2019 TIM Descriptor Revision

It has been eight years since we last updated the Technology Integration Matrix descriptors. We are now in the process of revising the descriptors to extend and clarify what was intended in the original TIM. The TIM focuses on sound, research-based pedagogy rather than ever-changing technology. None of the underlying pedagogical principles will change in the proposed revision. Our purpose has been to clarify descriptors that users have had questions about, to create direct statements are more easily translated into other languages, to ensure consistency across the descriptors, and to remove any vestiges of verbiage that tied descriptors to a face-to-face environment. We believe that the revised instructional setting descriptors apply equally well in face-to-face, virtual, and blended environments.

With so many schools in the US and other countries utilizing the TIM to support their technology integration and professional development efforts, we expect to receive many questions about the implementation of this revision. We’ll try to anticipate a few here:

Q: Why change what’s working for us?
A: Nothing is fundamentally changing with the TIM! The underlying principles are the same in the proposed revision as they are in the current version. We think that you will find the rewording of selected descriptors to be more helpful and more easily observable than the current set.

Q: We use TIM Tools and our observers often refer to the built-in help screens that break out the extended descriptors. How will that change?
A: We plan to embed the revised descriptors in the TIM Tools v7.0 with an anticipated summer release. In the meantime, you can continue using the built-in descriptors. Upon request, we will update your TIM Tools instance during the spring semester once the revisions have gone through the complete review and comment process and we’ve had a few weeks to update the programming of the TIM Tools. Clients will not suddenly find that their instance is displaying the revised indicators without their requesting the upgrade.

Q: Our district takes seriously the TIM profiles we generate and we use them for evaluation and research purposes. How will the revision impact our data?
A: As educators and researchers ourselves, we completely understand the concerns related to “changing” the indicators mid-stream. Rest assured, however, the revisions proposed are not so much changes as they are clarifications. Our goal was to eliminate any ambiguities in the current indicators and to restate some of the indicators to ensure that they are clearly observable and reduce observer subjectivity. In no case will you find that the descriptors have suddenly jumped up or down a level. Just over half of the indicators and descriptions are exactly the same in the proposed version as in the current version.