• to give educators some context in terms of what these technologies mean for our society as well as for education
• to challenge and motivate teachers to think differently about their classrooms and the potentials of the technologies...in terms of pedagogy and curriculum
• to share enough of the “how-to” needed to get teachers started using these tools right away
Some of the challenges in my position include lack of time for students to access the computers in the lab and classrooms, pre-determined administrative directives for the use of team planning / staff development, and responsibility with no power. Recognizing that these challenges may be similar for fellow educators, I have adopted the philosophy that a worthwhile journey begins with a single step or two.
Some of the ideas that I have tried or hope to initiate include:
- Sharing sites that may assist teachers in providing effective and engaging instructional opportunities that match current curricular needs (for example, one of our teachers used the shared WebQuest, Cinderella Around the World, found at http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/king/fairytales/ to motivate her students to write their own version of familiar fairy tales)
- Writing a Web page or Wiki to actively engage colleagues in future staff development opportunities, either district-mandated or voluntary (for example, this Wiki was written to be used for an anticipated district writing initiative: http://recipesforwriting.wikispaces.com/
- Recording a podcast with the intent of using it as a model and motivation for collaboration on curricular projects, school news, teacher and student-generated web-based tools (for example, many podcasts are available at http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshow
Realizing that everyone’s background of experiences and priorities are different, I look forward to reading your ideas on how I can influence my fellow colleagues to try more web-based tools in the classroom. Bring them on!
