The first stage on the continuum ("Entry") is where the teacher is aware of technology and its uses, but does not take advantage of it. The Entry-level teacher's wider view of education does not allow for the possibility that tech can be a tool for improved teaching; he or she is a skeptic on the subject, and would see little value in receiving training on technology use. This was the easiest stage for me, and I progressed through it rather quickly. My generation, the so-called "Millennials," may be old enough to remember things like dial-up Internet connections (can't wait to tell my students about that one in 20 years) and primitive classroom tech, but we also grew up alongside the web and emerging social media. If there was a learning curve, it was a small one. Technology was already being well-integrated by my teachers by the time I finished high school, so as a teaching candidate, I think I've always seen it as having value, however amorphous that value might be.
Stage Two ("Adoption") is the period in which the teacher moves past their initial skepticism and begins modest technology integration; they make use of a handful of tools familiar to them, but mostly for enhanced production rather than teaching and learning. While this teacher sees promise in educational technology, they would likely still be less than entirely confident in their own mastery of it. Therefore, an Adoption-level teacher limits their students' tech use because of their own issues with manipulation and troubleshooting - technology is still something best left to a designated tech expert. I've long been open to adopting technology, but due to a lack of practical teaching experience, I can only say I truly entered this stage when I started backing up my tutoring sessions with some tech here and there. This has meant small things, like using digital testing or PowerPoint/Prezi with my students, but it's something I felt eminently comfortable with - and more importantly, something my students have consistently responded to.
In Stage Three ("Adaptation") the teacher has gained more experience using technology, and uses that experience for the benefit of their students' learning. In our discussion, we looked at how this also begins with small steps - basic programs like word processing, for example, are better-integrated into lessons for student use. In assessing my own level of tech integration, I'd put myself squarely in the middle of the Adaptation stage. I've gained a lot of confidence using technology (and having my students use it), but my "bag of tricks" is still somewhat limited to basic applications. Some of the best things I've already gained from this course is exposure to a wide variety of learning tech tools, a definite appreciation of their value, and a rudimentary understanding of how to employ them (something I hope to further hone and refine over this semester). Our lesson indicated that Adaptation can be the most difficult, frustrating stage, and I definitely agree. However, I think my (admitted) initial confusion and frustration with learning how to use these new tools is a motivating factor, and will push me to examine my practice more closely when it comes to tech. Adaptation may be a slow process for me, but once I've mastered this stage, I expect to continue to move toward full, effective integration.
As a final note, I'd like to include a link to this lesson, shared by USF's College of Education as part of their Technology Integration Matrix, in which a social studies teacher demonstrates a high level (i.e., "transformative," "goal-directed") of technology integration. While I may not be able to exactly replicate this, I think it's a good model of how technology can not only be incorporated into a social studies classroom, but done so in a truly innovative way.
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