Link to article: http://www.techlearning.com/article/1228
I read “Learn by Doing: A Hands-On Approach to Help Teachers Use Technology,” by Barbara Bray. I chose this article because I wanted to read something about persuading teachers to use more technology. I’ve noticed that the same teachers take advantage of the school’s technology while some teachers do absolutely nothing technology related with their students. Bray estimates that the same 30% of teachers are attending technology training. The fact is technology isn’t leaving so we have to get teachers to jump on the bandwagon.
In this article, Bray says that teachers should be given plenty of hands-on time as well as time to share with the class. She even says that stipends may be a way to encourage teachers to dive in. That sure does sound like a great idea but probably not one that is used often during these hard economic times. Another idea she mentions is to team a tech-savvy teacher with a newbie. I think this tip is easy, effective, and one of the cheapest ways to encourage teachers to use technology. Probably the most important thing Bray mentions in the article is relevance. An easy way for instructional technology coordinators to motivate teachers is to make the workshop relevant to the teachers' subject curriculum and/or standards. Bray also mentions modeling lessons as a way to help encourage teachers to get started with new technology.
I think that Bray has a lot of usable ideas. I do think that there are many teachers who are not budging as far as technology use in their classrooms. As instructional technology leaders, we should try to encourage and teach the teachers how to effectively incorporate technology into their lessons. In the past, I’ve found that some teachers didn’t even realize what technology sources came with their textbooks. Often ExamView software and online resources are available with new textbook adoptiosn. We definitely have to make the technology use relevant to the teachers or they will just view it as a “dog and pony show” or just one more thing they have to do. Instead we want to show them how technology can make their lessons more exciting and often easier at times. Modeling a lesson in the classroom would also allow the teacher to see first-hand how technology-based lessons tend to increase student interest and participation. Of course, teachers are going to learn best if they have hands-on training—with technology this is a must and should be provided by the technology leader. I think it is a great idea to have a goal or project in mind when conducting technology workshops. I believe the teachers would be more motivated if they created a resource they could use at the end of the session. I’m sure they would like it even better if they knew they would have in-classroom support when implementing the project into the classroom.
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Wow, Bray's article includes some very interesting points about motivating teachers to use technology. I, too, agree that it could be very beneficial (and economically-friendly) to team up two teachers to help each other out. The important concept behind collaboration is that the teachers feel comforatble enough with each other to ask questions and not feel like they are interrupting or bothering that other teacher.
ReplyDeleteI think the hands-on time is a significant factor to consider. In my experiences with technology workshops and in-services, it always seems like we run out of time and do not have the time neccessary to practice. I also learn better by doing it myself, so I can go to workshops all day long and watch someone else do something on their projector, but chances are I will have no clue how to do it when I get an opportunity to do it on my own.
In-classroom support and modeling will help teachers feel that they are not alone. They will probably be much more motivated to use the technology if they can watch someone else model it for them and support their questions!
Bottom line: Technology is changing everyday and teachers need to be provided with opportunities to learn and practice, in order to imporve their student's learning!
I really like the topic of this article because it is something that really hits close to home for me. As a new teacher I include more technology in my classroom than most teachers at my school who have been teaching for 10 or more years. A lot of their hesitation is that they have been doing the same things for so long and they believe that it works best for their students. They are afraid to get out of their comfort zone, where I am ALWAYS out of my comfort zone as a new teacher. I think that these teachers are forgetting that the students they are now acquiring in their classrooms are different from the ones they had 10 years ago. They are more technology savvy and want to have it involved with their learning. They also are required to understand and use technology much more once they get into the "real world." This is an important part of our jobs as teachers, so I hope that counties can begin to deliver ways to help veteran teachers become more comfortable with technology so that they will integrate it in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteSome of the options that the article listed were good ones, but I have seen most of them tried in my school and failed. I'm not sure what would work best, but there needs to be an easy solution to help these teachers that aren't comfortable with technology transition into the ever changing world of technolgoy.