you know, is primarily a software company—that is what we do, that is what our core competency is. Software, of course, is a set of instructions that allows a machine to do some smart things. But if you were to talk to people about why they use software, they would tell you that it allows them to do things they could not otherwise do. It allows them to learn new skills. The reason people buy software, the reason people want to use software, is intrinsically linked to learning and the process of learning. What we try to do is provide a context of how that learning might happen, and provide the tools and resources to facilitate that happening. Our corporate mission is about helping people and organizations develop their full potential and that really is the power of software, when you combine it with learning and skills. It allows people to do things that they could not otherwise do. In the case of education, it allows students to operate in ways that they could not previously operate, or access information they could not previously access and use that information. So, our focus when working with schools is primarily in three areas. The first focus is to help schools and help educators develop in students the skills they need to be successful in a digital workplace. There is no doubt that the digital workplace is here today and that technology will be used more and more in the daily functions of all workers, whether the are information workers, whether they are on farms—wherever. It is important that we focus on helping schools develop the appropriate set of skill and knowledge and attitudes in students so that they can use technology effectively and wisely. The second focus is around working with schools and educational bodies to raise the level of Information Technology literacy for teachers and educators. This is important because digital literacy, or the ability to effectively use technology to access and mange information and communication, is a core skill for teachers if they are going to have access to contemporary information and contemporary resources, and facilitate the learning that students do outside of school and will continue to do once they complete school. The third focus is to support schools as organizations and teachers as individuals to become innovators. The reason we think that is important is that innovators look for the best resources, they look for the best way of doing things; they are willing to make changes based on the tools and information that are available. We know that technology will continue to develop at an increasing pace; therefore it is vital that schools as organizations see how they can innovate using technology to improve their outcomes, to improve how they operate, and to provide higher levels of “customer satisfaction,” with regard to parents, community, employers, etc. But it is also important for individual teachers to see how that fits in with h their roles and then become innovators themselves, to start to take on board those tools and resources that will allow them to change and develop their curricula. There are a lot of analogies about the changes that have occurred in classrooms over the past hundred years, and the challenges that face a teacher in a classroom of today. If we are successful in making teachers innovators, they can meet those challenges. We know that classrooms will continue to evolve with the current technologies, the current information sources, the current needs of students. And our solutions will continue to evolve as well to meet those needs.