The Only Thing Constant Is Change
Building a Professional Development Community that Embraces Change
When
visiting Pine Street elementary school, you quickly recognize that this is a
family friendly school. Since its
inception in 1957, many students are the children and even the grandchildren of
former students. One might even begin to consider, with all of this history that there might be some resistance to change but that couldn't be further from the truth. In spite of its mature facade, technology is thriving.
Six years ago, every classroom was equipped
with an active boards and today, these are in constant use throughout the day. Every classroom teacher has approximately 5 –
6 IPads and each 3rd
grade teacher has recently received an additional 10. Of course there are those
days when the internet is down or a particular program is not loading but in
spite of these moments, students are constantly making use of these tools and activities
which support the local, state and national Common Core standards. Teachers are also collaborating and sharing
as they make use of these resources. A “Fabulous
Friday” might include the use of virtual clickers in one room and IPads in
another and yet technology continues to review, reinvent and renew.
How can teachers continue to provide the most up to date resources when
it is constantly changing and evolving? How can these resources be integrated effectively
and efficiently through the LMC program and into the classroom to create an
environment that is rich in technology? According to a study commissioned by Richard
W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, it teachers which use technology more frequently in the classroom report a high
gain in a student’s engagement, skill and learning (Beglau and Hare, 2011). As obvious as this appears there are still those who have difficulty embracing new technology and applying these new skills in the classroom.
As a first year employee at my school, I have not had the opportunity to
experience how these new resources are introduced. However, most teachers will agree that Professional
Development (PD) in the areas of technology, tend to occur in the following
ways:
Ø By a county office staff member
Ø by our Technology Specialist
Ø by our LMCS
Ø through fellow teachers and mentors
In many cases, you will
find that teachers have received the training but have not had an opportunity
to explore how it can be used in the classroom.
Others might jump right in and determine its use along the way. Teachers might feel isolated in their pursuits and
miss the collaborative efforts that occured at the initial training stage. Providing a coach or a partner to check in, communicate,
provide suggestions, or point out areas where the software might be most
effective is a support system that an LMCS can provide. According ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), having that kind of support
can improve the chances of a software being used vs. not being used at all. ISTE also provides an online resource
for teachers where they can receive that extra technological support. As a new teacher, there are the standard operating procedures, paperwork
and protocols that must be instilled.
Within that initial training, a minute amount of software coaching might
be provided but most cases, these teachers are paired with a mentor for more
detailed instruction. This is an area
where we can assist. Working alongside
the other mentors by providing resources and knowledge will assist the new
staff as they matriculate into this new environment. It is also important to create an environment that encourages questions. Teachers are more willing to try new software when their insufficiencies are not placed in the spotlight. They should know that when approaching the LMS if she (or he) does not know the answer then they will find it together.
Approximately 3 years
ago, our current Media Center Specialist introduced a software called, Tumblebooks. She had to continually promote the benefits
of this package before it really began to catch on and take off among the
teachers. This might be the case for
many resources or new forms of technology that we are introducting but it is
worth the persistence. Our kindest
intentions might not always be received with open arms but we must be
diligent an know that our efforts are most certainly worth the education of our library community. There will always be meetings
and the need for more planning. There will
always be tests and preparations for more testing. A teacher’s job is daunting and ongoing. Yet as LMCS
we can offer that encouragement to move our teachers, students and
administrators forward. We can help them to move ahead and possibly Embrace Change.
Lisa...
ReplyDeleteI have found that many time "veteran" teachers resist change the most. And by veteran I mean the ones that have been at the school the longest, not necessarily teaching the longest in general. These teachers often take the approach of why reinvent the wheel. They feel what they have been doing is working so why should they change things. As a Media Specialist I am constantly looking for ways to engage my teachers in the use of technology. I too, am in an older school but we are very rich in technology. Every classroom is equipped with a smart board and projector. All classrooms have at 10 ipads so have full class sets or even class sets of chrome books. We have Elmos, CPS systems, and everything in between. Many time our teachers do not realize the wealth of knowledge they hold in their classrooms with technology. Each month our tech department holds an afterschool tech prep class that our teacher can attend.
Change along with time are two enemies we face daily in education. Many veteran teachers are set in their ways, and many rookie teachers are accepting but overwhelmed with everything else. If you can make positive connections and develop meaningful relationships, you can help sell tech tools to the teachers, especially your reluctant tech users. To do this, make it personal. Ask them what unit they are planning. Look up the standards. Take a look and see what tech tools can help enhance the unit through enrichment or remediation activities. Present this to the teacher and let them know how this can help them and how this can further the standards. If we make it personal and design it to fit their individual classroom needs, we can transform a reluctant tech user into a user-friendly tech user.
ReplyDeleteHow right you are about the resistance to change. I admit I've been resistant to change from time to time, but when it comes to educational technology, if we truly wish to engage and educate our students, we must embrace that change and jump on board.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a classroom teacher in St. Louis our tech specialist would introduce some new piece of technology at each faculty meeting. She would do a very brief demonstration and then passed around a sign-up sheet for teachers who wished to receive further training on the technology. I thought her approach was perfect. She took up very little of our time by introducing it and then allowed us to decide how much more of our time we wanted to spend learning it. Not all resources she introduced were applicable to all subject matters and her approach ensured that no one spent hours sitting in a training he or she neither needed nor wanted, disengaged, thinking about all the things left to be done in his or her classroom.
When I became a media specialist last year I created my own version of that same concept and implemented it at my school. It took a few months to catch on, but now it's rare that whatever I introduce at the faculty meeting doesn't have at least 3 or 4 teachers who want to learn more.
Professional development, especially as it pertains to educational technology is absolutely essential, but I really think the key to making the most of PD time and giving the teachers what they want and need lies in a combination of the approach I borrowed from Ellen and what Lorraine said - asking the teachers what they're doing, researching the standards, and planning my PD accordingly.
Lisa--
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your post. There is always something new coming along to learn...and often, there is resistance. As a teacher, it seems like something new is always thrown at us or expected of us. One of the main problems in my school is that we have the professional development, but there is a disconnection between that and the classroom. I think it's important to have more than one PD that way you can address successes, problems, questions, etc. I also think focusing on one new resource rather than throwing a lot teachers' ways makes it easier to accept and implement!
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI have found from personal experience that it does indeed take work to get people out of their comfort zone. What this often means with technology, is going, searching, and finding applications or hardware that will make life easier for patrons or staff. The act of seeking is what is missing from many media centers. Once a product is found and its value discovered, one must then make a great push to have others see the value. I recall many meetings with our IT Steering committee where no staff, teachers, or media specialists, attended to voice their concern or thoughts. It may seem that school systems select items or systems to use without the input of stakeholders. This has not been my experience. It takes a person taking a vested interest in an area and becoming involved. We hear the world collaboration many times, but we typically do not expect that collaboration to happen between the media specialist and technology.
Here is a great website that has the various roles that a school district expects of their media specialists:
http://www.carrollk12.org/instruction/instruction/librarymedia/ourcenters/life/default.asp
This is a great topic and you have done a nice job of bringing about the idea that change is here and we have to embrace it!
Meghen
I am also a first year employee at my current school and because I am part time, I am required to leave the building as soon as my workday is over due to liability reasons so I have not had the opportunity to become familiar with how new resources are introduced. The school in which I preciously taught had Promethean boards installed in every classroom. These interactive white boards were fairly user friendly and many teachers self-taught themselves on how to use them. There were training held during planning on occasion and the county offered optional advanced Promethean board trainings to teachers who wanted to learn more of the advanced features of the Promethean board. These trainings were held in the summer. I attended one of the trainings and found it very helpful. I was able to implement most of the things that were taught to me in the classroom and became one of the expert teachers who helped my colleagues when asked. The media specialist at my former school was not very technology saavy so she was not the person to ask whenever there someone had a technology question. I think it is important for all SLMS to have some training and knowledge of new products and resources that are purchased. I agree with you that there should be some type of support system that the SLMS could offer by pairing up teachers with a coach or partner to hold each other accountable as well as communicate and collaborate with one another when it comes to learning how to operate new equipment or learn new software. The Media Specialist at my current school teaches lessons to students two or three times a week and she also uses the Tumblebooks program. I am not very familiar with Tumblebooks books. The SLMS spoke very highly of it and the children seem to love it. Once I become a SLMS, I will have to check it out to see if it would something I would want to purchase for the SLM Program if it doesn’t already have it. School Library Media Specialists should definitely help teachers, students and administrators to move forward with technology and to embrace the constant technology changes. Great post!!
ReplyDelete