It is ironic that I am setting down
to type up this blog today since my school just had technology training on the
Promethean Boards today. This is the first training we have received in school
since our boards were installed a few weeks ago. This is also the only training
we have had at the school level on using the boards. There was training offered
this summer for Title I schools in my district. I did take 3 different
technology trainings through the summer program, but since they were optional,
some teachers did not take the trainings at all. My district (Douglas) has a
Title I technology person who trains anyone at Title I schools in the use of
any type of technology. This person is very knowledgeable and willing to come
to the schools to train anyone who is interested. I am sure she will be back in
our school soon for additional training.
Overall, teachers at my school are
very technologically adept. We completed a technology survey at the end of last
school year and our school scored highest among the Title I schools and 6th
in the county. This is quite remarkable when you realize the fact that we had
the least amount of technology available to us. Most of the teachers at my
school are willing to attend additional trainings and do so during the summer and
on their own time. Of course, there are always a few who struggle using technology.
Technology training is very
important especially with the new CCGPS standards which push for more digitally
published work, student collaboration, and research skills. These new standards
make it even more important for teachers to become familiar and use the technology
that our students will be required to use as they continue their education. We
as teachers need to stay on top of the technology world and a great way to do
that is through short technology trainings at the school level. These trainings
can be delivered by anyone, but the media specialist will hopefully have a hand
in organizing, promoting, and perhaps delivering these trainings. Training should
be as short and to the point as possible. They should also be delivered in a
multitude of ways not just through after school sessions. Incentives are a good
idea to use to get teachers more motivated to attend training. A great idea for
simple technology training is a website spotlight of the week. This could be a
short blurb at a faculty meeting or a weekly email spotlighting a great (and
hopefully free!) website that teachers might find useful. This could go a long
way in promoting better use of technology with teachers.
Technology training Dos and Don’ts
Dos
-
Make training ongoing not every once in a while
-
Ask teachers what they want technology training
on
-
Remember that you most likely have teachers with
a wide range of technology ability levels from novice to advanced users
-
Use informal and small group trainings when
appropriate
-
Teacher the teacher while teaching the students
i.e. modeling the use of technology during a lesson
-
Provide tip sheets and handouts
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Use guided practice and hands on training.
People learn more by doing not just watching
Don’ts
-
Give out handouts and sheets without permission
from the author
-
Just do lecture type technology trainings.
Teachers need to practice the skill to really learn it.
-
Overwhelm teachers with a multitude of trainings
only offered after school
-
Plan trainings without input from teachers
-
Think that after the training everyone should know
how to complete the task. Instead be available for follow up training and
questions
I like your list of do's and don'ts. I agree with it being an ongoing training, and that it should be hands on. When I volunteered at one media center this week, the media specialist was preparing for training the teachers on the Promethean boards. The training was held after school. She seems to enjoy training teachers with technology.
ReplyDeleteI volunteered at another media center, and the media specialist said that she absolutely loves her job. The only thing that she doesn't like about her job is dealing with adults. I asked her why, and she said because they hate being at technology trainings and professional developments that she gives. She said that she tries to keep it as short as possible, but they absolutely always complain, whether she holds the meeting before school, during planning, or afterschool. Not all of the teachers are like this, but a large number of them are, and it is discouraging to her. She enjoys teaching them about technology, but just hates the attitude that they bring to the meetings. They make it very obvious that they do not want to be there.
I imagine that that would be hard to try to present something to your co-workers that you have worked hard on, only to be met with indifference and a you're-wasting-my-time attitude.
I am very impressed that your school scored so well on the technology survey. My school never shared the results of the survey. My district has an Instructional Technology Department that provides training on a regular basis on a variety of subjects. Because of the School Improvement Grant, my school also has an ITS on site.
ReplyDeleteIt is still not the ideal situation. Many of the teachers need basic word, excel and power point instruction. The TKES evaluation has forcec some teachers to intergrate technolgoy in the classroom to differeniate learning. Some of the teachers have welcomed the technology. Others have been resistent.
I fully agree that the teachers need to participate in the decision of what to train. However, the more open they are to new technology the better they will be at introducing it to the students. I find that the teachers are afraid of failure. Most technology requires you to have a trial and error period. The more you use it, the more comfortable and efficient you become.