The central goal of technology education as a subject area is to provide students with technological literacy. Recently, much discussion has occurred among educators concerning this concept and how technological literacy is developed. I believe collaboration is essential.

As a technology education specialist, I understand that technology education needs to be integrated with other subject areas to be most effective. One of the principal benefits of collaborating with other teachers is the ability to achieve goals that cannot be achieved alone. Based on my experience, technology education can be readily infused into the classroom curriculum, whether it be science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, or connections with language development and reading. However, one significant problem currently slowing the implementation of technology education in early childhood classrooms is teachers’ apprehension of the unknown. After all, how can teachers incorporate technology into daily lessons if they have not been prepared to do so? Technology can be intimidating, as it is changing at such a rapid pace. Even if teachers have technology experience, how can they be expected to stay current in their technological literacy?

When my colleagues approached me with ideas to integrate the classroom curriculum with technology curricula and standards, I always eagerly accepted. I see this as an opportunity for students to engage in twenty-first-century skills: communication, collaboration,
critical thinking, and creativity.

I believe several vital questions helped us determine the direction we embarked on: Why do we want to collaborate? And what challenges might we encounter along the way?