Tech Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10, 2024

Tech Teacher Appreciation Week

If you wonder what’s so hard about being a teacher, what with technology, computers, AI assistants, look at this list of challenges they faced just last year:

1. Transition to remote learning
2. Technology and connectivity issues for students who might not have equal access to technology or internet at home
3. Social and emotional support for students who regularly received it and now it was gone
4. Balancing work and personal life as teaching remotely blurred those boundaries
5. Professional development to effectively navigate the new teaching norms
6. Different methods of assessment and evaluation that fit remote learning and other challenges
7. Parental engagement not always available 

I’ll focus for this article on tech teachers–that’s what I do. It’s a bit different than a classroom teacher. There’s always been something mystically cerebral about people in technical professions like engineering, science, and mathematics. They talk animatedly about plate tectonics, debate the structure of atoms, even smile at the mention of calculus. The teaching profession has our own version of these nerdy individuals, called technology teachers. In your district, you may refer to them as IT specialists, Coordinators for Instructional Technology, Technology Facilitators, Curriculum Specialists, or something else that infers big brains, quick minds, and the ability to talk to digital devices. School lore probably says they can drop a pin through a straw without touching the sides.

Which brings me to the gist of this article: Teacher Appreciation Week, the first full week in May, this year, May 6-10, 2024. This year, for that special day, give your technology specialist a gift they will truly appreciate. Here’s a short list of welcome gifts from my own personal experience and that of tech teacher friends:

1. Tech Gadgets like a high-quality stylus for their digital whiteboard, a portable phone charger, a smart pen, or a USB flash drive with ample storage.
2. Subscription Services to a tech-related magazine or online learning platform where they can further develop their skills.
3. Books on the latest trends in educational technology, pedagogical strategies for integrating technology into the classroom, or biographies of tech pioneers.
4. Customized Tech Accessories like a custom mousepad, laptop sleeve, or a mug with a tech-themed design can be both practical and thoughtful.
5. Gift Cards to tech stores like Best Buy, Apple Store, or Amazon
6. Online Course Certifications in areas of educational technology or specific software tools that they are interested in mastering.
7. Thank You Note expressing your appreciation for their dedication and hard work can be just as meaningful as any gift.

–Image credit Deposit Photo

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Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.