Why do I teach? As a teacher, I teach to give students knowledge or skills to help them become self-sufficient learners. When I started teaching seventeen years ago (wow how time flies) I used computers as word processors, because the district assigned me to fourth grade. Now in Kentucky this was the first year KERA started, which meant all the students had to make a portfolio in fourth grade. I had no idea what computers could do, because college didn’t train me to use it other than a replacement for a typewriter.
Now seventeen years later, I use the computer to send messages to my colleagues and friends, for classroom presentation, to use as an instruction tool for kids to learn or reinforce concepts, to do research, to talk on line to groups of math teachers across Kentucky, and many other things.
I teach to learn new things myself. I know some day students will be able to find any thing they want on the internet, but they will still need someone to teach them how to learn like Pappert said.
Now this is where chapter 11 ties in. If, as teachers, we are suppose to teach students how to learn, we have to be taught ourselves how to use technology. Not all teachers are going to have the desire to learn something on their own. Some are like our students who need guidance, so that is why we need good professional development. My district provided PD on how to use a promethium board (hope I spelled that correct). We watched a presenter for 3 hours SHOW us how to use this INTERACTIVE board WITHOUT much interaction from us. We really needed a small group work shop with 5or 6 teachers using the board. A handful of teachers left not knowing how to use the board.
Districts are going to have to implement technology PD plans that involve hands on training for all teachers with immediate use of that technology. My district trained on us how to use MAC computers two years ago before some of us had one. A year later, we got one and most of us had forgotten how to use it.
I like the way chapter 11 showed the programs implemented in the three states. I thought NJ was interesting because it goes along with what you have been telling us about networking with each other. I believe the use of sharing, peer coaching, and mentoring would work well if mentors are trained and good at helping others. Every now and then you get trainers who use terminology that confuses, when they could break it down for those, who don’t speak that language to understand.
I remember when portfolios first began! It was crazy. We were short computers in our class and we had to take turns typing. No one had been taught typing skills so typing portfolios took forever. Usually toward the portfolio due date we had to visit the computer lab to finish up our work.
What’s really sad is some teachers still just use it for a typewriter.
Jady, I wanted to comment on this quote…
“We watched a presenter for 3 hours SHOW us how to use this INTERACTIVE board WITHOUT much interaction from us. We really needed a small group work shop with 5or 6 teachers using the board. A handful of teachers left not knowing how to use the board.”
Just last week we had a mini PD (used our morning planning time) for using Airliners. While I was excited to finally get the opportunity, we were not given enough time to play with it. One teacher on my team told me that she didn’t go because she knew that she wouldn’t learn from the session and would wait until I (or some of the other teachers) used it and then showed her everything that it would do. We definitely could have used more time to become better acquainted with this technology.
I plan on using it when I return to school after Spring Break.
I think part of the problem is lack of time, lack of support, and lack of desire to learn. It is frightening to learn something new on your own. I’m not much of an adventurer, I like for someone to teach me a new skill. Learning about new technologies is just the beginning; we need funds to incorporate them and support from administration when they are used.