Watching Student Work....What an AMAZING JOY!!!

Its 5pm on Wednesday afternoon. Today was the first day of study hall in my room. I was amazed at how well my students worked. The students that must attend study hall are my video productions students that are struggling in academic classes. In order to be apart of WWPK they must have a B or better in ever class.

Two of my students spent the study hall time working on a video project for another science class. To watch these GIRLS put together this piece is just amazing. As they figure stuff out you can just see the joy in their faces as they are learning something new. Sharing head phones to listen to the video clips; they work and figure stuff out. The best part for me is when they call me over all excited to show me something new they have learned.

These experiences make working past 4pm not that big of a deal. This is a teaching memory that I will never forget!

AHHHH ....... Podcasting

I have just written my first podcasting assignments.

I am slightly nervous to try new technology that I have never done before. I am worried the students will look at me like I am crazy. I don’t know how I am going to grade them. I don’t know how to publish them. I don’t know how to edit them. I don’t know is becoming a theme here……

This whole idea just seems crazy as I sit in my classroom after 6pm. Why? Why do I want to try something new? Here is why…. why not? (plus I don’t want to grade another paper this week!)

While I don’t have all the answer just yet; I will by the time I give the project at the end of the week…or I won’t and the students and I will learn together. Heck, they probably already know more about podcasting than I do. I love trying new things and getting new outcomes. But mostly it comes down to I like making memories with my students. If I have learned anything since I became a teacher, it is that I remember the teachers who took the time to make memories with me. I want my students to remember science. I hope to one day hear….I was in Miss Rioux’s class the first time I made a podcast…

Technology....takes PLANNING!!

Technology will forever be changing. How does a school continue to change with the times? Successful leadership. Successful technology leadership. I love the way the author of The Principal as Technology Leader just comes right out and says “effective integration of technology has more to do with teaching pedagogy, and very little to do with technology itself,” because it is so true. Technology cannot be intergraded if it is not going with the natural flow of the classroom and needs of learners in that classroom based on the teacher’s teaching style. Technology is a fantastic way to enhance teaching and learning; however, it must help deliver and extend the topics being taught to be successfully intergraded. Principals must get involved in technology in order for it to be successful and to get teachers behind it. By taking an active role in technology integration, principals show teachers they too have to use new technologies. Sometimes, I feel principals don’t always understand what teachers are going through in the classroom. While I fully expect my principal to know how to use the technologies I am expected to use, I believe that a technology specialist should not only know how to use the required technologies, but they should be an expert on them. Technology Specialists should go beyond the base line knowledge of a software or hardware, they really should know everything about it or at the least know how to get more information FAST! I also believe that Technology Specialists should understand how technology helps in the education of the students. I would expect technology specialist to ask questions like: How can this new program be used by teachers? What lessons and standards can this program be used for? I would almost expect a technology specialist to have both an education and IT background.

Why as teachers do we feel that lower achieving students struggle to reach higher levels of Blooms? I believe this is where the digital divide might actually start. Teachers are afraid to let go of struggling learners for fear that they can’t handle more than drill to kill activities. Teachers want to be more hands on with students that struggle therefore struggling to use technology in the classroom. As teachers, we have a fear of failure and so do our students. It is hard to let go and allow students to make mistakes no matter how vital it is to the learning process. Add technology in to the mix and teachers have a tendency to lose their cool. When teachers feel students are already high achieving, teachers take more risks with lessons and activities in the classroom, especially when it comes to technology. For the most part, students across America can access computers in schools now, so the question that remains is what are they being used for? Is there a digital divide between content areas in schools? Document after document may say that technology use in schools is up, but that isn’t necessarily true just because computers are in schools. I see how technology is used in my school and in other schools I have taught in. It truly depends on how leadership in the school feels about technology.

How do we as teachers start to close the “digital divide”? Trust in the process of learning. Children by nature want to know how things work, why things work, and how to make things work. Using children’s natural curiosity of the world to allow them to reach higher levels of bloom and letting them use technology. It’s okay if mistakes are made along the trail. Children will still learn.

Technology programs fail due to lack of support! Lack of support is what it really does comes down to, however the book goes into more detail. Lack of appropriate leadership in schools, doesn’t allow for technology to be successful. If the leadership isn’t behind a new program or hardware, then it is difficult for teachers to get on board. If only one person make the decisions for technology for a school, one can’t expect much support either. It truly takes a team to get a school on board for technology use. I believe this quote really helps sum up what needs to happen for technology to be successful in a schools: “The principal as technology leader must remain visible and involved in guiding the process or implementing technology, with teaching and learning as the driving force.” (Creighton, 2003)

The school I work in does in fact does have a technology plan, to the level at which it is actually executed I am unaware. At this time the only experience I have with technology planning is the technology I use in my own classroom. However if my opinion is asked I don’t hesitate to share. Technology planning has to happen on multiple levels in order for it to be successful in the classroom. I think the planning process should start at the school level and work its way up to the district level with significant teacher input. Having a plan is the best place to start when bring on new technologies, however the plan won’t work if it fails to tie to institutional mission, fails to get the right people on board, and focuses to heavily on technical detail. I agree with Creighton’s pitfall list and look forward to avoiding these mistakes as I move forward with strategic planning I hope to do in the future.

Technology as I understand and feel about it today!

I never realized there was a difference in educational technology, technology integration, or instructional technology, however after reading the definitions I realize how they affect education. The definitions helped me to understand how technology is really incorporated into education. Educational technology is simply the technology educators and students use to complete the education process. I know that I cannot run my classroom without these everyday programs. Technology integration is the one that I struggle with. As I understand it, it is how you determine what to use in the classroom. Instructional Technology is my favorite; it is what we actually use to educate students. After reading this section I better understand the difference in these terms.

I was surprised to see how technology history was broken up in to three eras, most likely because I wasn’t alive for most of it! The microcomputer era was the first computers in classrooms. This was exciting for teachers, however from the reading, it does seem that teachers had support to use computers most effectively. The internet era was the most significant impact on technology in the classroom. The internet connected the world.

“Teaching is one of the most time and labor-intensive jobs in our society” This quote from our text really hit me. I am thankful that people realize we can’t do it all. I know that I put a large number of hours into my lessons, understanding that technology can help but that I don’t have to use it. I always want to use the latest and greatest, but technology only works when it makes the process of teaching and learning easier.

Technology education is essential for today’s students to be successful beyond school. However I see that technology can be a hassle for teachers. From my little experience working in schools, there are two types of teachers: those that want to use technology and those that are scared of it. If we don’t teach students how to use technology who will? The use of computers in today’s society is necessary to survive.

Of course teachers can teach without technology, it’s our job to educate. However if technology is available it can only increase learning. Teachers always get the job done. Teachers are innovators. Teachers can teach without fancy technology, but why should they have too.

The use of technology is inevitable for today’s society in order to be successful in life. If technology skills aren’t taught during the education process, when will they be?

A teacher can teach without technology; however I truly believe that technology can improve the education of today’s youth. While there might not be conclusive results showing how technology improves understanding of standards, is there data stating that it harms understanding of standards? By using technology to guide students to a higher understanding of standards we are preparing them to use technology to solve their own problems. Technology is surrounding us in this world. To turn a blind eye and continue teaching the standards without technology would be a grave injustice to our students. Without the use of technology in my classroom this week, my students wouldn’t have seen a short film of the assistant principal finding a crime scene in the vacant trailers. This film allowed Mr. Hart to share the crime with the students and charge them with the task of solving who poisoned the chef. The video captured their attention, gained their interest, and clearly stated their task. While Mr. Hart could have come to visit every science class with every science teacher, the use of technology here streamlined the process and kept all of my co-workers and I on the same page for the project.

I hear the nay-sayers, and this is what I have to say … have you tried it? People don’t like change, I get that, however if you try it you might be surprised. I have worked with many of my co-workers that are less technically inclined and what I have found for the most part it isn’t that they are not willing to learn something new, but they aren’t given the time. Teachers are lovers of learning by nature, so why wouldn’t they be willing to incorporate new and innovative technology? They need the time to use and manipulate new technology. Learning new technology during a rollout period is only frustrating on top of grading, lesson plans, and teaching.

I, also, hear the nay-sayers that aren’t teachers, and this is what I have to say to them…come walk a day in my shoes and see if you can manage without your laptop, blackberry, or calculators. Without the best technology in my classroom, my students will leave me in the dust. In order to reach students, teachers need to be able to connect with them on their level. We are most definitely in the technology era and today’s youth know how to use and aren’t afraid to try new technology out without a fear of messing it up. Like I said…come spend a day in my classroom, see if you could do it without technology.

No, when teachers know how to use technology teachers use it. It took time to get teachers to use computers, it’s just takes time. Once teacher are trained to use technology, they must have the support to keep using it.

If all of the technology was taken from the world, where would we be? Technology runs the world I live in. Technology can only increase student learning from motivation to engagement. Take any argument for the use of technology and teachers can show students learning, making memories and retaining information.

Students cannot receive an “excellent education” without technology. Computers and other technology resources are essential in today’s business world, therefore we need to be teaching them to use them and how to problem solve with technology for the future.

Every teacher hopes that they will have the moment when they realize they have made an impact on students. I have a unique teaching position; I facilitate the student news stations at my school. I train students to run a fully operational broadcast television station. The students selected for the news team are greatly impacted by their participation. These students are getting hands on experience with technology they might not otherwise have access to. Not only do these students become leaders to their peers, they must learn how to manage their time. These students have to be to school an hour before classes start. Not only do I enjoy teaching these students, I love it even more when they teach me something new with the equipment. The students are so proud of themselves when they produce the show without me for the first time. The biggest success I have seen from this initiative is one of my students earning a summer youth internship at CNN, something he might not have otherwise even thought about.

There are so many different software applications for computers today, who could keep up! I enjoy having access a wide range of programs to use in my classroom. My top five programs are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, FrontPage and Sony Vegas. I could not operate my classroom everyday without these. Computer programs are necessary for me to keep up with grades, lessons, presentations, and videos. During instruction you never know what program I could be using to deliver information. I would like to incorporate an interactive board soon. (Hoping I get a PTA grant) Interactive boards can be used while using these software programs as well.

After reading about leadership and vision in technology, I began to better understand. I understand that technology has to be planned for and implemented. I have never really thought of “having” to use technology. I guess it just comes naturally for me. I use technology in my classroom. After reading though planning technology for the community I realized that technology doesn’t always come easy for others. Facilitators have to “sell” the technology to be used. Having a clear plan can easily get everyone on board and ready to work with something new. Without a clear implementation plan of new technology, people with not be willing to work with the new technology. This year my school system is rolling out a new information management system. I have not been “sold” that this new system is good for teacher, parents, or students. No one has even tried to “sell” it to me. Had School System Powers that Be read this chapter on technology implementation, the teachers that I work with and I might be in a better place with this new technology and accomplish grades in a timely manner.

As for my own vision of how technology should be use in school as a whole, I don’t know yet, still working on developing it. As for my classroom vision of technology, I want it to natural and easy. I don’t want to do something that is going to take more of my valuable time. My vision does include empowering students to use technology to make their lives easier and more efficient.