As a PLC (Professional Learning Community) school, we are encouraged to bring forth ideas and form groups to act upon those ideas. A number of teachers have banded together to voice their frustration with the state of technology in our schools.
Well, good news this week!
After years of struggling to attempt to control our own technology destinies within our school, our Principal brought forth the idea of a technology committee. She just received an iPad as part of a workshop, yet is not able to use it because we are do not have a wireless network.
Previously we have felt powerless in our struggle to control how we use technology in our classroom. Years before it was a struggle to get the equipment we needed to get onto the internet. Now, the equipment is in the classroom (computers, access to the internet, and Smart boards and projectors) and Web 2.0 is here, all we need is the access.
As teachers, we have the same level of access to the internet and websites as the students. We need to 'ask permission' to access website that are deemed dangerous. Examples of this are; Youtube, any website with a blog, any website that has games as a tag. A special education paraprofessional told me yesterday that she was denied access to a math website with games. She was planning on using this as incentive for student for whom motivation is difficult. What a great use of technology for a student who cannot learn in a mainstream classroom!
As one of the many teachers that requested that we ourselves control our destinies, I am anxious to become part of the Technology PLC.
Web 2.0 is our chance to have students not only use the internet as a tool, but be able to contribute to this vast world of knowledge as well.
Our biggest challenge will remain how we navigate the tricky waters of our schools and who makes the decisions and how they are justified.
Yours,
Aaron
Very Exciting for you! I do not know how I would do my job every day if it was not for technology in my building. I do have many blocked websites, but for the most part, I can ask for them to become unblocked if I ask. We still do not have a layered access to the internet as teachers with different permissions, for sites like Youtube, but it should be coming soon! I am happy to hear things are changing. It will be slow to change, but you are armed and ready for how the technology will benefit your entire student population as well as your PLC. If you use google docs to help with the technology committee, it will show the benefit of how using google docs between teachers for collaborative efforts. I share all of my lesson plans with all of my other computer teachers through google docs. It is a great tool for collaboration. Keep me posted on your progress! Yeah!
ReplyDeleteAaron,
ReplyDeleteVery exciting indeed. Like you, our school had its issues with internet access in terms of what was filtered and what wasn't.
We (our district) have come a long way. Part of the reason for that was the forming of our "TTI" team. (Team for Technology Integration). We developed this team for just such a reason. Not only did we fight for and gain more access and freedom for the faculty and students, but our team has helped by providing PD for our district. This saves the district both time and money by having internal PD workshops from colleagues.
I wish you the best!
Bernadette
That's great! I think, at my school, we have always been a little ahead of the game when it comes to technology because we have some really dedicated and dynamic teachers who have laid all the ground work but I am concerned about what will happen if these guys move on... who will be there to protect the interest of the technology? I think having a committee of teachers is a great idea. We have to make sure that progress doesn't stop just because one person leaves.
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