Infrastructure+Home

= I'm a classroom teacher, why should I care about infrastructure? = media type="custom" key="13333360"

Infrastructure impacts every facet of digital learning including:
 * Speed of network access
 * Access to computer hardware
 * Streaming video
 * Accessing web 2.0 tools
 * Utilizing standard load software
 * Utilizing intervention software
 * Ability to teleconference
 * Technology resource allocation
 * Access to professional development
 * Availability of tech support

Classroom teachers should always have a voice when technology infrastructure decisions are being made. Technology departments have the tech expertise, financial staff have the budgetary expertise, administration has an underlying knowledge of the district's functionality, but teachers understand what is necessary in the classroom and how can be use to support the curriculum. This knowledge is even more critical as we move worward with common core curriculum standards, and when making decisions about the restrictions of your district's web filter. Consider your personal health. Would you allow the administration and finance department of a hospital to make decisions about your care without your involvement? Only a teacher truly understands classroom needs, especially when factoring in the educational and social dynamics that exist in a classroom.

When committees are developed to determine how funds will be allocated it is important to include classroom teachers in this discussion for this very reason. Additionally, it is necessary to include both innovative and tech-savvy teachers alongside those who are more reluctant to make the technology leap so that the concerns can be shared with everyone. Truly forward-thinking districts should also consider including students and parents on this committee so that the commitment to technology integration is clearly evident across all facets of the district.

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