April is Advocacy Month!

April is Advocacy Month. Advocacy means different things to different people. It may mean speaking up at a staff or school board meeting, writing a letter to your representative, or participating in a rally around a common cause. Ed tech advocacy comes in different shapes and sizes, but all these efforts add up to a greater emphasis and awareness about how to improve learning and teaching through innovative and effective uses of technology.

I'm guessing that the folks who visit this blog believe in the incredible power of using technology when in the hands of students and teachers. We all are so busy making a difference in the local roles we play in schools across the country, and sometimes it is difficult to take the time to do one more thing. However, it is critical for us all to take the extra step to tell our personal stories about the impact of using technology on our students - to our neighbors, school boards, and legislators. Policy makers are also very busy and cannot possibly be knowledgeable about everything. If we can help them understand a bit better, perhaps we could influence the decisions they make.

Please make your voice be heard by doing one or all of the following:

• Tell everyone you know about how you use technology and how it affects students.


• Be a little more public by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper, submitting an article to your school district's newsletter, posting your thoughts on Facebook, etc.


• Participate in ISTE's "My Technology Story Contest."  If you do this, you might win a Kindle Fire!  Enter by April 23.


• Set up a meeting with one of your representatives.  Sounds scary, but here are some tips to help you know what to do.


• Send a letter to Congress via the Ed Tech Action Network.  This takes only 2-3 minutes!

Every voice matters. Together we can make a difference!