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You note that teachers have to have experience on the computers themselves
before they will use them with kids. For sure! I personally logged a lot
of time on computer, mostly at home, before I was interested in trying kids
out on computers.
If you can't get teachers to buy home computers and mess with them, you
gotta get them doing the experimentation at work. But you also gotta create
a climate that allows for experimentation and learning. We need to allocate
"mess around" time for teachers on those classroom machines. Teachers
need to be able to try things out and make mistakes. They need helpful,
nonjudgmental support people and forgiveness when they make mistakes. They
need lots of training opportunities. Most of all they need fellow teachers
to mentor them informally. Nothing creates computer use like computer use.
How to create critical mass is the $64,000 question. I'm not sure if having
a single station per classroom is the way to go. I can't answer the question
of how to get teachers to use it, but I know these are the wrong answers:
1. Install At Ease, set at the most restrictive settings, for teacher users.
Then ask them to take courses that show them how to use machines that don't
have At Ease. Then expect them to come back to the building and practice.
2. Tease people when they can't do something, or when they do something
wrong.
3. Have those in charge act defensively about their own computer skills;
be afraid to learn something from someone who is below you in the building
hierarchy.
4. Create a climate in which people are afraid to ask.
5. Don't praise people for learning something new. Treat their discoveries
as ho-hum. Act as if you expected them to do this as a matter of course.
Don't put out any models of teacher computer projects for others to see
and think about. Don't publicize and praise people who have bothered to
learn.
6. Be so protective of the equipment that people are afraid to use it.
7. Expect everyone to read all the manuals. Answer questions by pointing
in disgust to the sign or page that has the answer on it.
8. Use jargon without explaining it to the most novice person. (Example
from a faculty bulletin: "Because we will be doing System upgrades
over the break, you must make copies of all your files as backup. Any files
that are lost are your responsibility." If there was ever a way to
scare someone from using the computer, there it is!)
I am overwhelmed this year with my teaching schedule, but last year when
I had more time, I ran an informal user group in the building. Anyone was
welcome. We demonstrated skills, shared successes, made ourselves available
to teach one another informally. The group was made up of special ed people,
classroom teachers, one custodian, and some secretaries and aides. I would
say it was a success. Some told me that those few minutes were more valuable
than their classes. I hope to restart the user group next year. I will make
it no longer than 1/2 hour, and it will meet at a time designated by the
group.
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