We all know that technology is exploding, and changing by the minute. While it may seem impossible to keep up with all of the latest and greatest gadgets, gizmos, and apps, imagine how hard it would be to keep up with it all, while trying to teach full time! If you think about it for a minute, it is easy to imagine how frustrating it can be for teachers to try to figure out new tools and apps, and how to incorporate them into lessons and still meet state standards.
Enter the knowledgeable and enthusiastic media specialist that we all soon hope to be! If you are anticipating sharing all of the new tech that you have learned, what better way than through staff development? Here is our big chance to show off what we know, and truly make a difference in the school.
Of course we need to be sure that all of the staff is familiar with all that our media center has to offer in the way of services, programs, and resources. We also need to help all students and faculty "brush up" on their knowledge of copyright laws. But where we can really dazzle the teachers and administrators is with all of the learning apps and tools we have learned about.
The first step, of course, is finding out what the teachers are already familiar with, and what tools they use with students. A lot of this information will be easy to detect in day to day interactions. A simple survey of what the teachers use, and what they would like to learn can also be helpful. As our readings pointed out, however, we must keep in mind that there will be many teachers who don't know what is out there, and what they would like to learn.
My mentor says that she has volunteered to teach many of the in-service opportunities at her school. She has helped teachers to understand and use Edmodo, Turn it in.com, Alternates to Accelerated Reader, and Discovery Streaming. She has also trained many on how to use Twitter, Feedly, Flipboard, and blogs. She recommends that teachers have choices, and that some tutorials be self-directed.
Personally, I would love to get teachers and students signed up to LibraryThing, and have them recommend their favorite books with teachers and friends. I'd like to have an in-service on creating podcasts, and think that would be a great presentation tool for students at all levels. I think that every teacher should have a webpage, and creating one through Weebly or Glogster would be another good training opportunity. And of course, I don't think that we can ever have enough training on using SmartBoards, they have so many different components, that most of us don't even begin to tap into what they can do.
Whatever the topic, we must be sure that the audience is interested, and has plenty of hands on practice. A tip sheet for future reference is always helpful, and you should be prepared for follow up questions as teachers test out their new skills. Remember to ask for evalutation/feedback to make improvements for your next workshop. And most importantly; don't forget to stock up on chocolate and small prizes to keep the mood fun and light, and to keep everyone alert and happy!
I think when it comes to professional development, it must be meaningful to those in the session if it is going to be effective. As your mentor recommends, I feel teachers need choices. This motivates them to want to learn what interests them and what they feel comfortable with. A quick survey can be a good starting point when deciding what needs teachers and students have in the learning process. Once you decide on the topics, you must provide technology training where the teachers get to practice. It is very frustrating for me to attend training where I can’t get my hands on what I am learning. I often forget what I need to do when time passes before I can apply what I learned. We use best practices when instructing our students; this can apply to adults as well.
ReplyDeleteYour suggestion of a tip sheet for future reference is very helpful. Having short training videos available to refer to at a later date would be as well. In my future role as a SLMS, I look forward to this aspect of the job. Technology excites me, and I can’t wait to spark the interest in my fellow teachers as well as the students! While I know there will be those that resist, there will also be those that will fuel the fire.
Great idea of finding out what teachers may be interested in learning before offering the training. No fun sitting through a training that doesn't apply to you! (Speaking from experience here!)
ReplyDeleteAnother practice that I've seen work is to offer training by grade-level. Keeping the sessions small when learning to use technology allows each teacher to give it a go while you're still around to offer assistance. (Having them bring their tech carts with them is also a good idea.)
And you can never go wrong with chocolate, especially if they know it's always available. I've seen several desperate teachers come by to chat with the Media Specialist when they needed a chocolate fix. It's a great way to be kept in the loop regarding classroom learning...