In general our district has been very good about accepting technology and even encouraging its use in the classroom. With the use of tools such as smart boards, moodle, Google docs for sharing, Skype and other web 2.0 tools, I feel pretty comfortable with where are district is at. Just last year they installed big screen projectors in 90% of the classrooms to allow teachers to maximize the use of presentations and smart board activities. Since I came to the district four years ago, I have noticed a large increase in overall technology use in our district.
With all of that positive stuff being said, we still have staff resistance. We have had in-services on the benefit of using technology and also have been introduced to many great resources. I specifically remember being a demonstration on www.polleverywhere.com . Many of you may have heard of this interactive tool that allows participants to take a real-time survey by texting their answers in. While many took this for what it was worth, others used it to rip on encouraging texting in school. This I see as our biggest barrier in using web 2.0 tools in our school.
When I come across new technology that may be beneficial to our school, I often time share it with an administrator, or share a link with the staff by email. Administration and many staff members have been very receptive to these resources and ideas. Many times I just ask the students if they like a tool. As we all know, they will tell us how they feel. If the kids like something I use it as leverage when encouraging others to try, purchase, or implement different technologies in the classroom. I am very happy that our district has been accepting this pattern and can only hope that others jump on board.
2 years ago
I think many of these changes have to come from the ground up (either pushed by students or used by innovative teachers) so that others can see real examples of educational uses. Too often staff development activities or one-time events with little follow up and even less motivation to make changes.
ReplyDeleteThat is very true about changes coming best from the ground up. Right now at my school, students are finally getting email accounts, because of a student-led initiative to do so. Unfortunatley, these accounts will be SEVERELY limited--they can ONLY email teachers, and can ONLY receive from teachers--but it was the students who came up with the idea and presented the information, and if the trial run with such limitations goes well, there may be a push to open up the address to be able to email other students.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great example of students problem solving and working toward change. Their success should give them motivation to continue to strive for change.
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