Key points:

Since its official founding in 1994, the Tennessee Educational Technology Association (TETA) has been a driving force in uniting K-12 leaders across the state, championing the advancement of education through innovative technology integration.

Over the past 31 years, TETA’s membership has grown from a small group of dedicated technologists to a robust professional learning community that includes a diverse array of roles. TETA’s collaborative approach and adaptive philosophy have supported its steady growth and made it a replicable model for K-12 professional organizations nationwide.

The origins of TETA

Much of TETA’s success and longevity can be attributed to its founding members, who hailed from various regions of Tennessee and understood the collective need to provide the support and professional development that technology coordinators and educational staff needed to navigate the new technology landscape in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  From the very beginning, the focus for these members was on education–not the technology itself–and building a community where individuals could seek guidance and information from one another.

To foster strong relationships among its members, TETA formed three regional groups: West TETA (WTETA), Middle TETA (MTETA), and East TETA (ETETA). Leaders from each group would then meet to ensure alignment across the state. While the original framework has become more formalized over time, its core structure remains intact. Members continue to meet in person once a month with their regional groups and engage in various professional strands, cohort groups, and events with the broad membership group throughout the year.

“No matter what role we play, the camaraderie and networking within TETA mean we’re never alone,” said Beth Lockhart, personalized learning facilitator at Lenoir City Schools, ETETA president, and TETA vice chair. “Whether you’re in a small or large district, TETA connects us with a statewide knowledge base that helps us all succeed.” 

Sustaining and growing the organization

One of the key factors in TETA’s sustained growth has been its ability to evolve with the changing landscape of educational technology. TETA’s membership has expanded from technology coordinators and IT staff to teachers, instructional coaches, and virtual school educators. This inclusivity has allowed TETA to remain responsive to the needs of its members.

The organization has also been proactive in providing professional development and certification opportunities to its members. In addition to offering three learning networks, TETA hosts two major conferences each year: the Summer Institute Conference and the Tennessee Educational Technology Conference (TETC). These events offer a platform for educators to learn about the latest trends in educational technology, share best practices, and network with peers. TETA also hosts a yearly Administrators Technology Academy, which is designed to inform administrators of new and innovative ways to implement technology with the goal of improving student learning.

“TETA is committed to helping our members grow–whether that’s through supporting CETL certification or offering training opportunities,” said Ashley Rust, CTO at White County Schools and MTETA president.

Another significant aspect of TETA’s growth has been its strategic partnerships. Jill Pierce, TETA’s executive director, has spearheaded efforts to align TETA with several national organizations, including CoSN, SETDA, NCTET, Access4 Learning, the Student Data Privacy Consortium, and K12 SIX. “TETA’s active involvement with national organizations keeps our members informed on critical and timely issues like cybersecurity, regulatory developments, and student data privacy,” said Pierce. “These connections enable our members to grow professionally and deliver valuable insights back to the education technology community.”

Paving the way for female leaders in technology

TETA is also breaking new ground in leadership representation. This year, each of TETA’s regional chapters is led by a female president, and the organization’s executive director is also a woman.

“I’m incredibly proud that we have four women in leadership positions,” said Kathy Ross, Director of Technology at Fayette Academy and WTETA President. “The progress that we’ve made together is about more than just titles–it’s about setting an example. It’s a big deal to have women in tech, to see them involved, advancing, and paving the way for others to follow.”

Future goals

TETA’s current leaders understand that the organization’s success and longevity stems from active members’ participation and leadership, and they recognize the critical role member engagement will continue to play in sustaining TETA’s future. “Our goals and strategic vision revolve around our membership and focus on how we can continue to provide opportunities that enable our members to support all K-12 staff members–ranging from brand-new teachers to veteran educators,” said Jason Winkler, instructional technology supervisor at Arlington Community Schools and TETA board chairman. “At every board meeting, we review member feedback. It’s a constant process of reflection and growth, because what worked 10 years ago likely won’t work today.”

A blueprint for success

For other education technology leaders and associations looking to replicate TETA’s success, there are five key takeaways:

• It is essential to create a vision and mission that prioritizes education and not the technology itself
• Inclusivity and adaptability are essential–both foster a sense of belonging and collaboration, which is vital for the growth and sustainability of any organization
• Providing a variety of professional development and in-person and virtual networking opportunities, such as monthly regional meetings, learning networks, and certification opportunities, ensures members have the support and resources they need to navigate the ever-changing landscape of education technology
• Strategic alliances with national organizations are essential to keep members equipped with timely, impactful resources and information
• Fostering a culture of listening, transparency, respect, and open dialogue strengthens trust, empowers members to share diverse perspectives, and drives innovation

Conclusion

By staying true to its mission and adapting to the changing needs of its members, TETA has created a successful model that can be replicated by other education associations. As the landscape of educational technology continues to evolve, TETA’s commitment to professional growth and support will continue to benefit K-12 school districts, not only in Tennessee but across the nation.

Mike Tyson, in his characteristic bluntness, distilled it further: “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” And Dwight Eisenhower, the architect of World War II’s D-Day, offered a gentler and more profound version: “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” 

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These words resonate far beyond  battlefields and boxing rings—even in the world of education. 

Over the past decades, a minor industry has emerged around pre-packaged lesson plans for teachers. These are meticulously structured templates, detailing how a teacher should conduct a class—what to say, when to say it, even how students might respond. 

The actors in this space range from well-intentioned education reformers to commercial entities selling ‘teacher efficiency’ tools. Yet, these efforts are largely futile. Not necessarily because the plans are poorly designed, but because they misunderstand the essence of teaching. 

A lesson plan in the hands of a teacher who did not create it is like a battle strategy handed to a commander who wasn’t part of its formulation and so does not understand the variables involved. 

The real value lies not in the plan itself, but in the act of planning. This means wrestling with questions like: How will my students react? Who will respond in what manner and then what should I do? Which ones have the requisite prior knowledge? What misconceptions might arise or are already held? How do I adapt if they don’t grasp the concept? What tools do I have? 

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A teacher who has thought through these variables can improvise, adjust and even change course when reality inevitably diverges from the script. But a teacher handed a ready-made plan is often useless at best and sometimes prone to dysfunctional teaching, as such a plan can lock a teacher into certain patterns of behaviour and response. 

This dynamic is now mutating—rapidly and perhaps dangerously—with the rise of large language model-based AI systems. Lesson plans, teaching materials and entire course structures can now be generated in seconds. And this isn’t just happening in the commercial sector; teachers themselves are doing it, particularly in higher education. Some faculty members have quietly been outsourcing their thinking to AI. To them, it seems like efficiency. Why spend hours crafting a lecture when ChatGPT can draft one in minutes? But this is the thin end of the wedge. If your job is to develop the capacity to think, and you outsource your own, where does that leave your professional role? 

This is ironically symbiotic with another widespread trend: students using AI to outsource their learning. Assignments, essays and solutions to problem sets can now be generated with minimal effort. The traditional ‘take-home’ assignment is effectively dead in many institutions. And let’s be honest—most of us, as students, would have done the same. If an AI bot can write your essay in 30 seconds, why spend three hours? But this defeats the entire purpose of education: to develop the capacity to think. 

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This shift is spreading exponentially, like a pandemic of outsourced thinking. Schools, with their naturally younger age groups, less resources and tighter oversight, are somewhat insulated, but higher education is compromised. No one knows the full extent yet, but the implications are dire. We are witnessing the unmaking of education’s core function. If teachers and students stop thinking, what remains? 

So, where does all this leave us? If both teachers and students are circumventing the essential hard work of thought, what is education for? A partial solution—unpleasant but necessary—is a return to in-person assessments: supervised exams, vivas and live discussions. There is no shortcut here. If we want to ensure that learning happens, we must watch it happen. 

Eisenhower was right: Planning matters, not the plan. The process of wrestling with ideas, anticipating challenges and adapting—that’s where most real learning happens. Like pre-made lesson plans, AI can be a tool, but it must never impinge on the core of education. Unfortunately, the human tendency to follow the easier path propels the reckless use of AI at the core of education. And used recklessly, AI does not aid  education but destroy it. 

The only way forward is to affirm the value of struggle in education. We must expect students to understand and act accordingly, but we must anticipate they will not. Too many of them will take the easier path. So, this must be the professional-ethical commitment of teaching as an institutional system. Use AI sparingly, prudently and only where no harm is done to the process and goals of education. And at every step, we  must reaffirm that thinking can be exhilarating but is also hard. 

Teaching, likewise, can be fulfilling but is hard. Learning can be fun, but  is hard. And that’s the whole point of education. 

The author is CEO of Azim Premji Foundation.