Tech Training
I would say
technology is severely lacking in Wadley High School. Yes, the media center
does have 16 laptops and ten iPads but they are suppose to serve around 400
students. Each teacher does have their own laptop but there are no desktop
computers in the media center. With this being said, Mrs. Sears, the one and
only media specialist is the schools technology coach. There is no technology
staff at the school. She’s it. She is the one who troubleshoots software
problems, removes viruses, keeps a check on their circulation and helps
teachers with questions about their own laptops. I would say the school’s
technology skills are pitiful considering the wealth of various types of
technology, programs and apps we have learned in the course at this point.
Because
there is no technology staff, this is a huge barrier in itself. I think Mrs.
Sears should consult the principal about this problem and address the issue at the
next meeting. From there, all teachers and staff wishing to be a serious part
of the technology staff could volunteer to make a serious impact on the school.
She agreed that this would really lighten up her load while also allowing her
to brush teachers up on their own tech skills. I think one of the main barriers
would be time when it comes to meeting and since these would be volunteers,
perhaps they wouldn’t take their job as serious as a true paid tech staff
would. Yet, still one great strategy to supporting productive technology staff
development would be to allow each member to present new ideas or new
technologies, apps and programs they would like to include in their school.
This would involve everyone. Meetings would be a great way to share new
technologies with one another.
I would personally
provide technology staff development to teachers from my role as a media
specialist by first of all, implementing a shared vision and goal for the
staff. I would go beyond just the volunteers for my school, but also at the county
level. This way, we would all agree that our main goal would be to improve the
education of students in our district. Next, I would definitely try to get the funding
from the state that my district needs to innovate. We need Interactive White
Boards, additional laptops and iPads and desktop computers and manage the
change process. Also in the ISTE Standards, it said that technology should be
sustained. I could teach staff members to run virus scans and troubleshoot
problems.
I would be
a great technology coach as a media specialist because I would continuously seek
to improve my knowledge as new technologies are released. A media specialist
should always embrace innovation so that is a skill perfect for a tech coach. At
our meetings, I could collaborate with them on selecting new technologies and
collectively conducting a needs assessment. Following the ISTE guidelines, I
would teach them about new apps and programs to really grasp student learning.
I could also coach them in collaborating with others and how to promote
technology enhanced learning and instructional design through new apps. I would
also show them how to collect and analyze their student’s data through
technology. Also, part of my job as a media specialist already, I would
maintain resources for teacher use as well as my students. Of course, I would
promote digital citizenship so that our school would remain a secure environment
and coach teachers on this, also.
As a teacher and parent, I have observed there is a considerable push to use technology in the classroom. It saddens me to read that your school does not have the appropriate resources, capital nor manpower to effectively incorporate technology within the everyday curriculum. Nevertheless, I love the plan you have set forth once you become a Media Specialist to correct many of these wrongs. I understand that it must be frustrating to see your students miss out on the many innovative technological gadgets that could and would keep them actively engaged in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on the role as technology coach in a school like Whitney’s entry.
ReplyDeleteThe elementary school where I work does quite well with having teachers, a media specialist (MS), and administrators who are knowledgeable about technology. There are many who learn about new apps and tech devices and share their learning with the faculty. Then there are those who struggle at bit and only use tech that they and their grade level are incorporating into shared lesson plans. The closest person we have to a technology coach would be our MS, who is well versed and helpful, but as we all know already has enough regular media center duties. We have no IT people in the building. When tech troubleshooting needs arise, the media specialist or I (media clerk) try to give advice… make quick visits to classrooms… pull on a wire here… push on a wire there …mash on a few keys… etc. If we are by chance successful, GREAT, if not, we advise the teacher to send a work order which most often is resolved within 48 hours. The MS and I have never tried to fix virus issues or replace SMARTboard bulbs ourselves – we don’t have the training and are afraid we would make things worse.
Our school is not a Title 1 school and thus we are not tech rich. The media center does not have carts with laptops or IPod devices which allow students to be exposed to tech while doing lessons. We do have 2 computer labs that classes use on a 1 hour rotating schedule. These labs are used by classes on occasions for lessons, but more often students do AR tests, practice quizzes, and educational games while teachers grade papers and prepare their lesson plans. This means students do not get the real benefit from the use of the computer for creating, exploring, collaborating, and presenting that they could. The media center has 8 desktop computers, mostly for OPAC searches, but occasionally for research. I feel like we could do better on that score.
Overall I feel our district could be more resourceful and creative in their implementation of technology use in the classroom but the focus has been on testing and implementing new curricular plans in math and reading. And can you blame our teachers?! Their performance is viewed in light of how their students do on those standardized tests! Improving tech use will undoubtedly require more money, and our district has cut tech support people in the schools. Seems shortsighted when we spend so much money on the equipment but then we do not have the time or knowledge to use it effectively.
In order to get over some of the barriers of 1)emphasis on test scores, 2) new curriculum plans, 3) lack of funding, and 4) lack of consistent training and support, I hope to fit into many parts of the a role as technology coach over time. I think it will need to be a process that can be achieved by setting up a “collaboration calendar” and striving for some broad goals that involve each grade level. I want to keep up on the latest trends in technology gadgets and applications by reading, practicing, and making lists so I can make specific recommendations to teachers. As a media specialist, I plan to attend grade level meetings each month to find out where I could help with lessons which effectively incorporate technology. This may have to happen during a class’ computer lab time and probably will mean doing one grade level per month (for maybe 2 class periods) due to the large number of classes in our district schools. The reading for my graduate classes has brought up numerous times that it is best to teach something new—in this case the use of an application or program- at the time when that program will be used. This is what I would want to happen when I help with collaborative teaching in the computer labs. Additionally as a technology coach within the school I will definitely encourage the implementation of policies that make teachers and students aware of what good digital citizenship and safety mean.