In the reading for this week, this quote appeared, “Keeping knowledge and information to ourselves isn’t productive and doesn’t serve our students well” (Jurkowski, 2006). As I have been doing my volunteer hours and learning from the media specialist, I have had many a teacher approach me and ask why information appears to be “secret”. I have come to realize that some school media specialists are not always the most forthright in the dissemination of information. It is not that they are keeping it from others, it is simply not in their thoughts to share. This can also be the case with technology training.
This year, for the first time, there was a series of classes offered for PLUs that covered either reading instruction, math instruction, or technology training. Teachers signed up for any or all of them, depending upon their needs. The media specialist was somewhat perplexed that her class was not as well attended as the others and I truly believe it was due to her not surveying teachers in advance of the class. The class was a basic overview of what the school has to offer technologically and most teachers were already aware of the offerings so they did not attend. That being said, the class would be a good fit at a school with many new teachers. This year, since so many were returning, was probably not the best year to attempt a class like that.
When I am a media specialist, I hope to offer technology classes that teachers will want to attend. Doing the in-service modules in Instructional Design and the Tech Tip in this class really opened my eyes to how these can be done so that teachers can complete them on their own time. One of the nicest things about these modules is that they can be completed at any time, at a teacher’s convenience and they lead to further questioning. For face to face versions, I would hope to be able to talk with various grade level or subject level teachers and figure out a time that works for us all during the school day to go over new items.
One media specialist I know has a monthly coffee where she introduces new materials and technologies to teachers. They can come during their lunch time or during planning. It seems to work well for that school and is something I would like to implement.
As for do’s and don’ts, my list is quite simple:
*DO make yourself available for questions and ideas for tech trainings
*DO learn the new technology as soon as it hits the door of the school
*Do use your resources well. If there are teachers who know how to do something, have them teach a class!
*DON'T be afraid to learn something new!
Reference
Jurkowski, O. (2006). Technology and the school library. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
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Sarah I found many of your comments very useful! I loved your Do's and Don'ts about technology. I think that too many people are a lot of talk when it comes to technology and your Don't: Don't be afrait to learn something new, really popped out at me. Many veteran teachers are very "scared" to learn new things such as technology because they have never used it before. I think these are the first people that should be appointed when there is new technology that comes along. My reasoning is because they are the ones that won't come to learn and if you reach them first they will be more willing to learn about the something new. :)
ReplyDeleteSarah, you are very observant. YOu picked up on some key points that led to success. Knowing what your audience wants via a survey. After all it isn't about what your know but about what they don't know. Grab your opportunities like in-services to give them sprigets of information. Make them responsible for learning on their own time. Entice them and keep it casual with things like coffee talks. And the big one, don’t put off learning new technology until the next school break. Be ready when it arrives. Finally find your experts and let them spread the wealth. Great observations!
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Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t have attended the tech in-service either! As a teacher, if I am going to volunteer my little time on an in-service, it must be well worth my time! I couldn’t agree more about using in-service modules like in ID and having tech tips available for everyone. Another way to get teachers interested could be to use a tool in informational skill lessons or when we have to share information at staff meetings. When teachers see something they like, they will come and ask! Something very small I saw recently was our LMS using a remote with her PowerPoint. When I asked where she got it and how much it cost, she told me the media center had 2 that could be checked out. The following day I was playing a game with my class using a PowerPoint and was very eager to use the tool. Looking back, I wonder if the media center was keeping it a secret that they had them because I know the remotes had not been advertised!! When I first saw the LMS using clickers last year, I immediately wanted to know how to do that. I wanted my students to be excited about voting!! Sometimes the best way to gain interest is to lead by example and as you said, always be available for questions.
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