After personally reflecting on diversity in the media center, I spoke with my middle school media specialist to gain her perspective about diversity. Our conversation quickly turned to the collection available to our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. I believe that the collection of materials is a great place to begin the diversity of the media center. Selecting books to suit 6th graders as well as more mature 8th graders is often a difficult task. In this way, the collection begins to appeal to different ages, genders, cultures, languages, and special needs.
Since the collection can be accessed digitally and the books can be tagged with multiple genres, the technology begins to lead students to books that they may not have considered reading. As the collection grows, hopefully our perspectives as teacher and media specialist will grow to continue to serve the diverse population of students at our school. My media specialist and I work together to read and discussion items that may benefit the 8th graders. Because I work closely with my 8th grade students and what they are reading, I can provide a unique insight as to the diverse needs of these students.
Seeing technology helping the diverse population has been a challenge, to say the least, at my school. With very limited access to student computers, much of the technologies used comes from the teacher computer being linked to the TV. In one computer keyboarding class, the teacher uses a Wii as a smartboard. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see his demonstration, but it is something that I am interested in. Many of the colleagues at my school are not tech savvy and it seems as though technology is something to "add-on" to the lesson, not to be used for learning. I hope to continue my investigations of diversity and the media center in the future so that our school can dive even further into the diversity at our school.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Books and Storytelling: Digitized
After reviewing the sites and the readings about digital storytelling and eBooks, I can't help but shake my head. I loved the idea of using these with my students; however, my school tragically lacks computers for students to use. I felt like I kept saying, "Wow! That is cool! I could see my students participating in that assignment." Then in the next thought I would have to tell myself to prepare to drastically modify these cool digital assignments. When I asked the media specialist if we had any eBooks in circulation, she basically said no. She did tell me that we have 65 eBooks within the Follett system; however, these books are all on a high school level and do not meet the needs of our middle school students. Again, a let down.
Then I thought back to a couple of things that I did back in the fall, and I knew I had to share them with you. As part of my multimedia class, one of our assignments was to create an original eBook. I chose to create a book about my husband, aka RJ the Clown and I incorporated several of the kindergarten sight words my son had to memorize. I took all of the photos in the eBook and I created the original rhymes that went with each slide. You may download this file here. After reflecting on the eBook assignment, I immediately thought about the digital storytelling project from my digital photography class. Since we lack student computers, I worked with my gifted students who all had access to digital cameras and either PowerPoint or Movie Maker. After discussing good pictures and how to take a great photo, the students created a story about themselves and included truisms or quotes to go with each original photo. I showed them my example, which you can find on my wiki.
Although my examples are slightly different from the readings and the assignment we are currently working on, I still feel as though these eBooks and digital stories are very beneficial to all who participate in them. I know my students raved about the digital storytelling assignment for a few weeks after they were completed. I guess I will continue to find ways to incorporate these types of assignments with my students even though computers may be in short supply.
Then I thought back to a couple of things that I did back in the fall, and I knew I had to share them with you. As part of my multimedia class, one of our assignments was to create an original eBook. I chose to create a book about my husband, aka RJ the Clown and I incorporated several of the kindergarten sight words my son had to memorize. I took all of the photos in the eBook and I created the original rhymes that went with each slide. You may download this file here. After reflecting on the eBook assignment, I immediately thought about the digital storytelling project from my digital photography class. Since we lack student computers, I worked with my gifted students who all had access to digital cameras and either PowerPoint or Movie Maker. After discussing good pictures and how to take a great photo, the students created a story about themselves and included truisms or quotes to go with each original photo. I showed them my example, which you can find on my wiki.
Although my examples are slightly different from the readings and the assignment we are currently working on, I still feel as though these eBooks and digital stories are very beneficial to all who participate in them. I know my students raved about the digital storytelling assignment for a few weeks after they were completed. I guess I will continue to find ways to incorporate these types of assignments with my students even though computers may be in short supply.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Digital Information: eBooks, eReaders, eLibrarians?
Digital Storytelling
Digital storytelling is a powerful medium for teaching, learning, and sharing. The inherent creative work makes it interesting to students. Digital storytelling can tap into so many levels of learning.
The planning that is involved requires intense integration of so many thought processes. Teachers and SLMSs can get students to do some tough thinking just by offering students the opportunity to create a short two to three minute video. And students will think this is an opportunity rather than an assignment.
Creating a file of audio, images, and videos for students to use, significantly increases productivity in a project such as this. The problem that encountered was that my students wanted better or different images than I had in the package. I was constantly fielding questions about why they could only use the images that I provided. After a detailed discussion of copyright issues, students were a bit more understanding; however, I did have several students who went home to find more images. After further research on my part, I did allow students to use these additional images as long as they were used legally, and then I added those to my files. Teachers are always going to encounter students who have a desperate need to have a project that is different from or "better" than other students' projects.
Digital storytelling is a winner in the classroom because it differentiates itself. Creative students are going to push harder and create elaborate stories, while other students will work just as hard, but create something completely different.
Another bonus that I found when I used this project with my students this fall is that since I provided the images to the students, I knew which images would appear again and again. As we watched the completed videos in class, these images appeared and reappeared. This information about Georgia's history was getting ground into their brains due to the repetition. Repetition works in advertising; think of digital storytelling as advertising that creates permanent learning.
eReaders
This is an exciting time to be a reader, but the SLMS's job gets more and more complicated as new devices and gadgets are released. The librarian must be constantly on his or her toes to keep up with the changing technology of books and reading.
These trendy devices for reading books in digital formats allow readers a new and convenient way to read. The idea of textbooks presented on eReaders is intriguing to students, especially college students like me. Currently, I have a textbook that has a plethora of supplemental multimedia materials, but I have to go online to access these, yet the book itself is a traditional, hardbound textbook. I can imagine how amazing it would be to have some type of eReader with the textbook downloaded to it, and then having instant access to all the multimedia materials as well. I would love to be able to write in the margins of my textbook with a stylus. There is so much that can be done to improve the experience of reading and learning.
We are on the cusp of a tremendous change in the way that we read, learn, and take in information. The new iPad looks amazing. I think I want one.
Even my parents' generation is embracing this newest technology. For Christmas this year, my mother requested a Kindle. She carries it with her anywhere and everywhere. The ease of purchasing new books startled her at first. She said that purchasing books is so easy that it could be dangerous for an avid reader such as she. So far, every book that she has wanted to read has been available.
For the naysayers out there, have a bit of a laugh as you watch this video about the massive technological change from the "scroll" to the "book."
Le Book
eBooks
Sadly, our school does not yet have eBooks or eReaders, but I remain hopeful that this is a technology that is just on the horizon for Cartersville Middle School.
I stumbled upon Project Gutenberg several years ago when I needed additional copies of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for a literature unit. At this point, I embarked on an insane mission to find a book from the public domain and have my gifted language arts students annotate it with links to images, definitions, maps, and anything else they could think of that would make reading this book enjoyable and accessible.
I decided to have the students annotate Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow because it has such a rich vocabulary base. As with most projects that I take on, I probably bit off more than I could chew, but the result was "cool" if nothing else. And I cannot express to you how much I learned in this process.
We read the book in class over the period of one week, and then I assigned groups of students a section of the novel to reread, research, consider, and annotate. After a week of work on this, all the groups came together to join their sections to create a new "book." The result was good. For a time it was available on the Web because I had begged a tech friend to host it on his website. Since he has moved on to other endeavors, the book is no longer available on the web, but I have all of their work saved. The other problem with the project now is that several of the links are broken due to the ever changing nature of the Internet.
My students' annotation of a work of classic literature allowed them to understand the story on a new and deeper level. The words that they hyper linked to an online dictionary had to be linked to the most appropriate definition for that word. They had to search for maps of the Hudson River, Sleepy Hollow, and the Tappan Zee. They were able to find some great images of these places as well. All this research helped the students to make real world connections to a book which was written almost 200 years ago. The technology and research skills that they employed and refined gave them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Project Gutenberg provides an invaluable resource for teachers. If you have never investigated it, you really must do so to understand the enormity of what this means to our schools and students.
eLibrarians
It is imperative that a school library media specialist keeps up with technology and with the world itself. The notion that librarians are staid and old-fashioned people is bunk. The reality is that librarians must be lively, curious, and TRENDY to stay in step with technology, society, and all the people who make up our schools. In essence, the librarian is really the coolest person in the school!
Digital storytelling is a powerful medium for teaching, learning, and sharing. The inherent creative work makes it interesting to students. Digital storytelling can tap into so many levels of learning.
The planning that is involved requires intense integration of so many thought processes. Teachers and SLMSs can get students to do some tough thinking just by offering students the opportunity to create a short two to three minute video. And students will think this is an opportunity rather than an assignment.
Creating a file of audio, images, and videos for students to use, significantly increases productivity in a project such as this. The problem that encountered was that my students wanted better or different images than I had in the package. I was constantly fielding questions about why they could only use the images that I provided. After a detailed discussion of copyright issues, students were a bit more understanding; however, I did have several students who went home to find more images. After further research on my part, I did allow students to use these additional images as long as they were used legally, and then I added those to my files. Teachers are always going to encounter students who have a desperate need to have a project that is different from or "better" than other students' projects.
Digital storytelling is a winner in the classroom because it differentiates itself. Creative students are going to push harder and create elaborate stories, while other students will work just as hard, but create something completely different.
Another bonus that I found when I used this project with my students this fall is that since I provided the images to the students, I knew which images would appear again and again. As we watched the completed videos in class, these images appeared and reappeared. This information about Georgia's history was getting ground into their brains due to the repetition. Repetition works in advertising; think of digital storytelling as advertising that creates permanent learning.
eReaders
This is an exciting time to be a reader, but the SLMS's job gets more and more complicated as new devices and gadgets are released. The librarian must be constantly on his or her toes to keep up with the changing technology of books and reading.
These trendy devices for reading books in digital formats allow readers a new and convenient way to read. The idea of textbooks presented on eReaders is intriguing to students, especially college students like me. Currently, I have a textbook that has a plethora of supplemental multimedia materials, but I have to go online to access these, yet the book itself is a traditional, hardbound textbook. I can imagine how amazing it would be to have some type of eReader with the textbook downloaded to it, and then having instant access to all the multimedia materials as well. I would love to be able to write in the margins of my textbook with a stylus. There is so much that can be done to improve the experience of reading and learning.
We are on the cusp of a tremendous change in the way that we read, learn, and take in information. The new iPad looks amazing. I think I want one.
Even my parents' generation is embracing this newest technology. For Christmas this year, my mother requested a Kindle. She carries it with her anywhere and everywhere. The ease of purchasing new books startled her at first. She said that purchasing books is so easy that it could be dangerous for an avid reader such as she. So far, every book that she has wanted to read has been available.
For the naysayers out there, have a bit of a laugh as you watch this video about the massive technological change from the "scroll" to the "book."
Le Book
eBooks
Sadly, our school does not yet have eBooks or eReaders, but I remain hopeful that this is a technology that is just on the horizon for Cartersville Middle School.
I stumbled upon Project Gutenberg several years ago when I needed additional copies of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for a literature unit. At this point, I embarked on an insane mission to find a book from the public domain and have my gifted language arts students annotate it with links to images, definitions, maps, and anything else they could think of that would make reading this book enjoyable and accessible.
I decided to have the students annotate Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow because it has such a rich vocabulary base. As with most projects that I take on, I probably bit off more than I could chew, but the result was "cool" if nothing else. And I cannot express to you how much I learned in this process.
We read the book in class over the period of one week, and then I assigned groups of students a section of the novel to reread, research, consider, and annotate. After a week of work on this, all the groups came together to join their sections to create a new "book." The result was good. For a time it was available on the Web because I had begged a tech friend to host it on his website. Since he has moved on to other endeavors, the book is no longer available on the web, but I have all of their work saved. The other problem with the project now is that several of the links are broken due to the ever changing nature of the Internet.
My students' annotation of a work of classic literature allowed them to understand the story on a new and deeper level. The words that they hyper linked to an online dictionary had to be linked to the most appropriate definition for that word. They had to search for maps of the Hudson River, Sleepy Hollow, and the Tappan Zee. They were able to find some great images of these places as well. All this research helped the students to make real world connections to a book which was written almost 200 years ago. The technology and research skills that they employed and refined gave them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Project Gutenberg provides an invaluable resource for teachers. If you have never investigated it, you really must do so to understand the enormity of what this means to our schools and students.
eLibrarians
It is imperative that a school library media specialist keeps up with technology and with the world itself. The notion that librarians are staid and old-fashioned people is bunk. The reality is that librarians must be lively, curious, and TRENDY to stay in step with technology, society, and all the people who make up our schools. In essence, the librarian is really the coolest person in the school!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Training Teachers in Technology
Our school is filled with solid, knowledgeable teachers; however, we could all use a bit of training in the area of technology. Technology changes and improves so quickly that staff development in technology will probably remain a major focus in the coming years.
Types of training
There are several methods for delivering staff development, specifically technology training, to faculty and staff. Three basic models come to mind. There is the formal training that is provided to the faculty by trained professionals. This can be an expensive method. There is the more casual in-house training or redelivery model, where one or a few are trained and then these go back to the school and train or redeliver the information that they learned to the others. Then, there is the very cost effective method of sharing tech tips. This is quite informal, quite inexpensive, and quite effective. Tech tips can be simple printed directions for using a specific piece of equipment or posted on an e-mail discussion board. They are often short cuts or helpful hints that almost anyone can share.
Formal training
Our school provides an integration of all three of these basic models for keeping teachers up to date on the latest technologies. The last real "technology" training that was provided to me as a language arts teacher by my school was two years ago. It was provided by a local ETTC. This was a one-day session to share podcasting with teachers so that they could utilize the new podcasting cart that had been purchased for the school. The training was rich, rigorous, hands-on, and fun.
In-house training
Recently, the math department received some training from our in-house math coach on the use of the new Student Response System (clickers). I would say that even after this training, the teachers felt a bit confused and fuzzy in the actual use of the system. I think the reason for this was that the training was not long enough or in-depth enough to share the real potential of this new technology.
Tech tips
Occasionally, our technology director at the system level will send out a general e-mail detailing how to complete some simple task like recording an outgoing message on the phone system that we purchased 18 months ago, or how to update the forms that are available on our e-mail system. These are usually detailed screen shots or numbered steps which I think have been hugely successful. They are quick and almost "dummy" proof. They are there when a teacher needs them. Teachers can capitalize on them or not. Tech tips are practically free and can be offered by anyone, but they can not train teachers how to use large systems such as Student Response Systems.
Barriers
The ultimate barrier to training is time rather than a lack of motivation or interest. Teachers just barely have enough time to accomplish the goals that their schools and school systems set for them. Teachers want to provide solid instruction, good feedback and formative assessment to students, and plan interesting, interactive lessons. Then there is paperwork and reports to complete, and communication with parents and community members to engage in. Although these responsibilities ring in their ears, teachers do want to learn and grow.
The use of technology can help teachers do their jobs efficiently, but it does take a small investment of their time to learn new interfaces and software. Showing teachers that their investment of time in learning new technologies can and will eventually make their tasks simpler.
A plan
In my perfect school, I would restructure my school's current Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Currently, every teacher is assigned to a PLC based on his or her subject area. These PLCs meet one day per week for an entire planning period. The teachers have no say in what they wish to learn in PLCs; they are taught in formal classes by their assigned coach. We have three coaches: a literacy coach who meets with the language arts department and ESOL teachers, a math coach who meets with the math teachers, and a lead teacher who meets with all social studies, science, and explo/elective teachers. The focus of these classes is driven by the coaches without input from the teachers.
I dream of a school that offers several types of PLCs- content, technology, theory and practice, or whatever the teachers note that they NEED. Then I would have teachers sign up for their choice of PLC in 9 week segments. This would allow a teacher to engage in several units of professional learning over the course of a school year.
The benefits would be huge because teachers would be more engaged in these PLCs, and this structure acknowledges that teachers often know what they need to learn. It would also even out the class sizes in the PLCs. Some PLCs have only 3 participants and some have 15 participants.
Dos and Don'ts for technology training
As I read the two chapters and recalled some of the most and least beneficial training that I have attended, I kept a list of things to remember when creating training for teachers. Access to this document is provided here.
Do's and Don'ts
Types of training
There are several methods for delivering staff development, specifically technology training, to faculty and staff. Three basic models come to mind. There is the formal training that is provided to the faculty by trained professionals. This can be an expensive method. There is the more casual in-house training or redelivery model, where one or a few are trained and then these go back to the school and train or redeliver the information that they learned to the others. Then, there is the very cost effective method of sharing tech tips. This is quite informal, quite inexpensive, and quite effective. Tech tips can be simple printed directions for using a specific piece of equipment or posted on an e-mail discussion board. They are often short cuts or helpful hints that almost anyone can share.
Formal training
Our school provides an integration of all three of these basic models for keeping teachers up to date on the latest technologies. The last real "technology" training that was provided to me as a language arts teacher by my school was two years ago. It was provided by a local ETTC. This was a one-day session to share podcasting with teachers so that they could utilize the new podcasting cart that had been purchased for the school. The training was rich, rigorous, hands-on, and fun.
In-house training
Recently, the math department received some training from our in-house math coach on the use of the new Student Response System (clickers). I would say that even after this training, the teachers felt a bit confused and fuzzy in the actual use of the system. I think the reason for this was that the training was not long enough or in-depth enough to share the real potential of this new technology.
Tech tips
Occasionally, our technology director at the system level will send out a general e-mail detailing how to complete some simple task like recording an outgoing message on the phone system that we purchased 18 months ago, or how to update the forms that are available on our e-mail system. These are usually detailed screen shots or numbered steps which I think have been hugely successful. They are quick and almost "dummy" proof. They are there when a teacher needs them. Teachers can capitalize on them or not. Tech tips are practically free and can be offered by anyone, but they can not train teachers how to use large systems such as Student Response Systems.
Barriers
The ultimate barrier to training is time rather than a lack of motivation or interest. Teachers just barely have enough time to accomplish the goals that their schools and school systems set for them. Teachers want to provide solid instruction, good feedback and formative assessment to students, and plan interesting, interactive lessons. Then there is paperwork and reports to complete, and communication with parents and community members to engage in. Although these responsibilities ring in their ears, teachers do want to learn and grow.
The use of technology can help teachers do their jobs efficiently, but it does take a small investment of their time to learn new interfaces and software. Showing teachers that their investment of time in learning new technologies can and will eventually make their tasks simpler.
A plan
In my perfect school, I would restructure my school's current Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Currently, every teacher is assigned to a PLC based on his or her subject area. These PLCs meet one day per week for an entire planning period. The teachers have no say in what they wish to learn in PLCs; they are taught in formal classes by their assigned coach. We have three coaches: a literacy coach who meets with the language arts department and ESOL teachers, a math coach who meets with the math teachers, and a lead teacher who meets with all social studies, science, and explo/elective teachers. The focus of these classes is driven by the coaches without input from the teachers.
I dream of a school that offers several types of PLCs- content, technology, theory and practice, or whatever the teachers note that they NEED. Then I would have teachers sign up for their choice of PLC in 9 week segments. This would allow a teacher to engage in several units of professional learning over the course of a school year.
The benefits would be huge because teachers would be more engaged in these PLCs, and this structure acknowledges that teachers often know what they need to learn. It would also even out the class sizes in the PLCs. Some PLCs have only 3 participants and some have 15 participants.
Dos and Don'ts for technology training
As I read the two chapters and recalled some of the most and least beneficial training that I have attended, I kept a list of things to remember when creating training for teachers. Access to this document is provided here.
Do's and Don'ts
Monday, April 5, 2010
Technology Training
When contemplating the technology skills of the faculty at my school, it is from one end of the spectrum to the other. There are a handful of teachers who are at the advanced level of technology use with students and incorporating in daily lessons. Then, we have those teachers who are lucky to even turn on the computer much less enter grades into Gradebook and take attendance. The vast majority of our faculty is in the middle. I have found most are proficient in using the laptop for lesson plans, grades, and attendance but are reluctant to use the technology with the student or integrated into a lesson. These are interested in using the technology with students but just do not know how to implement it effectively. Although I believe most could do it but are scared to step out of the comfort zone.
Currently, staff development is provided after school in large group settings that are lectures. Being one of those teachers who detest the after school staff development, I rarely understand (or care) what is being lectured. Fortunately, I can usually figure out something but not all teachers are that way. Therefore, my opinion is that staff development should not be done after school, in large groups or as a lecture. In my experience, teachers would benefit more from small group, hands-on settings (even if they had to be after school). I am fortunate to have an incredible principal who understands that we (teachers) do not pay attention very well after school and he has begun scheduling staff development during half-day trainings. It does cost our school money for the substitutes to cover classes but he knows we are more likely to pay attention and use what we are being taught. Teachers are a lot like our students. We learn better in small groups and with hands-on activities. If we are teaching about a new technology program like EasyTeach, it is more beneficial for teachers to have his/her laptop available to create a file for use in the classroom. Then teachers have something to take back to the classroom and implement.
As a media specialist, I would work closely with the principal to determine how to complete technology training during the school day with half-day training sessions. Teachers would be asked to bring their county-issued laptops and ideas for a lesson they would to include technology. Along with incentives for participating in class, teachers would receive an incentive for completing a lesson to do with his/her class and another incentive for providing feedback to the media specialist about the implementation of the lesson. Teachers need to know that the trainer or person responsible for setting up the training is interested in the implementation not just attendance to the training. Attending the training is a waste of time if there is no implementation. Which happens far too often in my opinion.
Another way I would like to implement technology training is through independent modules based on the needs of teachers. I would ask faculty to rate their use of various pieces of technology. From that, I would create independent modules with podcasts for faculty to facilitate themselves. Of course, I would be available for assistance as needed. This allows the faculty to work through a module that is useful for them. Teaching the entire faculty about Microsoft Office 2007 may be useless to about 80% of the staff. But 20% of the staff may need assistance. These independent modules allow teachers to differentiate their own technology learning.
DO’s: quick tip sheet (1 page), incentives (before, during and after staff development), skills assessment of faculty, hands-on, small groups
DON’Ts: training after school (if possible), lectures, large groups
I was shocked to read an article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/22/technology/22EDUCATION.html) in which “NEA recommends that schools devote 40 percent of their technology budgets to teacher training” although, only 17% was used in 1999-2000 the articles states. Also, in this article there is a reference to buying equipment because it is easier to show where the money went. I think this is so true. Teachers are worried about test scores that we don’t always think about using the technology to get us there. I believe now is the time we stop spending so much money on the equipment and begin spending the money teaching teachers how to effectively use the equipment we have effectively.
Currently, staff development is provided after school in large group settings that are lectures. Being one of those teachers who detest the after school staff development, I rarely understand (or care) what is being lectured. Fortunately, I can usually figure out something but not all teachers are that way. Therefore, my opinion is that staff development should not be done after school, in large groups or as a lecture. In my experience, teachers would benefit more from small group, hands-on settings (even if they had to be after school). I am fortunate to have an incredible principal who understands that we (teachers) do not pay attention very well after school and he has begun scheduling staff development during half-day trainings. It does cost our school money for the substitutes to cover classes but he knows we are more likely to pay attention and use what we are being taught. Teachers are a lot like our students. We learn better in small groups and with hands-on activities. If we are teaching about a new technology program like EasyTeach, it is more beneficial for teachers to have his/her laptop available to create a file for use in the classroom. Then teachers have something to take back to the classroom and implement.
As a media specialist, I would work closely with the principal to determine how to complete technology training during the school day with half-day training sessions. Teachers would be asked to bring their county-issued laptops and ideas for a lesson they would to include technology. Along with incentives for participating in class, teachers would receive an incentive for completing a lesson to do with his/her class and another incentive for providing feedback to the media specialist about the implementation of the lesson. Teachers need to know that the trainer or person responsible for setting up the training is interested in the implementation not just attendance to the training. Attending the training is a waste of time if there is no implementation. Which happens far too often in my opinion.
Another way I would like to implement technology training is through independent modules based on the needs of teachers. I would ask faculty to rate their use of various pieces of technology. From that, I would create independent modules with podcasts for faculty to facilitate themselves. Of course, I would be available for assistance as needed. This allows the faculty to work through a module that is useful for them. Teaching the entire faculty about Microsoft Office 2007 may be useless to about 80% of the staff. But 20% of the staff may need assistance. These independent modules allow teachers to differentiate their own technology learning.
DO’s: quick tip sheet (1 page), incentives (before, during and after staff development), skills assessment of faculty, hands-on, small groups
DON’Ts: training after school (if possible), lectures, large groups
I was shocked to read an article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/22/technology/22EDUCATION.html) in which “NEA recommends that schools devote 40 percent of their technology budgets to teacher training” although, only 17% was used in 1999-2000 the articles states. Also, in this article there is a reference to buying equipment because it is easier to show where the money went. I think this is so true. Teachers are worried about test scores that we don’t always think about using the technology to get us there. I believe now is the time we stop spending so much money on the equipment and begin spending the money teaching teachers how to effectively use the equipment we have effectively.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Twitter Me This...
Click
at the computer
on the site
inside their lives
without truly knowing them
Click, click
to my favorites, sifting
through the updates
beyond the screen, reaching out
for a connection
Click, click, click
between you and me
among millions
of other people
TWEET!
Let's TWUG it out!
In the spring of 2009, I shared this poem about social networking with my students, and at the time many of the students did not know much about Twitter. What they did know was Facebook and MySpace. I overheard many conversations about who posted what on Facebook or MySpace. Several students spoke of the number of "friends" they had on Facebook, and since I had only recently joined Facebook, much of the remainder of their conversations about the social networks they used were unfamiliar to me.
Consequently, at the end of the 2009 school year, I began to ponder how I could use social media in my classroom. I created a class wiki and had big plans for it (see "to wiki or not to wiki"), but I still kept thinking about how I could incorporate Twitter with my students and parents. I could think of a myriad of ways to use it in my classroom, but how would I use it being a media specialist?
I didn't have to look very far. http://schs.stvrain.k12.co.us/imc_index.html
Phil Goerner uses Twitter to broadcast news headlines from magazines in the library and images of new book covers. He also uses Twitter for his professional growth. By joining with educational technologists, professors, and other librarians, Goerner can "tweet" about good resources, cool links, Web 2.0 tools, book references, and conference events. In doing so, Goerner is encouraging the entire school community to read, read, read! In the future, I would like to use Goerner's model as a springboard for incorporating social networks in the media center.
at the computer
on the site
inside their lives
without truly knowing them
Click, click
to my favorites, sifting
through the updates
beyond the screen, reaching out
for a connection
Click, click, click
between you and me
among millions
of other people
TWEET!
Let's TWUG it out!
In the spring of 2009, I shared this poem about social networking with my students, and at the time many of the students did not know much about Twitter. What they did know was Facebook and MySpace. I overheard many conversations about who posted what on Facebook or MySpace. Several students spoke of the number of "friends" they had on Facebook, and since I had only recently joined Facebook, much of the remainder of their conversations about the social networks they used were unfamiliar to me.
Consequently, at the end of the 2009 school year, I began to ponder how I could use social media in my classroom. I created a class wiki and had big plans for it (see "to wiki or not to wiki"), but I still kept thinking about how I could incorporate Twitter with my students and parents. I could think of a myriad of ways to use it in my classroom, but how would I use it being a media specialist?
I didn't have to look very far. http://schs.stvrain.k12.co.us/imc_index.html
Phil Goerner uses Twitter to broadcast news headlines from magazines in the library and images of new book covers. He also uses Twitter for his professional growth. By joining with educational technologists, professors, and other librarians, Goerner can "tweet" about good resources, cool links, Web 2.0 tools, book references, and conference events. In doing so, Goerner is encouraging the entire school community to read, read, read! In the future, I would like to use Goerner's model as a springboard for incorporating social networks in the media center.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
In the Newsroom...
So, when I started this, I thought my school did a pretty good job of presenting “Knightly News” (We are home of the Knights). After viewing the Kids News Network and Tiger News, my school could definitely “step up” production. These two groups did phenomenal jobs incorporating commercials, accuracy, editing, sharing and professionalism.
Currently, our news program is not supervised by our media specialist. Our math coach and special education consultative are the ones who are responsible for the broadcast. Fifth grade students are selected by their teachers based on academics and behavior. Students who do not show up on time or are misbehaving during the broadcast are placed on “probation” for a month to determine their dedication to the job. Students have jobs and rotate: anchor, CD player, camera, and teacher laptop. The teacher laptop is used as a teleprompter. On the laptop is a PowerPoint that includes what the students are saying. This includes the introduction of anchors, day and date, pledge, moment of silence, mission statement, school motto, vision statement, character education word and definition, the daily weather, thought for the day, lunch menu, faculty/staff birthdays and special announcements.
While these students do a great job at what they are chosen to do, I believe there is room for our newscast to grow. I believe each grade levels gifted students could create character education “commercials” to share. We are fortunate to have a large gifted program and believe these students would maximize their learning by sharing with others. I believe that weekly each class in the school should have the opportunity to present what they have learned or are learning with the remainder of the school. Another opportunity I would like to offer is a monthly or bi-monthly guest reader, preferably community leaders, parents or teacher/administrators who are dressed as a character of a book.
While I know that these changes will not happen over night or in one school year, I do look forward to implementing these when I become a media specialist and plan on working with the team this year to add to the newscast.
Currently, our news program is not supervised by our media specialist. Our math coach and special education consultative are the ones who are responsible for the broadcast. Fifth grade students are selected by their teachers based on academics and behavior. Students who do not show up on time or are misbehaving during the broadcast are placed on “probation” for a month to determine their dedication to the job. Students have jobs and rotate: anchor, CD player, camera, and teacher laptop. The teacher laptop is used as a teleprompter. On the laptop is a PowerPoint that includes what the students are saying. This includes the introduction of anchors, day and date, pledge, moment of silence, mission statement, school motto, vision statement, character education word and definition, the daily weather, thought for the day, lunch menu, faculty/staff birthdays and special announcements.
While these students do a great job at what they are chosen to do, I believe there is room for our newscast to grow. I believe each grade levels gifted students could create character education “commercials” to share. We are fortunate to have a large gifted program and believe these students would maximize their learning by sharing with others. I believe that weekly each class in the school should have the opportunity to present what they have learned or are learning with the remainder of the school. Another opportunity I would like to offer is a monthly or bi-monthly guest reader, preferably community leaders, parents or teacher/administrators who are dressed as a character of a book.
While I know that these changes will not happen over night or in one school year, I do look forward to implementing these when I become a media specialist and plan on working with the team this year to add to the newscast.
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