This year as media specialist I have become much more aware
of the staff and faculty at my school’s technology skills, or lack thereof. As
we all know today’s world is technology driven and unfortunately some of our
teachers are getting left behind. Most
of our teachers are comfortable using Microsoft Office programs but are not
comfortable stepping outside of that box. For example Powerpoint is a great
tool, but so is Prezi. Unfortunately most of our teachers have not even been
exposed to any of the newer developments in programs, apps, and opportunities.
This past year the CSRA RESA has put together a number of
meetings for media specialists to get together and discuss issues, concerns,
things that are working etc… because we are so often on our own. Along with the
open forum discussion there is also a technology component. It is awesome! We
all bring different programs, apps, media that we are using in our media center
and introduce it to the group. I have learned so many new ways that technology could
be incorporated in the classroom. Unfortunately, it seems to stop with me. Our
teachers are so busy that they have no time to come in and meet to learn
another thing that they feel they will not have time to use. As I have seen in
my school as media specialist (and teacher) required meetings are horrible for
morale and often times teachers resent the “professional material” even more.
So what is the solution???
I am planning on working with my principal to see if there
may be a day where we can get coverage for small groups of teachers during the
day. I am also going to send out a survey that gives choices about what they
may want to more learn about. Hopefully since it will be during the day they
will not resent the time, and since I will be helping them with something they
chose they will see the value in the time spent. Also, since we are getting so close to
testing, I will wait until after the CRCT. This way teachers won’t be worrying about
what needs to be covered in “such a short amount of time.”
Danielle, I like your honesty when referring to the new technology struggles and from talking with my librarian mentor, it seems to be a common theme. Often times, new ideas or programs are frightening to those that aren't comfortable with them or technology to begin with. I see this where I work all the time--even though I know someone is capable of learning a new program/online platform, I see resistance. I guess I can understand to a certain degree, but eventually, I think people have to embrace the new era of technology.
ReplyDeleteI like your suggestion of using a certain time of the day to present new info to teachers, that way you don't feel like you're impeding on their time, but at the same time are able to show your new tools!
I totally agree with you that teachers do not have time to participate in new technology training. They probably appreciate you not pulling the into training sessions when they have so much to do during their planning periods. So, what we do? I am thinking that some of the technology we would like to introduce to teachers could be made into video tutorials and uploaded on a shared drive for teachers to view as they had the time. I think offering this type of flexible training will not only help the teachers but also make them more appreciative for the efforts put forth.
ReplyDeleteDanielle, that's fabulous that you are taking initiative to work with teachers on their technology (or lack of) skills! I love your idea of squeezing it in during the day. Maybe a "lunch n learn" series? Maybe parents could come in and volunteer and cover a back to back lunch/recess combo so you could get a good hour in? Sometimes, just getting started and peaking interest is the hard part. I will steal this idea. You might consider a short professional development session during a monthly staff meeting. Maybe even a 15-30 minute presentation would give some teachers the insight they need to take over from there!
ReplyDeleteTeachers and their lack of time seems to be a constant problem whether we are dealing with collaborations or learning about new technology. Working in the schools, I definitely see and understand why many teachers feel so overwhelmed and don't feel like they have time to learn about new technology resources. You seem to have some creative ways to try and get teachers involved and I definitely think waiting until after CRCT is over is a good idea. Hopefully, you will get some of your teachers involved because learning about new technology resources is very worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteI think that you have some really great ideas on how to include teachers in much needed technology training. I totally understand that teacher are extremely busy, however training is necessary in order for us to stay abreast of the changes in technology and information.
ReplyDeleteI am not a media specialist yet but I already see the lack of technology. At my current school, teachers don't know how to put graphs into PowerPoint, use Excel, and they've never heard of Prezi or Wordle. It was shocking to me. I think it is very important to use professional learning time for technology... Especially if the school is equipped with Promethean Boards. Our school only has Promethean Boards for 3-5 and I'm not sure all of the teachers are aware of all of its capabilities. Teachers are busy but we have faculty meetings all of the time that do not account to anything and we need to use that time for technology.
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ReplyDeleteDanielle,
ReplyDeleteOur school system has provided for all certified staff a professional development day. Once or twice a month students get to leave school early so that we can be trained. You are correct in saying that teacher resent that time. When this professional development was first presented, we had no idea that we would be training on concepts over and over again. We have had roughly 12 early release days and I have learned absolutely nothing. The instructor was great however, teachers feel that their time would be better serve preparing lessons and grading papers. Teachers or administrators had absolutely no input on what is being presented during our training sessions. At some point, our school system, should realized that these training sessions are not nonproductive.