Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Blogging for Professional Development

One of my tasks this year is to work closely with teachers and co-plan and co-teach lessons that include technology. This process is meant to move teachers who believe that using technology during lessons is just one more thing they have to do, to becoming aware that their lessons might be made more effective with technology. I want to be sure that they can see it is not about the technology, but about the students and the learning objectives they are working on. The process is also meant to support teachers who want to use technology but don't feel comfortable with it, or just don't feel they have the expertise to  use in front of students, and give those who enjoy using technology the support they might want to try new things.

Blogging can be a way to share what is happening in individual classrooms, as well as see progress through the year and how the use of technology changes what is happening in classrooms across campus. I think the format I will use is to first do a post about a particular technology, giving ideas of how it can be used, directions for specific uses, how teachers in other schools have used it and perhaps a description of the plan to use it in a specific classroom. A second post in the series could be written by the teacher I am working with, or if they are reluctant, I could ask questions and give a summary of their feelings about the technology and what they hope it will do for their lesson before they have taught it. I want to include pictures from the classroom, quotes from the teachers and links to our training videos that other teachers could access if they want.

The third post in the series could include pictures, videos, quotes, and reactions that are gathered during the lesson, or immediately after the lesson during a reflection time. I will take photos and videos showing the teacher and students interacting with the technology, take notes about what I saw happening in the lesson and ask for reflection about the lesson after it is finished. This would allow other teachers to see what can be done, and how students react to the use of the technology. This series of posts can later be used as a resource for others to see what can be done in our school, with our technology and with our students. Because we have only deaf/hard of hearing students or blind/visually impaired students, seeing an idea that is used with general education students is not always helpful. Seeing an example of the technology we have on campus being used successfully could encourage teachers on staff to try using it as well. I would hope that given the opportunity to interact with a blog teachers will become comfortable with them and persuade them to blog in their classrooms.

This blog could also lead to connections with other teachers who are working with deaf or blind students. It could provide a means of connecting over distances and become a place to share ideas, questions, or challenges that are particular to working with this population of students.



11 comments:

  1. Mary,

    I like your ideas about how to encourage your staff to work more with technology in their classrooms. I especially liked the idea of co-planning and co-teaching. As a veteran teacher, I am always a little hesitant to incorporate new technologies because it is always easier to rely on my older, outdated, tried and trued method. I believe that is mostly out of fear of something going wrong, or the technology not quite working. If I had a technology specialists working with me for a few sessions that would improve my confidence and strengthen my abilities incorporating more technology into my teaching. I do believe your blogs would be very helpful and encouraging to teachers, giving them both information and a visual guide to follow. I hope this works well for you and your teachers this year.

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    1. I hope it works too. I know that some teachers feel overwhelmed with too much work, but if I can show that this is not one more thing to do, but a way to make their teaching more effective and efficient they might be willing to take a chance.

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  2. A technology blog for teachers is a fabulous idea! So many teachers, including myself, are afraid of incorporating technology into the classroom. I, for one, am worried that the planned use of technology will fail when I need it the most. I believe that your blog would be a huge success with the teachers you work with. I like your idea of the blog being a place for sharing. There may be some teachers who are reluctant to use the site. However, the reluctant teachers may begin to use the blog due to the variety of posted ideas from fellow teachers.

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  3. I so hope you are right and that teachers will use it. One of the things about planning with technology is always have a plan B. There is no guarantee that the technology will work when you need it, especially when it is crucial to the lesson. Even if plan B isn't written down, teachers who use technology always have to have it in mind.

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    1. When using technology, I always have a plan b. I usually try using technology. The students get excited about using technology during instruction time. When the technology fails to operate, they seem to feel "let down." They start asking "Why can't we play that game?" and "I thought you said we get to use the iPad." These questions are difficult to answer. However, I do want my students to learn that technology does not always do what it is supposed to do.

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  4. I love your idea of using blogging as sharing forum. Most of the new ideas involving technology come from other teachers in my building. As Dr. David Thornburg says this type of technology is a way of "shrinking space." A blog is a way for us to share ideas with teachers all over the world.
    Best of luck implementing your blog. I just might have to copy your idea!

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    1. Thanks Jessie, I hope it works as well as I want it to. We have many teachers who feel so overwhelmed (their words) that they just can't do one more thing. If it works as I hope, I think ti can actually make their teaching more effective and their lives less busy. Please do use the idea, I would love to know how it works for you.

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  5. Mary, I think your idea for using blogs for professional development is great! Since you have a special student population it only makes sense to profile the types of technology that is used with your kids. The only stumbling block I see is with the teachers who are intimidated with using technology in the first place. If they are reluctant to use the technology with the kids, they may be very reluctant or at list slow to also learn how to use a blog to learn about the technology and then blog about it. But I'm an optimist, they may be slow, but hopefully they will get there. I am inspired and think I will suggest using a staff blog in our school for professional development and to let each other know what we're doing in our classes. Thank you

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  6. Jane, I know there may be reluctance to use the blog, but if they only have to go to the site and read, the reluctant teachers may eventually feel that it could be useful to them. Perhaps they'll read, then somewhere down the line make a comment, and maybe even carry on some sort of conversation. I would love to hear what happens in your school with a blog, and I'll follow up here too.

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  7. Your ideas about using the blog as a training tool for teachers to become more tech savvy is excellent. This would be especially helpful to new teachers and teachers in other schools as well. One of the curriculum facilitators at my school started a technology blog but people did not visit it. It was a shame too because it had useful tools such as video tutorials like you are talking about.
    How will you "sell" the idea of a blog to your staff?
    What do you think about projecting the blog conversations at staff meetings and giving a tech tip? I think it would get people interested and keep them motivated. Another idea is to provide incentives for teachers who incorporate technology. Simple recognition at a staff meeting would work. What do you think?

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  8. Your ideas about using the blog as a training tool for teachers to become more tech savvy is excellent. This would be especially helpful to new teachers and teachers in other schools as well. One of the curriculum facilitators at my school started a technology blog but people did not visit it. It was a shame too because it had useful tools such as video tutorials like you are talking about.
    How will you "sell" the idea of a blog to your staff?
    What do you think about projecting the blog conversations at staff meetings and giving a tech tip? I think it would get people interested and keep them motivated. Another idea is to provide incentives for teachers who incorporate technology. Simple recognition at a staff meeting would work. What do you think?

    ReplyDelete