At all the schools I have worked at, it has been pretty much the same -=20
1 - teachers that really work at staying up to date and implementing it
in their classroom (luckily I find this increasing each year - my
current school is at about 40%)
2 - teachers that will use tech if you are there to help them, hold
their hand, introduce it slowly, etc. (this continues to be the majority
of my teachers - 50% - however just a few years ago, this was 80%)
3 - teachers that are techies that use technology for everything whether
it should be tech-based or not (usually only a couple teachers)
4 - teachers that only use technology if forced to (luckily, this is
getting less and less - I only have a few teachers in this group)
I see my role as supporting those in group 1, and helping teachers in
group 2 get up to group 1. Some teachers will retire before ever making
it to group 1, but some really do try and actually make it.
Teachers in group 3 usually think they know more than me (and most do
know more about technology than I do). I do try to give them tips on
how to better use the technology to support the curriculum rather than
take over the classroom. =20
Teachers in group 4, I help when they ask for support, but I just don't
put any energy into them. They do not want to learn. They don't want
to use the technology. I have plenty of teachers that want to grow, so
that is where I put my support.
I think for teachers in groups 1-2 (which is where you want to put your
focus), my job is to show them ways technology can help. This includes
teaching with it, learning from it, sharing it, trying it, etc.
Teachers in groups 1-2 will grow if they see how it can really help them
and their students. Also, just like with the students, differentiated
learning for teachers is critical. If all I offered was after school
workshops once a month, half my teachers would never learn anything
(even if it was required). Some of my teachers need me to sit there and
show them one-on-one how to do it. Others need me to create a
step-by-step hand out that they can go through on their own and come
back to me with questions. Others like to work with small groups of
other teachers. Still others like large conferences. You need to offer
all of this to meet everyone's needs.
Renee Ramig
Seven Hills School
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Fred Austin
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 7:57 AM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Teacher Expectations with Technology
Hi Guys
Question:
What are your expectations for teachers taking initiative to make sure =20
they understand and use technology systems beyond their training and =20
professional development? Realizing that there are different methods =20
of uptake and retention on an individual basis, we are primarily =20
talking about things like Moodle/Blackboard, SIS software, teacher web =20
pages, and eTextbooks. Web 2.0 tools such as NING, Twitter, =20
Podcasting, etc still being left up to the more motivated individual =20
by choice.
At what point does "hand-holding" taper off to wean the individual? Do =20
you have instances of a few that just don't get it?
Thanks for your feedback.
Fred Austin
Technology Director
The Oakwood School
Greenville, NC
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