Monday, September 13, 2010
Gypsies must resort to begging, borrowing and stealing technology.
I have a little bit of gripe. Have you ever experienced feeling that your department has been left out of the loop during the integration of new programs or technologies at your school? Hey, if you don't teach one of the core subjects, particularly English and Math, sometimes you may be feeling this way. I integrate plenty of English and Math into my subjects, but anyway. The current curriculum standards for World Language are not even complete, so nobody wants to touch us, or grace us with new technology in our classroom, or even give us a classroom. They sent me out this year, a traveling gypsy on a cart, roaming throught the hallways to find my assigned classrooms. No homeland. I feel like a Basque. Anyway, I get to see which of the core subject classrooms have been rigged witht the latest tech craze, such as the interactive whiteboard. Looks like a lot of fun, but I won't be able to touch it until I am trained in it's use. When is the next training date for this? Nobody has hooked me up with the interactive whiteboard. So, here's my question: When are we going to stop dumping technology into schools and expect amazing results without providing proper training? I found an interseting blog about this topic. You can find it at: http:// LarryCuban.wordpress.com.
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Wow. Reading your post makes me feel really lucky to be where I am. Although we often feel like we need more training in technology at EHS, we all have access to technology. Our school is 1 to 1, all teachers have an LCD projector, and two years ago we were all given a chance to put a SMART board in our rooms. It's too bad that all schools weren't like this. I'm sorry that foreign language gets put on the back burner and that you are reduced to a cart. I was offered a job a few years ago, but heard that I would have a cart instead of a classroom - - - I didn't take the job. Hopefully things turn around :)
ReplyDeleteI have taken it upon myself to learn the technologies I am interested in. That's what I'm finding so intriguing about this course. For example, I didn't really set out to learn Moodle-but because it's required to do the work, I'm kinda liking it and teaching myself as I go. I wrote grants for the "stuff" I wanted. Again, I had to teach myself how to use it and I'm sure there's more to it than I have figured out, but it's a good place for me to start! I bet there's someone in your building that could do some short inservices on the technology that is available.
ReplyDeleteI hear you about expectations and training. This year it is just expected that we are all on using Google Docs, but no one has taken the time to train or go over what to do with Google Docs or how to use it. In addition, last year the whole school got one day of training at the beginning of the year on how to use Moodle. Those who took the initiative and found time to stumble through it could do stuff, but with more training there is so much more we could be doing.
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