Training and follow-up tend to be the weak links in my district. I believe the volume of staff members it serves and the fact there are 3 high schools, 4 middle schools and 15 elementary schools along with some alternative programs spread over the entire district lead to a difficult scenario for our technology liaisons to make sure we are really using our technology to the fullest potential. The professional development offered is also somewhat geared toward our elementary teachers and can be borderline silly for high school teachers when participating in the sessions. As a part of my passion for seeking my Master’s of Ed in Technology, I hope to develop some strategies to help my district and other districts bridge that gap between getting the technology in the classroom and the teachers actually feeling comfortable using it with their students who crave technology in in all facets of life.
Spector, J. M., Merrill, M. D., Merrienboer, J. V., Driscoll, M. P. (2008). Handbook of research on educational communications and technology. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Thorsen, C. (2009). Techtactics: Technology for teachers. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. 
Hi, Jacki. It is good to see you again. I am looking forward to sharing a class with you again. I somehow had forgotten you were at Timken HS. I lived in Jackson Township for fourteen years and did my student teaching at Jackson High. Many of our church friends graduated from THS or had kids there.
ReplyDeleteI see the role of technology in an elementary classroom as very different from its role in the middle school or high school classroom. Although technology is an excellent means of individualizing instruction in all classrooms, the way that this is done will vary according to the age of the student. Therefore, I agree with you that professional development should be different according to the level each teacher instructs. Maybe the grading software or attendance procedures might be the same, but professional development should incorporate ideas for lesson plans, and these will look different in different schools.
Thanks Alma for your feedback! I really value your perspective and I continue to enjoy having you as a colleague in our courses together. I spent some time as a substitute teacher and I spent that time in a variety of classrooms and grade levels. The truly believe the technological needs of elementary, middle, and high schools students is vastly different and as the instructor we just need to make sure we take the time to get to know our kids and their unique needs. I think we can all face challenges at each level and we can still all grow from our shared experiences and advice. Look forward to another term with you!
DeleteJacki
I can empathize with your professional development predicament. Recently, I was appointed as a type of webmaster for our department. I’ve never designed a webpage or even kept one up. Well, after an hour long class, it was all mine. Needless to say, I’ve made some mistakes and a few things have had to be corrected. Despite these struggles, I pride myself in having the ability to figure it out. Not all aspects of technology are as simple as an “undo” button. Efficient and effective professional development is key to the success of technology adoptions.
ReplyDeleteTori,
DeleteIsn't that funny? As soon as someone hears you might have some computer skills, you turn into the guru of all things computers! Sounds like you are a real asset to your department though. I wish for the sanity of all of us we had an "edit undo" button in all cases but like you said that isn't possible. I too enjoy the task of getting to the bottom of a problem and finding a viable solution to that problem. I hope through professional development offered within districts that we can really start to get on the same page as a staff for advancement of the educational goals of each of our districts.
Jacki