Using technology is scary. Putting it in play in our class often strikes fear. In my building I have colleagues who have never used their interactive whiteboard for anything more than a movie screen. I have watched expensive tools be purchased, and then serve as coat racks. Some of that fear could be alleviated with a few helpful tips. Most of what I believe helps is planning and prep related. So here we go.
5. Pretend you are a student. One common mistake I find is that teachers create an assignment using technology, but they never view it through the eyes of the students. For example, if I am going to use a web tool like Kidblog, I always run through what it will look like for the student. Often a teacher/administrator screen will look different than the students. Create a fake student, and run through things to familiarize yourself with how things look. This is so helpful when it comes time to troubleshoot or answer questions.
4. Focus Your Attack. Daily the amount of tools, websites, and resources grows. When you first enter the game, limit yourself to tools that are recommended. I follow FreeTech4Teachers for reviews and recommendations. Start small and use what is already working for others.
3. Expect Problems. Because technology is a tool, it will have it limitations and things will fail at times. It's like my snow shovel that has a broken handle. This is the place where most people quit. Use these times of frustration to grow as a teacher. We don't expect our kids to quit when things get hard....
2. Invest In the Savvy. Kids will pick things up quicker than you. If you give them freedom, kids will explore and grow in the technology you give them. Find the kids that pick things up quickly and invest in them. They will most likely become helpers that you can send around the room to lead the lost. This saves you so much time!
1. Allotted Time. The biggest problem I find is planning the time out for using technology. When you introduce a new tool or piece of technology it will take more class time than you expect. This happens to me all the time. I find a new web tool I want to put in play, and I run ahead of myself. (I often discover it at 8am and try to use it at 9am). Take your time learning the technology, and take your time putting it into practice. Your students will be more successful if you go slow...
What are your tips for putting technology into practice? Leave a comment to share your knowledge.
Image from @Joe_Mazza
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What He Said . . .3 days ago
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1 Comments
Great post! I find a big thing for me is to allow for flexibility. Students are often able to demonstrate their knowlege of the content in creative ways I had not anticipated, so if I can be flexible about the media they use to show their mastery, I can get meaningful products from students who are excited to do the work.
ReplyDeleteGreat piece today. I am planning on linking to this post from own blog this week. :)