Tech Training-Build It, They Will Come.

"If you build it, [they] will come."

~quote from the move Field of Dreams 

(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Field_of_Dreams)

        This quote from the movie Field of Dreams reminds me of creating an environment in my classroom and future media center where all students/patrons want to come---to grow, learn, experiment, collaborate, and become risk takers. If teachers and media specialists "build" a place of intellectual and literary freedom, then students, parents, and administrators will "come" to gain ideas, strategies, motivation, and tools they will need to be a 21st Century learner (and doer). Teachers, who I have talked with, are eager to learn new technology strategies, apps, websites, and other tools to help their students become more engaged and create authentic learning. 

        Gone are the days of traditional textbooks, which for some teachers and parents, is difficult to grasp. Today's learning has a collaborative approach and is based on technology playing a vital role in each daily lesson. For example, in my 4th grade classroom, students use websites daily for independent study, iPads for research, using scanners for games requiring access to QR codes, online clickers for quick assessments, computer programs for formative and summative assessments with instantaneous feedback, online intervention programs, and web-based acceleration programs. 

        In the elementary school where I currently teach, the teachers are "thirsty" for more technology and resources to help students become 21st Century Learners. Currently, our Early Intervention Specialist conducts professional development on technology resources two to three times a year, but it is geared towards intervention and the primary grades. The media specialist does not provide any professional development on technology, which is desperately needed at our school. The teachers are ready, they just need guidance, support, and encouragement to take risks and implement new technology programs. One of the barriers that we face at our school is not enough computers or iPads.  We often have to "book" the mobile cart or iPads weeks in advance. This is discouraging to teachers in that lessons often have to be rewritten due to the lack of resources. I have already decided that when I become a media specialist, I plan on purchasing iPads for teachers to check out for their classrooms. The computer lab at our school is going by the way side. Teachers and students want the technology and tools at their finger tips in the regular classroom setting. 

       

      Just like a baseball team needs an excellent coach to guide and motivate it's players, a media center/classroom needs a excellent coach to guide and motivate it's learners. According to "ISTE standards for Coaches" and the "ISTE Standards for Teachers", technology coaches (aka media specialists) need to inspire and participate in the development and implementation of an integrated technology program which promotes excellence throughout all instructional environments. With the collaboration of media specialists and classroom teachers, students need to be part of digital age learning environments where learning is only a click away and where students can share their creativity with others in a digital format. Media specialists and teachers can help students foster cultural understandings and global awareness to better understand the world around them. 

       It was interesting to read in "Teaching, Coaching, and Community" that teachers who receive coaching in using technology tools become more confident and effective in creating a technology rich environment which then maximizes student learning.  As a future media specialist, I want to provide frequent professional development activities on various tech tools that teachers can easily implement in their classrooms and for students to utilize for their research projects.  I would like to offer online tutorials, after school sessions for students/parents and teachers, and "tech tip" suggestions each month for the teachers to try like a new website, app, program, or software. I feel that it is very important for media specialists to stay abreast of current technology trends and share it with their teachers.

        If technology coaches build an environment that fosters digital learning, "they" will come.

Technology Training… Say What?

Technology Training… Say What?

            When I see the word technology training it gives me the sense of dread because before this class I have never really trained in technology. I have to train to know how to do something? Everyone needs to learn new things about the upcoming technologies that are changing, as we know it. The article we were given to read for this blog post talks about being coaches for technology and I have never thought of myself as a coach. I want to tell you about what I have observed when it comes to technology training and what I hope to do when I become a coach myself.

Picture from Clip Art

What I have seen/experienced:

            At the current middle school I am volunteering at I have not seen any technology training occurring with the teachers and staff. It could be the fact that I don’t come at the times that the media specialist puts aside in her busy schedule to help teachers and staff with technology. I have seen the media specialist help students when they are having trouble with technology. The staff development for technology is being stunted because there is not much physical proof of teachers and staff being helped in their classrooms other than having smart boards and having access to the computer labs in the school or media center. I hope to be able to see the use of technology in the media center when I go in later this semester.

            I have seen technology training in the previous high school that I volunteered at that gave technology help to teachers and staff of the school. The school media specialist conducted TED Talks in the media center during the school day so that the teachers and staff could know how to work the different technologies that the media center provided for them. I was never able to attend one of her talks but I learned that they helped teachers and staff with their classroom blogs, getting classroom materials, and engaged their students in interesting ways.

Created on Vista Print by Me

What I am going to do:

            I understand that being a media specialist can be a crazy task with the multiple hats that we have to wear. I want to be different than what I have seen in the middle school media center. I want to be able to help teachers and staff utilize the different tools that the digital world provides for us so that they can create and showcase their lessons, give extra help to students who need it, and create ways to connect to their students than ever before. The different tools I would try to implement are those such as Prezi, PowerPoint, Skype, Diigo, Google Drive, and Blogger. Of course there are others that I could use but these few are the ones I am most comfortable using. One tool that I have seen utilized is the tool of TED talks in the high school media center which is something I am interested in trying to help my school by bringing the technology and the digital world in if it has not be introduced already.

            This can be easier said then actually done. I will never know how I will conduct my position as a media specialist until I truly have a position in a schools media center. I will hope that I can inspire students to want to come and use their media center for more than just a place they can hang out with their friends and do the boring stuff for school assignments. Maybe in the next few years I will be in a media specialist position and be asked for help from a future media specialist-in-training. I hope that I will be able to say that I have contributed to my schools advancement in technology.