Technology Training is one of my FAVORITE things to do as a media specialist. I love learning about new technology and being able to pass the new items on to my fellow staff members. I am currently at GaETC getting my cup filled up with knowledge. Yippee!
As much as I love having technology training sessions they still have their ups and downs. I continually tell my teachers that they are just like their students when it comes time to teach them. Sometimes they are even worse than the students. I have many teachers who are as eager as I am about learning something new and trying it out in their classroom. I love these teachers. They enjoy being my guinea pigs to see how well something might work before we throughout to the masses. I have my "special" teachers who need a little help and guidance to move forward and I also have my tantrum teachers who will go kicking and fighting just so they do not have to learn anything more.
I get to have a technology training session once a month during our faculty meetings. I have created a newsletter called the Wingspan that I handout to the teachers to help them work on the new programs after they have left the session. I also create an assignment with some of the sessions just so that I can see they have tried it. Just getting some of them to try something new is a huge accomplishment. And the extra perk is after they have tried it and realize it might be something good is even better.
I named the newsletter the Wingspan because I asked the teachers "Are you a teacher that opens your wings and takes flight with things that are new or are you a teacher who just sits on your perch, keeps your wings in tight and happy the way things are?" Those that do not want to change need to rethink their reasoning. The students require change because of the world they are growing up in. This generation and the generations to come will be more technology sound and savvy then the ones before them. Teachers need to learn to keep up with the changes or they might be left behind.
We are using our faculty meetings for the technology trainings and making them a source of PLU credit this year which in turn having assignments makes it more tempting if they see they get a little extra out of it as well. Many schools I know will do trainings on a volunteer basis where they allow only those who want to learn to come. That can be good and bad. Good because you have to start somewhere and others might witness what they are doing and want to learn too, but then comes the bad. Now that others are wanting to learn you will have to train and train and train because you have left the training time up to the teachers. You could leave it to the teachers to teach each other as well. Kind of like a domino effect.
I love teaching technology and love seeing what the teachers can come back to teach me after they have jumped further into it. You, as the media specialist, have to find a way that best suits your staff with technology training. Maybe you have a technique already in place that works well, but what if your school does not have any true format set in place? I dealt with this in an old school of mine when I was a computer lab manager. I began to have technology training sessions during the teachers planning periods where they could come if they wanted. I asked what it was that they wanted or needed to learn about and went from there. It started out slow, but took off rather quickly after just one or 2 sessions.
Talk to your teachers. If you are needing a place where to start, ask them what they would like to learn about. Go out and find technology blogs to learn about new and free things you can pass along!
Take flight!!!!
I was at the GaETC as well!! I learned so much and enjoyed connecting with many professional contacts, both past and present. I left each day wanting to run back to school and share ”The Good News” as well. What are the topics at your technology trainings? Is it based on a needs assessment? Every school is different. I have seen that first hand. I was in a school similar to yours where many teachers are as excited as you about innovative technologies. Others want nothing to do with it. My new school consists of a majority of proactive teachers and only a couple naysayers. In my experience, it’s the administration that foster the love of a technology-rich environment or “take it or leave it” attitude. I hope your enthusiasm rubs off on teachers who aren’t as thrilled about applying these new ideas!
ReplyDeleteI share your enthusiasm for learning new technology. I don’t have the time I would like to spend on these new things, but hopefully once the holiday season is over with my job at UPS, I can spend more time looking and playing. I can relate to your “tantrum teachers”, lol, I work with some folks whose only job is figuring out getting out of work. It just makes it so hard on everyone else. Always have to have a positive attitude when dealing with that situation or I could let it drive me crazy.
ReplyDeleteI love how you found your own way to deal with the training with your newsletter and having them perform an exercise to at least try it out. What are PLU credits?
I like the idea about using the faculty meetings as a means to earn PLUs. I'm certain your colleagues will appreciate that they are killing two birds with one stone-learning a new skill and gaining credit for learning. I also think it is wonderful that you provide Wingspan for attendees to use as they are trying to navigate the newly-learned technology.
ReplyDelete