I had one small success today that I just had to share. I have a few teachers at my school who are very tech shy. Technology is scary to them and even though they try their hardest to integrate, everything is overwhelming. A lot of hand holding has been done and we do a lot of pre-planning together.As we've been learning about Wiki's in class I realized how appropriate a Wiki site could be for all the history rich lessons one of my tech shy teacher's teach and I decided to bring up the idea of creating a Wikisite for her kids. When I first explained to this teacher that I wanted to introduce a new technology to her kids she looked at me like I was crazy. But as I explained it to her further she began to love the idea. She had heard of the Wikipedia and loved the idea of having a classroom resource for her kids.
The moment of success was when she took ownership of the project by suggesting a Wiki site for all the important documents in American history the kids have to learn about. She wants the students to work in pairs to manage and update a different document page each week for a few weeks. We are still working out the details of the project. This teacher and I are going to meet again to have a tutorial about the Wikisite and her kids are going to start it in the next few weeks. I am looking forward to watching both her and her kids grow through this project.
Have you been in a 'tech scared' position before? If so how did you overcome your fears of technology. I feel the answers to these questions are so important to how I work with my teachers as a TRT to help them feel more comfortable with trying new ides.
7 comments:
Anything new and out of your comfort zone is scary. For those older teachers, technology is a big one! I remember when I was younger, my mom told me that she had to do her report cards on the computer, she was completely overwhelmed! A lot of the tools and programs we've used in this program was really overwhleming at first, but the more you play and try, the better you get. It takes time!
although i am officially a "tech resource teacher" you would assume that means that i'm always 100% comfortable & an "expert" ... not! tech is never stagnant & there's always the possibility of something going wrong (ie., the Internet connection is down). i think in our role as the assumed expert, i always try to remember what it feels like in the classroom teacher's shoes and that i have to be FLEXIBLE & exercise PATIENCE. those are sometimes more challenging than the technology!
So true Jen. I think it makes me so nervous when a teacher comes to me asking a question that I do NOT know the answer to. Our credibility as a tech instructor can go down in an instant when we all of a sudden are no longer the tech expert. Great thought.
Technology is scary! It is changing so fast that just when you feel comfortable with one thing 100's jump in to take their place! Personally this ITS course has been a huge learning curve for me. I used to be one of THOSE teachers! My turning point came with this course and with confidence in day to day computer use. I'm especially grateful to know that I won't make the computer explode when I touch the wrong key! Perseverance has paid off! Who knows what obstacles and successes tomorrow holds!
Yes the unknown is a very scary challenge! As I have shared with you in the past, I was very fearful of technology because I was a stay at home mom when the use of computers exploded! I remember substituting in a kindergarten classroom and having to get one of the kids to show me how to turn the computer on for the days activities. I must say I was a little embarrassed and felt really out of the loop! It would have really helped if someone had taken the time to work with me or even given me encouragement to play around with the mechanics on my own. I felt overwhelmed and had no idea how to even begin education myself on or with computers. The ITS experience has taken away a large amount of fear and given me the courage to experiment and explore in ways that I would never have imagined! The more I use technology the more comfortable I feel and am willing to consider ways to utilize it with my students! :)
I think the success you had at your school was awesome. It is very exciting when teachers are willing to take on new technology projects. I think that often times we are so busy thinking that teachers are afraid to integrate technology that we don't take the time to ask if they would be willing to try something new. Hats off for asking and succeeding in your mission. Keep up the great work. You have inspired me to do the same.
Great TRT's stand out because they are confident that they will be able to answer the problem, and they'll keep teaching us until we're able to integrate the technology in a way that works for our purpose and promotes student success. Thanks for keeping us growing and learning. I love the heel-clickin' clip art! I was also very relieved to see that you and JJAK were frustrated with DV too. It's improving, but it still takes a lot o' time.
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