Effective Ways to get Teachers to Use Technology
I am a 1st year Tech Coordinator. I taught elementary school for the past 10 years. I need to get teachers to use technology daily in their classrooms to enhance their instruction and the curriculum. I have done staff development and provided resources. I need more! What are some successful strategies to get teachers using technology? Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on
-
Kudos---keep up the good work.
-
Permalink Reply by Lee Alvin Beamon, Jr. on -
I agree with many of the post here. Work with the workable and take small steps to change the changeable. For me “Quick and Easy” is the key. If you can fine simple software to learn and use, do it. Just like Dominoes Pizza, 30 minutes or less. Make it something that you can teach in 20 minutes and create in 10. If the teachers can learn it quickly, the kids will run with it. Something as simple as free software like Photostory 3 can meet the need. I Packaged 4 images, 4 short scripts and a 20 minute training of the software itself. They created a short photostory and walked away with something they could use. The door is then left open to have you assist with a lesson that they may be able to lead with your help.
-
Permalink Reply by Georgiann Andersen on -
Check out www.quizlet.net. I showed this to a couple of elementary teachers and some parents. I also use it for my 3rd grade son to practice mathfacts. I just found out that one of the teachers has been using it and the parents are loving it. You can take it as far down as preschool if you'd like. You could set up the ABCs and attach images such as A with an apple picture.
They can print off flash cards also.
-
Permalink Reply by Olga Bezzabotnova on -
my name is Olga. I'm from Russia and I'm a teacher trainer. My job is also to encourage the teachers of English language to use ICT in their classroom.
We do the special programm for our teachers and ask them to use different techs for project work with their students.
On the 1st of December we are holding a Skype conference for our teachers on the problems of the use of ICT and Project work in English classes. Would you like to join us?
Mail or skype me in advance please if you are interested.
My skype name is olgabezz
-
Permalink Reply by John Faig on -
We have a multipronged approach to getting teachers to use technology. First, completing at least one technology project is part of every teachers' formal evaluation. Next, I hold voluntary (but highly encouraged) technology mini-labs. The mini-labs are brief technology lesson plans that I created for a particular area. The teachers assume the role of students and we step through a brief lesson. After the mini-lesson, spend time discussing how the lesson plan can be adapted for specific curriculum. I also answer questions about the technology used in the sample lesson. IMHO, I have found that teachers are most receptive to new lesson plans over the summer, or just before they want to use them in class. In addition, I need to craft full-blown lesson plans (and sometimes rubrics). I have ever been successful showing a cool web2.0 technology and having teachers create a meaningful lesson plan. For a successful technology-oriented lesson plan, I like to start with the teacher's desired goal and work backwards. Take a look at Bloom's Modified Taxonomy to see what skills are being taught.
JDF
-
-
JDF, Have you seen the work of Andrew Church? He's rewritten Bloom's to relate to technology. nice stuff, his site is Educational Origami.
-
Permalink Reply by tcoffey on -
These ideas here are great! I'd also like to add that it's all about building relationships. We know this when we teach kids, but it's just the same with adults. Listening to problems, talking and getting to know them, and then hand picking ideas that match with their teaching style and units are great first steps. The more you build relationships with teachers, the more they are willing to admit when they need help, and ask for it. AND, the more they trust you with easier projects that match how they teach now, the more you can throw them more higher level tech projects that stretch their ideas about teaching. It's tough to get anywhere without a relationship, though.
I also really like the TPACK model for technology integration.
-
Permalink Reply by Michael Zimmer on -
Search online for how other teachers are using it and the projects students have completed. Tell them to think back to their time in school or their kids time in school...especially high school. With technology the work can be put online and stored for life. How many of us REALLY still have a project or paper we did in high school? Not many. But put them online, and they are available forever. As teachers we are ALWAYS trying to find samples to show students how to do an assignment. With technology based projects, those samples will always be available.
Students used to use the Internet to GET information. Now students use the Internet to GIVE information
-
Permalink Reply by CWhitney on -
I use software and sites that do not require lots of additional work for the teachers .I have learned that they might embrace more willingly if they know there is not too much they need to prepare on their end. Below are some links I use with my teachers.
Spelling City: Free site for spelling
Learning Essential - Goes with Microsoft Office 2007-- make sure you go through your district approval/testing
for this. Has templates and tutorials for students to follow on their own or with support. There are also checklists built into many templates for students to use.
Starfall- An ELA site for grades pre-k-Grade 1/2. A great tool to differentiate learning.
Scholastic- A free resource with activities, books, and articles.
Create a Graph
BrainPop- A subscription based product that includes content related movies, quizzes, and activities. There is also a jr site for primary students.
-
Permalink Reply by Lee Alvin Beamon, Jr. on
-
While meeting with our TRT supervisor recently, we discussed this very topic. We discussed looking at school improvement plans if you school has them. If your school has them, more than likely technology integration is somewhere on those plans. Take a look at those plans and see where you can make things happen or even inject ideas that they might not have considered. If administration can view you as a valuable educator and not just “The Computer Person,” then they can encourage teachers to work with you.
-
Permalink Reply by Pablo Benvenuto on -
To be sucessful, not only teachers, but students need to love it. My partners and I have developed a new community for teachers and students called StudyBuddyCampus. It is free and it represents our vision of the future for the use of technology in the classroom. Our goal is to revolutionize the delivery of education by combining an interactive game like experience with the latest educational content. We have several teachers and students testing our Beta site at http://www.studybuddycampus.com, and we are constantly releasing new features. Given the topic of your discussion, I thought you might be interesting in taking a look, and if you have the time, we would love to receive feedback from people with your kind of experience.
Best Regards.
-
Permalink Reply by Larry Blodgett on -
I'm reading some of these replies by technology integration specialist and I'm envious to those who can even make "assignments" --you have a good deal more backing than some of us. On the other hand, in the past 8 days I've helped an art teacher create wiki pages for her students, and an English teacher creat blogs for hers. My secret--we are offereing recertification points for working on an advanced technology certification. They sign up to get the points, but when that English teacher saw what she could do with blogs it was "Hey, I like this."
Commercial Policy
If you are representing a commercial entity, please see the specific guidelines on your participation.
The Fifth Year Anniversary Book Project!
Related Links & Events:
EdIncubator
EdIncubator" projects are designed to help education projects or initiatives build advisory councils with real educators, administrators, parents, and students giving real feedback. Current projects are below.
Groups interested in participating can contact Steve Hargadon directly.
Support:
Classroom 2.0 is a free site. You can support the network by making a donation (any amount):You can also support us by using our Amazon search link:
Thanks to support from:
Badge
About
Follow
Awards:
© 2012 Created by Steve Hargadon.
