Intechgrate was founded by Sarah Gilmore and Katierose Deos while working together at an international school in Berlin, Germany. In their respective roles as Technology Integrator and PYP Curriculum Co-ordinator, they developed a deep belief in the potential for technology to be a powerful tool to enhance student learning.
Yet, in their own experiences, and in working teachers and leaders from schools around the world, they came to realize that all too often that potential was not being met. In spite of the differences between the resources available to schools, their approach, or their location in the world, the same kinds of issues and frustrations were communicated time and again:
“We have plenty of devices but we don’t know how to use them in our teaching.”
“We have the wrong kind of devices, or too few, to do what our school is telling us to do.”
“Our infrastructure is unreliable.”
“We don’t see what benefit technology is bringing our students.”
“Our professional development about technology isn’t teaching us what we need to know.”
Over time they came to understand that meaningful, sustainable technology integration is reliant on a holistic approach to 6 key elements.
Purpose: What do you believe about what the role of technology should be in the educational experience of the students in your school
Mindset: What are the deeper beliefs about technology in your school community, and how do those beliefs impact on classroom practice?
Pedagogy: How can technology be used to support teacher and student communication and collaboration? How can we plan for, scaffold and use technology in our classrooms in a way that is authentic, and sustainable?
Curriculum: How is technology integrated into and planned for in the wider curriculum? Does the structure and implementation of the curriculum make technology integration possible for teachers?
Resources: Are the technology tools, systems and infrastructure in your school set up to support learning, first and foremost? How can we plan for future technology development in a way that prioritizes students?
Leadership: How can leaders model, support and facilitate technology integration and development?
Sarah and Katierose now offer professional development through workshops, consultation, keynotes and school partnerships around the world to help schools implement the Intechgrate Approach. They are the authors of ‘Integrating Technology: A Holistic Framework for Schools’, in which you can read more about the Intechgrate Model and how to bring it to your own context, and the hosts of the edYou Podcast.