Technology in Schools - Part 2 - Do Away with One-stop Workshops

Step 2 in my multi-part series on technology in schools and why it isn't being used. From part 1, I pointed out that there is a lot of technology in schools that is either not being used effectively, is unknown to teachers in the schools, or is being used but ineffectively or in a very limited manner. Part 2 here is my first suggestion on how to help increase the use of current technology that exists in schools.

Do away with the one-stop workshops.

You know what I am talking about. Those one or two day workshops that teachers attend to learn about a new technology. The expectation that after these one or two day workshops teachers are going to integrate the technology into classroom instruction is ludicrous. The more gun ho teachers will give it a try, but if the attempt goes awry, as it is bound to do, that technology is going in the closet to gather dust. Long term support is needed if real integration and change in practice is to occur.

How do you do away with these workshops when that is all the district has time for or money for? You can't. But...administration can do something that will support and enhance these one or two-day workshops if that's all they have. Here are a couple suggestions:

Provide common planning time or collaboration time where teachers can plan and create lessons to try in their classrooms
Give teachers TIME - time to try out the technology and then time to get together to talk about what happened, how to change it, and time to try it again (and again and again)
Give teachers permission to fail - few people get it right the first time, so make it okay to fail and try again
Create support for the technology - a fellow teacher who can help, an online forum for discussing and sharing ideas and lessons, planning time, sample lessons....anything that allows teachers the freedom to try, to fail, to get support and to keep trying.

If real integration and use of technology in an effective manner is going to happen, there needs to be continued support after the one or two-day workshops or you might as well throw in the towel now.

Comments

Implementation Dip - It's Not Just Test Scores, It's Any Change

I read this article yesterday by Andrew Ujifusa entitled New Tests Put States on Hot Seat as Scores Plunge . Basically, states that have implemented new standardized tests to address revised academic standards, such as the Common Core State Standards, have seen a drop in student scores, so panic has ensued. What I want to know is: has no one ever heard about the implementation dip? Whenever you try to implement something new, there is going to be a period of adjustment, scores will go down if we are talking tests, classroom behaviors will change and achievement will go down if new teaching strategies are being implemented - in short, any time you try something new, it is NOT going to go exactly as planned! Mistakes will happen, things will be bad before they get better - it's part of the whole change process. Which is why we need to be implementing changes slowly, early, and over time so that things that go wrong can be adjusted. Image from images.google.com What is th

Social Media's Impact on Personal Life - Personal Reflections

The question - does social media impact personal life? The answer - yes. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? The answer - it depends. I have been on vacation the past week or so and am currently on personal leave to finish writing my dissertation proposal (which, as you can see, I am procrastinating!) During my vacation, I swore I would take a break from blogging, Twitter, email, and all things electronic. I lied. I admit - I did honestly make the attempt and in fact, did not turn on my computer one time. However, the iPad is a constant companion, especially since the books I am reading (currently, the Game of Thrones series) are on there, so I had the iPad with me a lot - even on the beach. It was very easy to check if I had emails, to check out my Facebook or to send a Twitter or two. Long story short, I failed miserably at the disconnecting aspect. View from chair and under canopy! Which brings me back to the question of does social media impact personal life? The o

Lecture, Direct-Instruction or Talk - There's the Confusion!

In yesterday's weekly #edchat Twitter collaboration the discussion focused on the flipped classroom, where, naturally, there was quite a bit of debate around the idea of video lectures. What became apparent was the many different interpretations of the term 'lecture'. This came to the forefront for me when I offered up the idea of TED Talks as one option for learning rather than a teacher's video lecture, and someone said "TED talks are just lectures, so how is that better?" This stumped me as I have never thought of a TED talk as a lecture, which is funny, because now, forced to think about it, I guess they could be construed as lectures, depending on your definition. Which of course has led me to this post! Obviously, my perception of a lecture is not the same as others. What is MY definition of a lecture? Perhaps it's my many years of being both a student and a teacher, but for me a 'lecture' has rather negative connotations, as I envisio

Greenhaus Education and Other "Effects"

Search This Blog