How Albany Teachers Are Learning the Latest Tech Trends This Summer?
Albany City School District teachers had a unique chance to become students themselves. They participated in the fourth annual Technology Integration Academy, a special program designed to enhance their skills with new technology and collaborative methods ahead of the upcoming school year.
The Technology Integration Academy brought together around 25 educators in each of three different groups for four-day workshops. The goal was to help teachers maximize their effectiveness using technology, making it easier to address the diverse needs of their students.
Jeremy Dudley, an instructional technology coach, emphasized the importance of letting purpose guide their teaching and designing lessons to meet all students’ needs, not just the average.
During these sessions, teachers explored updates to familiar tech tools and learned about new programs that could be beneficial. For instance, MagicSchool offers a suite of AI tools that help tailor content to students’ needs, whether by leveling or translating material.
Tools like Diffit are great for differentiating instruction, while Snorkel uses AI to provide real-time feedback to students. Dudley pointed out that while these tools are useful, the primary focus remains on achieving instructional goals.
Teachers from elementary through high school participated in this professional development. Felicia Nobles, who joined the academy for the first time, found the experience invaluable.
Nobles, who will be teaching the same group of students from last year, is excited about using new apps to enhance her teaching. She mentioned Canva as a particularly helpful tool for making her instruction more efficient and tailored to her students’ varying needs.
Another participant, Kristen Buyce, was part of the instructional coaching team this summer. She praised Classkick, a program that allows her to monitor each student’s progress in real-time and provide immediate feedback.
This tool is especially helpful for her 8th-grade students, including those learning English as a new language. Buyce noted that technology has become essential in meeting her students’ diverse needs and preparing them for success.
The Technology Integration Academy provided Albany teachers with valuable training in integrating technology into their classrooms. By focusing on new tools and methods, these educators are better equipped to support their students and enhance their teaching practices for the new school year.