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MARSHA
RATZEL
Diary #7
How
Do We Help Teachers
to Take on New Tools?
I
spent the week brainstorming using technology to enhance student learning.
My focus has been to try and make it an invisible amplifier of the curriculum.
Really my job has two thrusts in staff development; the traditional "class
after school" and the "onsite, in the middle of day" staff development mini-lessons.
I taught the
afterschool digital photography class for 22 teachers. I think they learned
tons about the mechanics of operating a camera and using PhotoDraw. We had
fun, laughed and explored all the different things that can be done. One
foreign language teacher, who is here from Chile, is going to use a digital
camera to assess his students' knowledge of vocabulary terms.
Reflecting on
this class, though, I realized all these people self selected into the taking
the photography class which makes them all predisposed to trying to integrate
technology into their classrooms. And since this was a one-afternoon class,
I'll never know if they were successful. What's more, they won't have the
chance to use it with students and then discuss what happened with me.
The contrast
to the photography class was the in-building staff development I taught
this week. Forty-five teachers have signed up to take this virtual fieldtrip
in seven different buildings. Most of these 45 teachers are not representing
the technology-rich classroom environment we would optimally want to see
in the district. So it is a huge opportunity to try something out and measure
its effectiveness.
PD in the
classroom
I went into
two different middle schools and taught classes for teachers. It was wonderful
to be back with kids --- I taught over 150 kids during the week. Teachers
could sit back and watch how to integrate technology into the lesson as
I did the introductory lessons.
I taught a simple
geography lesson --- contrasted the uses of globes, atlases, and web-based
maps. It is a wonderful illustration of why some resources are better at
answering certain types of questions. When the kids reacted to the web stuff
and were excited about learning to use longitude and latitude --- they were
getting out their globes and atlases out to figure out where something was
located -- teachers immediately understood the "why" of this technology.
And students realized the web can't answer all their questions, so its important
to use the tried and true tools of geography.
Most of these
teachers would not have attended an afterschool class because they don't
want to use technology. Although they are reluctant users, these teachers
are wonderful at what they already know. They were willing to watch a lesson
or two with their kids while keeping an open mind. That modeling allowed
them to make a decision to shift their teaching. At least for the rest of
our virtual fieldtrip. And that made me realize
that we needed to reexamine how we help teachers learn to take on new tools.
Doesn't it all
boil down to how we decide to take risks? It sure seems so from my experience
this week. I had already decided to be a visible presence in the middle
schools that are trying this out. And it made me realize that if I can be
a handholder in the flesh, then more teachers will be willing to venture
out. I must have at least a dozen technophobics trying this virtual fieldtrip
and they are excited (still scared to death, but willing to make a run at
it).
The shared vision
we're all beginning to get is that technology can amplify student learning
and help our kids become more motivated. And that will make it easier and
more effective for everyone. Hurray!!!
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