Effective Ways to get Teachers to Use Technology

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eve Heaton on January 1, 2009 at 3:32pm

Loved your "Just One Thing" slideshow. Passed it on to another teacher.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Burke on January 1, 2009 at 7:40pm

Thanks, Michael. Such a wealth of resourses in your wikis . . .I plan to make use of them.

Jim

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Permalink Reply by Beth Bohnert on January 10, 2009 at 12:13pm

Excellent Job! I'm passing this along to all of our teachers. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Faith Shabat on November 19, 2009 at 8:21pm

Your slideshow is terrific. I sent it to all the faculty at my school. Hopefully, it will open up some eyes!!

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Permalink Reply by marcrudd on January 1, 2009 at 7:35pm

If using tech becomes a chore, teachers will rebel. It will be less frustrating and better in terms of staff rapport to find one or more willing teachers who will act as pioneers and then serve as examples of the benefits of using tech. At a staff development have those teachers present their curriculum and demonstrate the students' work. Think pull instead of push. This has always been a more effective sol'n for me. Good luck

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Permalink Reply by ddeubel on January 2, 2009 at 3:42pm

Michael,

Thanks for sharing just "one thing". A very necessary message and I think it really is essential -- that we learn to be part of the adventure with our students. After doing the "one thing" then we can start thinking about doing the "right thing".

I"m always frustrated as a teacher trainer -- by the fact that teachers teach how they were taught. After thousands of hours of observation / participation in classrooms (as students), the old notions of what a classroom, what learning is, are engrained. So hard to change this and shift the brain processes. But maybe by just doing "one thing", that can happen - perhaps we/I set my goals too high.

Thanks, David,
http://eflclassroom.com

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Permalink Reply by Kev on January 3, 2009 at 9:44am

Not only do teachers teach how they were taught, many of them belittle any changes in teaching strategies with the "This too shall pass" mantra. You have to convince teachers that A) Technology in education isn't a passing fad that is going to go away like say, Madeline Hunter and B) That if they aren't use technology in their classroom they are doing their students a disservice.

I got into quite a discussion with a teacher who was convinced that using an overhead projector was no different than using Powerpoint in her math class. I ultimately just gave up on it and considered myself lucky that my students would come to my class and be so easily wowed.

Teachers are the most stubborn lot of people I've ever met. We live in our own classroom without any oversight 95% (or in the case of my district more like 99%) of the time and don't like being told we might be doing something wrong. I told myself the day I got my job that as soon as I blew off a new idea as "not as good as the old stuff" I'd retire.

As such, I stand by my original comment of hiring new teachers.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Anderson on January 11, 2009 at 12:29am

I have been thinking a lot lately about NCLB and the most recent mantra by reformers that our decisions in education must be data-driven. Under current guidelines this means test scores. Why is that so when there are so many other valid forms of data to base decisions on? My only conclusion is that this whole mess we are in is a result of a perceived lack of response from many of our teachers to both new trends effecting both industry and education as well as education research (this goes back decades) by those in power to enforce these kinds of mandates who are not educators themselves (politicians). The standardized test movement is orchestrated by individuals who have grown frustrated with public school's unwillingness to break with tradition. Our schools and classrooms have become tradition driven and few educators ever question the value of those traditions. There is overwhelming research that illustrates the power of strategies like project-based learning but most teachers still do things the same old way. It is as if we are not in this business to facilitate learning but rather to perpetuate an elaborate game, the game of school.

A lot of this has to do with how the system rewards teachers. Teachers, through school political constructs, have been rewarded for maintaining the status quo. The standardized tests in reading and math also, because those who created them were products of a status quo education, reflect what we think a status quo education should measure.

We need to rebuild a system for education where teachers are motivated and rewarded for innovation. We need to be allowed to fail because that is where we will learn. We also need to do some serious naval gazing to determine whether our decisions are not simply data-driven but research supported.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Anderson on January 2, 2009 at 9:36pm

Using the information and resources provided here, I think you should be well on your way of coming up with something to help you. The only thing that I would add, is that remember you are in education, and unfortunately change happens very slowly. In most cases, if this is your first year, the fact that you were able to get some staff development in, can be considered a big accomplishment! Start with those that want to be helped first and maybe slowly the others will come around (usually if they see the success of others).

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Permalink Reply by Fred Ravan on January 3, 2009 at 9:53am

I work with colleagues who are not used to using technology and who quite frankly don't see the point. A strategy that I use with them is that we concentrate on using one thing in the classroom and we do it in small steps--otherwise they get overwhelmed. I also have a couple of tech savvy students who are willing to go trouble shoot for them. Last year we concentrated on developing a site on Quia, this year they are giving their mid terms on line. (A huge leap) This year we are working on using wikis.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Townsley on January 3, 2009 at 3:53pm

"I work with colleagues who are not used to using technology and who quite frankly don't see the point."

I'm guessing that many of us can relate to this. It might be interesting to ask, "why is keeping you from using technology more in your classroom?" For some, it may be their "technology knowledge" which you've done a nice job addressing via tech savvy students, etc. For others, it might be their style of teaching.

For example..

As a 'traditional' math teacher, why would one need anything more than a calculator? "I give the examples. Students write them down and then do a bunch of problems," Mrs. Teacher says.

Ms. Techno, a tech-savvy and inquiry-based math teacher down the hall pipes up, "Have you heard of Geometer's Sketchpad? Students can create triangles and then dynamically change their dimensions!! Wouldn't it be cool to teach students about isosceles triangles using this instead of rattling off the book's theorems? They could actually see that in ALL isosceles triangles, congruent sides are opposite congruent angles. Hook me up!"

The difference is in pedagogy...one lectures while the other sees the value in a more student-centered classroom. I like what you're doing with wikis, Fred. Sounds like y'all are on the right track...

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Permalink Reply by Antwon Lincoln on January 3, 2009 at 1:50pm

Michelina,

Welcome to the community and the challenges that many of other site technology leaders are embracing. But you will find you solution here! You will find this community to be a great place to share and gather ideas.

I wanted to respond to your post by providing a link to my podcast "Confessions of a Technology Leader" It is a podcast that may address some of the challenges you will be presented in your new job. But most importantly, offer some solutions.

My mission has been to provide site technology leaders with resources to lead the way. You will find out that it is not easy, but possible.

You can find the podcast on the below links. You can also download sample chapters of the book Confessions of a Technology Leader: Understanding the Job of a Site Technology Leader.

This podcast (5.1.4 the Truth: Leadership) will give you a good start. (Click here)
Web Site: Tlconfessions.com
Podcast Site: Confessions of a technology Leader Podcast

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