Oh Pencil and
Paper, Where Did You Go?
A disclaimer:
My use of technology terminology is so far off base. If you happen to come across me using the
wrong word to describe something, chalk it up to an old lady trying to be hip.
Technology. At my age
it is considered a swear word. One of
those words that makes the heart beat faster - and not because of
excitement. Technology. It makes me reach for my bottle of Xanax and
a glass of water. Open a Chromebook in
front of me and I won't even need that glass of water! Technology.
Why? Didn't I learn just
fine without it.
Ok, now some of you are reaching for that Xanax. You think - hey, lady...get with the
times. Chromebooks are not that
difficult. Just give it a try. There is so much out there for your students
and you to use.
You are right.
Being a teacher leader means stepping out of your comfort
zone and doing what's best for kids.
Then taking what you've learned and teaching it to others. Domain IV in the Teacher Leader Model Standards
suggests that leaders should facilitate improvements in instruction and student
learning. Maybe pencil and paper is not
always the best option. I learned that
lesson in the past couple of weeks. If
you've read my previous blog, you'll know I started using Kidblog to have
students "talk" about the novel we are currently reading. How did that happen? How did I decide to try using a program that
was completely foreign to me and out of my comfort zone? Well, the technology coach at my building
wrestled me to the ground and with his knee on my neck made me swear I'd try it
out.
Ok, maybe it wasn't quite that violent, but it definitely
was an arm twisting and a guilt trip to someone who has a very hard time
saying, "No." I "decided"
to join a group the Technology Coach in my building was getting started. It is a group of six English teachers who meet
once every couple of weeks and talk about how we are using technology in our
classrooms and/or how we could use technology in our classrooms. The abilities in the group range from me
(scared shitless of technology) to an expert and everywhere in between. The group is small and the coach is really
good, so I feel comfortable listening and asking questions. One of the teachers in the group was using
Kidblog and said she would help me get started.
She did. I'm using it. And everything is going well. Kids are engaged, especially those who don't
raise their hand to give their thoughts.
I always struggle with how to get them involved in class conversations
in a non-threatening way.
But the important part of my story is that I went to another
dinosaur like myself and taught her the program and all the benefits it has in
class. She is going to try it out
too. This would never have happened if
it weren't for our school's Technology Coach.
What's the moral of my story? I have no idea. But one thing I do know is that there is a
wealth of knowledge in your school's building (or even online -- a great blog
for ideas is Ed Tech Geekette - thanks Sami). Use it! Find someone who can help you become a better
teacher and then help someone else. Being a leader means not only being a good teacher, but helping someone else be a good teacher too.
The technology coach is a great example of a teacher leader - by organizing the group and empowering other teachers (you) to take on leadership "small steps."
ReplyDeleteI love your humor and personality coming through in your blogs. You had me LOLing a few times as I read this. I do know what you mean...I feel like I am pretty good at using technology for my teaching but as for my first graders...that is where I wish I had more. I really wish my district would either go one to one or give us enough iPads for my whole class to each use one. I think iPads is where its at especially with the little ones who have already been using them probably longer than I have.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this post! I'm also happy to hear that you were able to step out of your comfort zone and using technology in your classroom! While I do feel like I am good at technology, I still find myself going to our tech liaison and asking questions on how to use a particular app or google apps. Having that teacher leader in the building is so helpful because technology is not going to go away and its a great tool to engage your students in learning.
ReplyDeleteIts great that you have took the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone. I also feel scared of technology, to be honest I feel threatened when the students may know more about it then I do! Sometimes I will practice on my own for weeks before I use any tech in my class. Our district started using technology in P.E using group heart rate monitors, and fitness gram, It took us 6 months in our school to figure it out. We probably would have used it earlier if we had that leader that would've created meetings for us to attend. We all had the same questions just nobody took the initiative to get together and workout the problems and questions that we had. It was like the blind leading the blind. Our district will just buy some tech programs and not pay for the training, we field test it on our own and try figure it out, great programs to use only if we knew how to implement them.
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