We harvested our family garden on the weekend and as my beloved and I were undertaking this task, we talked about how her parents' carrots pull out with no problem as the soil is sandy. Not so in the clay encrusted Prince Edward County shoreline. We need to dig a little deeper.Here's my attempt at digging a little deeper.
4 Suggestions for Getting Educators to use Technology in the Curriculum
1. Embed technology within the Curriculum
My most successful sessions with teachers during the last school year were when we planned together how the software would work specifically within a 3 week unit plan.
2. Familiarize Teachers with the software Ahead of Time to Built Confidence
It may not be always possible, but if software sessions could be planned ahead of time that would be great.
I managed to arrange a half day where two intermediate teachers got a chance to create the magazine cover of their choice. The confidence level of the teachers soared during the 2 days where we co-taught the magazine cover session to the students in the computer lab.
4. Spread the Wealth - Learning Team Meetings
It is all good to get one or two teachers going with a particular software or Web 2.0 environment, but my most successful schools last year had me join learning team meetings. From here the sky was the limit. Once the teachers could see how the software worked within the curriculum area, they were more likely to go to the next steps.
5. Get the School Principal Involved
Include the Principal in the process. We all have schools where the Principal is the catalyst for technology change.
3 comments:
Great! Leave the most critical item until the last so it hits home. I'm looking to facilitate more video conferencing this year, so start with principals. Nice carrots!
I'd suggest that we need to go more than embedding it into the curriculum. At present, that's the way things are done. Should we not rewrite the curriculum so that it is an expectation of computer skills, attitude and knowledge that this is going to happen and happen everywhere?
Research shows the power and motivation that enable students when the technology is part of the curriculum in a non-trivial way.
Thanks Mike and Doug:
Mike, yes, you are quite right. Unless the Principal is included from the outset, you're pretty well sunk. Let me know how your projects go at the high school leve.
Doug, we can only hope that the "embedding" way to go fades away. In our lifetimes as teachers, not so much. But perhaps our children? I know, too late by then. Thank you for your insight.
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