About FCIT and iTeach

Established in 1982, the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) has been a leader in working with educators to integrate technology into the curriculum for over thirty years.

In the early days, FCIT provided online tutorials as well as face-to-face training at our Tampa location. At that time, our professional development focused on finding appropriate programs for use in school computer labs and how to use the newly-established Florida Information Resource Network (FIRN). When not reserved for training sessions, our lab functioned as an active preview center for teachers in the Tampa Bay region. In those days before widespread connectivity, FCIT relied on print publications and diskettes for much of our professional development outreach. Major grants from IBM in the 1980s helped familiarize schools with microcomputers and served as a catalyst for the creation of the Instructional Technology graduate programs at USF. In the 1990s, support from Apple and from Microsoft allowed us to offer additional professional development opportunities for teachers.

By the turn of the century, FCIT was conducting over 100 full-day workshops every year on a variety of technology topics at our Tampa location and at other locations around the state on demand. A team of Educational Technology Integrators (ETIs) was funded by the Florida Department of Education to provide ongoing training and support for all districts across the state. The Center also began our online collections of digital content (maps, photos, clipart, audiobooks, etc.) to support classroom technology integration activities. Currently, we serve up between two and three million digital assets from these collections each school day.

In the 2000’s, we expanded our training offerings to include Florida Digital Educator four-day institutes that were conducted in all regions of Florida each year. Along with the Master Digital Educator program, which was also available for graduate credit at USF, these statewide trainings contributed to the development of many of today’s technology leaders in Florida. By 2005, our experiences working with teachers to more effectively integrate technology into their classrooms led to the development of the Technology Integration Matrix, a practical guide for teachers striving to take their teaching practices to the next level.

Responding to new demands and frequent requests from beyond Florida, FCIT now offers fully online courses through the iTeach Professional Learning program. These month-long courses are available to educators and administrators around the world. Our experienced facilitators, lead participants through activities designed to be of immediate practical application in their roles as educators or administrators. The Technology Integration Matrix courses are of particular interest to districts, states, and even entire ministries of education that have adopted the TIM as their model for technology integration.