Teaching can be a lonely profession. Trying to keep up with new trends in education, policy, and curriculum changes can be overwhelming. Communicating with and getting support from colleagues helps make some of these challenges more manageable. In my current position, I share responsibility for the library with someone else, who has run the space for the past decade. Over the years, a certain culture has been established in the school around the use of the library — some teachers use it all the time, others never darken our door. My challenge is to try and bring some of these teachers in to use our resources. Only then, I think, can I actually be effective in promoting, encouraging, and supporting the use of new technologies in our school.
Our professional collection is rarely used. I would suggest creating a site (like Delicious) for staff to access and share resources and information.
Other posters have mentioned relationship building as key to this process and I would strongly agree. Online communities have a lot to offer, as do Twitter feeds and tools like Classroom 2.0, but in my opinion, face to face interactions have more impact and help many people feel better prepared to tackle a new method of teaching and learning. An article by Amy Hutchison titled “Literacy teachers’ perceptions of professional development that increases integration of technology into literacy instruction” (2012), cites survey results that suggests having support available through mentoring and follow-up post-PD instruction, both help teachers integrate technology into the curriculum more successfully. At my current school, I know this is a common sentiment. Perhaps this is something I can be more involved with in the future, by gaining as much “expertise” as I can with Web 2.0 tools.
Along the line of PD, I am organizing my first lunch-hour tech drop-in session. My library recently acquired 10 iPads so I am having the district’s technology-assisted learning (TAL) consultant come to do some Q&A with students (and staff) about how to better utilize this technology for school purposes. Depending upon the response, I may look at making it a more regular occurrence, covering different tech issues. Tapping into the experts who are available within our school community is a great place to begin. This could potentially lead to offering sessions to parents on the types of technology and Web 2.0 tools being used in our school.
PLCs could also be used for continuing education for teachers in technology related issues. In September, I’d like to suggest a PLC focused on a few Web 2.0 tools (depending on the group’s interest), and spend the sessions learning and sharing our experiences trying to integrate them into the curriculum.
Finally I think I could use my role to advocate for teachers with regard to technology use in the classrooms. We are getting a new “21st century” school (2016) and are slowly transitioning some aspects of the library. While it is great we have begun the process, it hasn’t been smooth so far. I am attempting to bring forward some issues, with the support of my admin. I’m seeing first hand how slowly the wheels turn 🙂
Another visual representation of how we can support and collaborate with our staff. Note how important the human element is at all stages.
Creative Commons licensed image courtesy superkimbo
Hutchinson, Amy. “Literacy Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Development that Increases Integration of Technology into Literacy Instruction.” Technology, pedagogy, and education. 21(1). 2012. P. 37-56. DOI: 10.1080/1475939X.2012.659894