Supporting teachers learning ICT

Supporting teacher with ICT in classrooms requires teacher training, technical infrastructure, supportive peer networks and school administration support (Trucano, M. 2005).  To provide teacher training I realize I need to move beyond talking about potential CT programs teachers can use in their classes, for example “Little book of ICT ideas” to showing teachers the programs being used with students.  Also I need to share why students should use technology for improving their learning, like the twitter post I read by Brett Gruetzmacher.  Since teachers set “learning goals based on what is relevant to their needs and practical for them personally” (BC Min of Educ. 2002), they must see relevance in using ICT tools with their classes or themselves or they will not engage in learning about it.

Two years ago, I attended the BCTLA meeting (2012) and heard a great presentation about using cameras to encourage student literacy.  I felt this was a great fit for a French immersion school where the focus is oral language.  I contacted the presenter and asked if I could share her presentation with my school.  Susan Henderson very generously sent her PowerPoint presentation and I did a short session on one of our Pro-d Days.  This presentation resulted collaboration with a primary teacher to video her class.  We have continued again this year.  Now my collaborating teacher plans to share her videos in her grade group meeting to show how it can work in our school.  I think by seeing the ICT used educationally with young children helped this teacher take on this challenge, and the successful collaboration has helped her spread the success of this ICT tool. 

To encourage teachers to use ICT in their classes, just like sharing Mrs. Hendersons presentation, I don’t have to be able to do it all by myself but can

·         book presenters for our school and District Pro-D;

·         encourage teachers to attend ICT sessions at both local and distance conferences, for example presentations at our upcoming SD57 conference includes: Smartboards in elementary math classrooms and Goodbye Google, better ways to for building learning resources (PGDTA 2014);

·         share posted online presentations;

·         share links to interactive online educational opportunities, for example LearnNow BC webcasts;

·         share links to discussion groups using ICT, for example our inquiry learning group shares ideas through our FirstClass community website; and

·         you-tube tutorials for ICT’s.

 

Then I need to follow up these learning opportunities by providing collaborative time to help teachers use ICT with their classes or in library time. Providing scaffolding (Vygotsky’s theory of proximal development) like we do with all students with new learning.  If I don’t feel proficient or we cannot schedule time, then I can ensure they take advantage of our school’s tech teacher to work collaboratively with them and their classes.  Thirdly, I can help pair up teachers that have experience using the tools, either in my school or in other schools.  I have a great PLN with other TL’s in my School District on FirstClass who would be willing to provide me with teachers that would be good peers for learning about ICT.  I have also recently learned that our School District Learning and Curriculum Program has money for some release time to pair teachers that want to work on developing and sharing skills.  I can encourage teachers to use this funding to develop their skills with ICT.  It is important to “build opportunities for teachers to talk to each other about the skills they are learning”   since |much learning occurs through social interaction” (BC MoE 2002).

Sharing learning and creating supportive peer networks are just part of enabling ICT in classrooms, however teachers also require sufficient access technical infrastructure to use ICT tools with students.  In my school of 390 elementary students there is only one computer lab, and 6 other student computers in the library.  This arrangement limits student computer use to scheduled blocks of computer time, with some access to either early finishers or students who are late on assignments in the library.  Another step I want to take is to be more proactive promoting a mobile computer lab to increase computer access for students using ICT tools.  Proactive steps include collaborating with the Tech teacher in my school; looking for funding sources; and talking with administration. These proactive steps may also involve a conversation with teachers  and administration on where the best place to spend the school technology budget should be, since some teachers want Smartboards.  My preference is for tablets since Smartboards are much more expensive and limit teaching to one location in the classroom.  While tablets are portable and can be “connected to video projectors, digital monitors or internet broadcasts to draw, highlight and interact with whatever is on their screens without the aid of a Smartboard” (Fowlkes 2013).

 References

Anderson, M.  2013. Little book of ICT ideas.  Retrieved Feb 16, 2014 from http://www.scribd.com/doc/50091789/little-book-of-superb-sites

BC Ministy of Education, Standards Department.  2002.  Working with colleagues, a guide for ICT mentors.  Retrieved Feb 16 from https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/applied_skills/support_materials/mentors.pdf

Fowlkes, K. 2013.  Why Tablets will kill Smart Boards in Classrooms.  Retrieved Feb 17, 2014 from http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/why-tablets-will-kill-smart-boards-in-classrooms/d/d-id/1108091?page_number=1

Gruetzmacher, Brett. Jul 6 2013.  What do you want kids to do with technology! Twitter post.

Henderson, Susan.  2013.  Creating Collaborative Projects with Technology Integration. BCTLA conferencehttp://bctf.ca/bctla/conference/2012.html
Kidcode 2. Wordle tutorial. Retrieved Feb 14, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhL5D9nz5aI .

LearnNow BC.  Retrieved Feb 17, 2014 from http://www.learnnowbc.ca/.

PGDTA. April 2014.  Spring Fling conference.  Retrieved Feb 16, 2014 from  http://springflingconference.weebly.com/ .

Trucano, Michael.  2005. Knowledge Maps: ICTs in Education.  Washington, DC: infoDev / World Bank.  Retrieved Feb 16, 2014 from http://www.infodev.org/articles/teachers-teaching-and-icts

Vgotsky theory of proximal development.  Retrieved Feb 17, 2014 from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/constructivism.htm