What's Next?

Wow…challenging task this week-- which Web 2.0 tool to introduce to staff??

What got me thinking was this comment from Jeff Utecht of Thinking Stick blog:
“We can’t give the tools to people when they don’t need them…there first needs to be a need for the tool.”


What tool do teachers need most?
Something to relieve the stress of work overload.
I decided to go with the wiki, mostly because of it’s ease of use and ability to organize communication networks, helping to ease this overload. Forget, for the time being, that it’s an excellent tool for collaborating, sharing and creating an authentic audience for students. For now, teachers need to be shown the potential these tools have for helping them in the classroom and supporting them as they board the web 2.0 train.

How to do this?
Take the path of least resistance…
By introducing tools, such as wikis, as a way of assisting in making their busy, harried lives a little less so, we can teach them to embrace new technologies so that they can learn them along with their students.

I figured that the best way to teach about wikis was to use a wiki. My “Wiki Intro” on wikispaces will hopefully do the trick. I’ve included links to articles, readings, examples of educational wikis, as well as ideas of how to set one up for classroom use. Teachers can choose to look at this during school time or from the comfort of their home when not under time constraints.

“Q. How many Wiki people does it take to change a lightbulb?
A. One, but anyone can change it back."
-langreiter.com
(retrieved from Using Wiki in Education)


How to work to keep the technology momentum going?
Talk it up—use the “squeaky wheel” philosophy. Share recent blog posts, wikis, podcasts, webinars, voicethread, virtual libraries, nings, with colleagues about things that you know will be of interest to them and to their class. Not only talking it up with teachers but also with administrators. Again, having conversations and linking them to relevant information, such as this wikipedia article about Change Issues in Curriculum and Instruction: Wikis in the Classroom.

As for the ‘big picture’ for technology integration, Anne Davis in a recent post from Edublog Insights, raises important issues about teachers needing time and administrative support to keep this momentum going. She states:
“I think a big part of why educators are not out of their own networks is that their day is filled with other priorities that the teacher has to accomplish. I wish schools would make reflection and learning time for teachers a priority that nothing could interrupt. Students need the same. I agree that educators need to blog, use wikis, del.icio.ous and the like but until the educators’ learning and growth is truly made a priority within our schools, I don’t think we will make the progress we need to achieve. We need leaders that make this happen. A reflective culture of learning and growing must be nurtured in our schools.”



So what’s it going to take?
A district level commitment (mainly financial) to make tech integration and educating/training teachers a priority.
A school level commitment to review Acceptable Use Policies so as to enable integration of some of the newer technologies.
A teacher level commitment (once supported) to try, as well as use, these technologies and fit them into their daily planning where possible.

Lots of challenges still lie ahead for districts, schools, teachers and students in integrating technology into the classroom.
How important is it?
Once again, give this a view:
A vision of K-12 students today by B Nesbitt