Digitally-Rich Teaching and Instructional Technology

Online and digital learning are becoming increasingly common in our society. They’re also making their way into K-12 schools, where an increasing number of school districts are purchasing tablets or laptops for their students to engage with in the classroom, along with an expanding list of digital tools and resources. This kind of technology integration, along with the transformation of teaching and other practices it calls for, is often referred to as “digital conversion.”

It is not at all surprising then that individuals seeking teaching positions today are increasingly expected to use instructional technology and to integrate digitally-rich learning opportunities into their lesson plans. Similarly, school leaders need to develop a deeper understanding of the potential for and implications of digitally-rich learning, so they can make informed decisions about curriculum, assessment, and the strategic resources that will affect the use and effectiveness of implementing these instructional technologies in their schools.

Digital conversion in K-12 schools cannot be successful without significant transformations in learning expectations, curricula, assessment, and teaching practices. At the same time, we have also seen how using certain digital tools has helped teachers and administrators see what their students are truly capable of when presented with more engaging and accessible learning experiences. As a result, digital technologies can also be used to provide a catalyst for more student-centered, inquiry-oriented teaching practices.

To effectively include digitally-rich learning experiences in K-12 schools, it is first of all necessary to understand and apply many of the same principles and best practices required to design any good learning experience. It is also important to be aware of the unique strengths and limitations of digital learning, as well as the myriad of powerful digital technology tools being used in the online space, in order to design and implement the best possible learning experiences for students. Figuring out the instructional goals or learning activities best suited for online, versus face-to-face, learning is also an important skill for all teachers to develop.

While instructors have experienced traditional teaching as students themselves, not everyone has experienced digitally-rich learning in a formal educational setting. At Warner, we believe it is beneficial for educators to have this first-hand experience, so they can fully appreciate its potential for their own teaching, and we have created many opportunities to do so in the hybrid-online signature courses at the core of this program.

Consistent with this approach, our programs prepare graduates to:

• Gain a nuanced appreciation of the potential and limitations of digitally-rich learning.
• Develop foundational knowledge in the areas of motivation, learning, teaching, and instructional design, as needed to inform the design of high-quality, digitally-rich learning experiences for diverse learners.
• Gain awareness of and proficiency in using a rich set of online tools, technologies, resources, and best practices for enhancing teaching in K-12 schools.
• Achieve proficiency in designing and implementing high-quality, digitally-rich learning experiences for K-12 students.
• Learn how to evaluate digitally-rich learning experiences to improve future practice.